Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-04-18

them as tokens of their visits. Bu1
satan, ever on the alert, sometimes
adroitly slipped in an egg of i'll omen
Many of the old Easter customs
have gone like the wassail bowl and
yule log of Christmas, but colored
eggs. like Santa Claus, have firm hold
on the childish heart.
There is a pretty legend 10 account
for their origin-that a bird sung a
SorTowful lay over Christ's tomb, and
as reward for its devotion its eggs
were ever after decorated.
Another story is that of an exiled
lady who amused herself and children
by decorating eggs with Easter mot
toes. One bearing the words. Hope
II God" fell into the hands OF sol
der, who, by chance, gave it to the
captive husband and father. He recog.
niZed the handwriting. and at last
the fragile train brought about the
reunion of the family.
The Easter Toilette.
HarperS Bazaar: Something new for
Easter-a new gown, new hat, at
least new pair Of gloves. Something
which accentuates in our dress the
feeling that winter with it's sombre-
ness, it sternness, its storms. and its
cold, has vanished, and given place
to the spring is a sort of pleasant
necessity for everybody.
The air thrills with vitality. Won
derful progress goes on before our
eyes. Trees put out leaves in swift
and Sumptuous eagerness. One al
most sees the grass grow. A fine
ear at the ground might almost hear
the quickening of life under the sod
PiXy-moss, trailing arbutus, anemo-
mes, violets, all exquisite things. de,
lIciously fragrant, marvellously tinted
familiar ii yet foreign, dear from
old association, precious because they
come as fresh from heaven as if made
for the first time, the world is full of
them, throbbing and pulsing with their
beauty and their sweetness.
1t seems appropriate when Nature,
in her best bib and tucker, laughs at
one from every hedge-row, beckons
from every cliff, enfOlds one at every
turn in large motherly arms, that
humanity, particularly the decorative
part of it, should make an Easter tot
lette too. Pretty gowns set off pretty
figures; a sweet is never sweeter than
when shaded by a beWitching hat
BrOad-brimmed and plumed. or small
and natty. girls hat takes on a bit
of the girls personality, and many 4
happy wife, did she but know it, owes
years of supreme felicity to the fact
that one Easter day, on her brown
curls or her golden tresses. reposed a
love of a hat which did the business
for a youthful swain, long since
grown portly and dignifed.
I'm the Spring a young mans fancy
Lightly turns to thoughts of love-
and many an unsuspecting maiden go
ing gayly on her way is not aware of
she moment when,
Lying her bonnet under her chin.
She ties a young mans heart within"
Marriage AUX Oeufs
There is pretty account of the mar
riage Of Marguerite Of Austria with
Philibert, the handsome duke of Sa-
yoy. 1t is called Marriage aux oeufs.'
She had come to the castle of Brae,
in the charming district of Bresse.
lying on the western slopes of the
Alps. Here the rich princess kept
open house, and Philibert, who was
hunting in the neighbOrhood, came to
pay his court to her.
1t was Easter Monday. and high
and low danced together on the green.
n hundred eggs were scattered in a
level space, covered with sand. and a
lad and lass, holding each other by the
hand, came forward to execute
dance of the country. According to
the ancient custom, if they succeeded
in finishing the braule without break
ing a single egg they became affianced.
Then Philibert, radiant with youth
and happiness appeared upon the
scene. He bent his knees before the
noble chatelaine and besought her hos
pital1ty. He proposed to her to try the
egg fortune. She accepted Their
grace and beauty charmed the on
lockers, and they succeeded, without
a single crash, in threading the peri
IOus maze
Savoy and Austrian shouted the
crowd. And she said, Let US adopt
the custom of Bresse"
They We're married and enjoyed
few years of exquisite happiness
Then the beloved husband died Mar
guerite survived him long. but never
forgot him.
Easter Plants.
The custom of using growing
plant as an Easter gift has become al
most universal and has largely in
creased the florists Easter trade.
Some Of the fayorites seem difficult
to care for, among them the Bermuda
or Easter lily. Their culture is said
to be easy, provided the plants are
not forced. Let the Easter lily bloom
until it is through blooming, then take
it out Of the pot, remove the young
shoots and plant the old one in rich
soil where it will get both sun and
shade. 1t may, if it has not been
forced, bloom all summer. Keep il
well watered. Put the young plants
into OOtS and soft in q closet or COLLAR