Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-04
SIGNS OF EASTERTIDE
The Windows Tell Of tho Day, if the Weather
Does Not
Beautiful Designs and Ingenious Dis
plays Mark All the Business Streets
and Lend q Certain Gayety.

Easter spirit Is somewhat chilled by the
weather. The spring lamb on the hillside
Is bleating for an ove-coat and the downy
chick by the woodpile gives a melancholy
and suicidal glance now and then at the
az glittering in the sunlight. The young
rabbit, also a partner in the symbolism
Of the day, shrinks within himself Until his
back teeth nearly touch his tail. The
new girl and the Easter bonnet are at
odds. Should they go to church together
tomorrow. unless there is considerable
change in the weather, both might be laid
up for a fortnight at least, she with a
fearful cold and 1t with the summer hat
and the diaphanous seaside toggery.
The windows of the merchants on the
avenue, F street, 1th street and q mark
the passing of Easter.
The milliners have had the courage of the
stock they bought when they thought
spring would arrive on time, and their
windows are respondent with masses of
artificial flowers. Violets, daffodils, forget
me-nots and roses bloom in odorless mag
nifieence and riotous abundance in every
millinery window III town. The drug stores
make an effort also to force the season.
Usually the druggist who does not put a
ton or two of sod in his window and a
house and water wheel and a hen with
twenty or more shivering chickens is
lnconspicuous. This year they have made
slight demonstrations. One drug merchant
has his window filled with beautiful big
wax eggs. Another has q hen and six
chicks and a rabbit, with three young
ones disporting in his window. An avenue
druggist has the king attraction In the
shape OF a beautiful Moorish girl and her
lover, both in costume, perched in his win
dow coloring Easter eggs. The sidewalk
during all hours Of the day Is black
with spectators, and the pale air vibrates
with remarks more or less witty and COM
plimentary to the girl and her companion.
One Grv goods window the ha q
very pleasing display Of goods appro-
pirate 10 the season arranged around a
mooel of the Hancock statue soon to be
erected. large dry goods display up
fetal flowers and all kinds and colors Of
spring goods. An uptown bird store has
several hundred chickens displayed In q
brooder and half a hundred incubator
Matched fuzzy ducklings waddling about in
the serenest satisfaction with their i'm
personal source Of being. The florists win
dows fairly surpass themselves. Easter
iiiias by thousands hurl midsummer square
ly in the eye of the pedestrian. Bouton-
nicres of lilies of the valley and violets fill
the background abundanIly at the modest
figure of 80 cents bunch, the Easter lilies
being dollar apie:e. The candy stores
ducks and eggs. One fine design is large
ducklins, three feet high, dressed in a
spike-tiil coat. while tduck) trousers, stove
pipe hat, with mcnocle and cane in the
very top of the style. Brownie frogs aid
rabbits peep out merrily from behind piles
OF caramels and bonbons and fluffy little
chicks are bursting from papier mache
shells on every side.
One window uptown is full of beautiful
white and iridescent pigeons. Not to be
emitted is an uptown saloon which adver-
tises Easter lunch" in pretty legend done
in evergreens and immortelles So, too,
should be mentioned the necktie displays;
Easter offerings" in this line are multitu-
dinous and omnipresent. The young man can
enjoy Easter tomorrow. even if his friend,
the young woman, cannot