The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15
EASTER MEMORIES.
BY b. C. Mason.

BY b. C. Mason
easter and eggs, 30 cents dozen!
Why, when I was boy I could get them
for the asking. When that mite of a
| girl brought her brothers. luncheon to-
day she said we won't get any eggs this
Easter, John; they're too high Easter
and no eggs! Think of it, SARAH"
| David Harris laid his paper across his
| knees. took off his spectacles. and looked
! straight into the blazing wood fire, as if
gazing on some enchanted picture.
Il wish she'd come every day." he muir
muAed softly. Strange, but there was
something about the girl that reminded
me strongly Of Beth. Something pink
on her hat or around her neck. 1 don't
know just what, but Beth and her pink
sunbonnet haven't been out of my mind
this afternoon Beth had a lovely peach
! bloom complexion, and those March winds
down along the Delaware have such
way of burning delicate skins that Beth
always wore sunbonnets when we went
, off on early spring tramps and pink was
her faVorite color"
Easter was a great day ut your house,
Cousin David" remarked his companion.
yes, Beth and l usually spent the af-
ternOOn before hunting eggs and coloring
them There were great boxes of them
behind the counter in fathers store. but
we preferred to run over to grandfather's
farm. a mile or more away and hunt for
! what we wanted; it was fun.
"Grandmother's reply to our yearly
question was ever the same Certainly.
nv dears, run out to the hen house aud
fill your baskets But the substantial
brick hen house with it's sitting room
and dining room, and its upstairs where
the fowls went to roost drew us not
thither. We liked best to search for the
hiding places of the out door hens; those
that roamed over the farm at their own
sweet will. stole their nests and laid when
ever and wherever they pleased. There.
were no egg trusts in those days asd no
| corners in eggs, but plenty of hooks ana
corners where eggs were to be found. and
we knew just where to look for them.
Hay stacks and straw stacks were favo-
rite repositories, and Beth and did love
to slide down those great, clean, conical
piles. Managers and haymows where we
loved to jump, calf pens and dog kennels
always yielded bountifully end gave us no
end Of fun. Strikes! Such things were
unknown Those hens knew that they
were born 10 lay eggs, and there was
iubilant cackling going on all day some
where on the farm. 1t was always Eas
ter with those hens.
"After the egg hunting Beth and I bur-
led ourselves in the kitchen, for the re-
mainder of the day with pots, pans, ket-
ties and dyestuffS. 1t wouldn't have been
half an Easter to us without colored eggs.
Iogwood chips produced a beautiful pur-
pie, onion skins a yellow tinge. For va
| riety we sometimes stuck bits of bees
wax on the, shells, which, in these places
remained white and gave the eggs spot
| ted appearance.
From mothers box of pieces, or from
some neighboring mothers box, Beth
| brought forth bright colored figured cali
| Goes. reds, blues. green's, etc, colors that
would run She sewed a bit of the cloth
| round each egg, then we dropped them
! into boiling water where they remained
a few minutes and came out with the fig
ures and colors of the cloth stamped upon
| them Artistic creations these We're. We
| expressed our joy by dancing around the
room, then laid the eggs separately on
! platters and exhibited them to admirinS
| friends.
| ION, Beth! Beth! it's twenty years or
more since you went away and I'd give
| the world for a glimpse of your sweet
| face under that pink sunbonnet now,
was the cry of the mans yearning heart
He bowed his head upon his hands and
for few moments seemed lost In thought.
The March wind whistled and shrieked
without emphasizing the silence within.
SARAH" resumed Mr.. Harris, rising
suddenly I'D like to have John and his
sister spend Easter with us; what do you
say?"
why, yes, of course, with all my
+, heart"
"WeW have them come then and Wen
give them all the eggs they can eat for
once. Don't believe they ever saw a hen S
nest in their lives"
The next day Mr.. Harris interviewed his
| office boy.
John said he, "who looks after you
since your aunt died?'
'sAIy sister Alice sir"
"How old is she?"
"Going On y, sir"
"Wen I want you and Alice to spend the
day with me tomorrow. Come to "a Cen
trail avenue. We breakfast at o."
THANK you, sir" replied John, his eyes
fairly sparkling as he thought of the
good news in store for Alice.
"Well bred, If they are poor" was Mr..
Harris mental comment as John and Alice
appeared before him the next morning.
Their fresh young voices and CHEEKY
faces charmed him. and before the day
was over he had fully resolved to ADOPT
| the orphans.
They haven't a relative that they know
of" he said. n can never be young again.
and Beth can never come back to me, so
I'll bring them here and Wen have new
Beth and David growing up in our home.
Cousin Sarah and I have lived alone for
fifteen years and we're getting a bit rusty;
but these young people will brighten us
up; they IL put new life into us and fill the
old house with JOY. I'll take them out on
the farm next summer and show them
what hens nests and hay stacks are ike.
Wen have Easter every day in the year"
That night Mr.. Harris had a long Ia k
with his "homekeeper" as he playfuily
called his Cousin Sarah, some ten years
his senior and the result was that John
and Alice found happy home and warm
hearts TO care for them; and all because of
sweet memories of a happy childhood and
a loving sister Beth. b. c. NJ.
-s-ae~-e-
Wounded Dog story.
From the London Referee.