The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-04-22
Selett Storp.
The Princess and The Purple Eggs.

When Rudei started out TO seek his
fortune has old grandmother gave him two
sweet cakes and bi, Of cheese. aud then
she kissed him on the cheek and he went
Oh gayly into the dark. fragrant forrest.
He had uo, Travelled long when he heard
a hitlc, faint squcal. aud. lookiAg around
he saw a hare caught in . snare aud kick
ing fecbly
Rudel Jumped through tbe bushes, ~
leased it. and held il in bis hands and
.noo,hed IT, iur gently while il qnivered
and lQ-ked q, him with frightened eycs.
Rudcl rlaccd IL on the grusind
Go, then. iitilc hare, he said, ito
frre,lora
- the h,,le hsfe lcapsi luio the high
eraSs aud ou, Of siehi. bat IN me,nent
Ruacl heard lii,lc voice calling
.Rudel. Radel
gaJci ~to"i up aud Io,kcl around. but
be conld see nothing. Again the votcr
called
Rudel' RHdvl' Whenever yoa nccd
help call oa me.
who zTe yoas asked Rudsl, boldly
aul the answer came back FROM aiar off
an the little hare that yon saved
iron the snare
Then everything was stiil. and Rnicl,
listening. could hear only the whispering
ot the leaves aud the ripple IF she ll'le
brook
AZ last be picked up hi, bundle and
trudacd on until be came to hsgh wall
thar surrounded . castle at the esige of the
wooJ. \, be knew nothing Of ihe people
vho lived in the castle, hs climbed high
tree and boxed over the wsil
New, a. il happenei, the Pgincsss Of
the caale walked that morning in the gar
dcu She worr lpas, white silk gown
wih violet.. sal there vas 3 knoS Of yio-
lets at her beli and great wreath of vio-
lets on her gul,lcn hair She vas 50 beau
lifal tba, Rudel canehs bis breath in Won
der. And yet the Princes, did net hook
happy Her eyes had dark shadows
around them, A. il she had cried aud cried
and cried
s.Now. what do.s that mraug said
Rudcl to himself. He sid down FROM the
tree and spoke to a uIan who bad come out
from the castle
Why does the Princess weep Eudel
asked.
The man looked at him curioa>ly. You
must co,ue frurn far ID. said he ''for
every One in this kingdom knows that the
Princess wishes in vain to have basket
Of purple egzs Tor an Easter present.
why purple eggsg asked Rudel
You should know, said the man.
that for many years the people Of this
kinsdom have made wonderful dye that
culored the robes Of kings purple. royal
color. But the secre, Is lost. and the peo-
pie grow poorer and poorer, 50 that they
would suffer if the Princess dill not help
them, aud if things 90 on Ills way We
shall soon starve and even the Princess
NAV have to beg for food and the man
beat his hands together la woe.
Then he continued
The Princess has hoped thar there
might be some wOrkmen in the kingdom
who would remember the secret, and so
she issued a proclamation that on Easter
morning every man, woman aud child
should bring her basket of eggs dyed in
the most beautiful eolors to be found She
hoped that among the eggs there might be
a purple one-but, alas! not a single pur-
,,ia a.,.y ha. apYaaral -
The man went away wcarily and Rudel
sat down on a fallen log at the edge Of the
forest. He was tired and hungry, but he
could think Of nothing bu, the Princess
and the purple eggs,
Suddenly there crept out from the shad
ows big gray hare, then another and
another and each hare rolled ahead of him
a round dark object. When they reached
the center of the open space, the wild
creatures drew together in close bunch,
then, suddenly they broke apart and fed
swiftly back into the forest.
Then Rudel jumped to his feet with a
cry of joy, for there in the very center of
the circle were piled dozen wonderful
purple eSgs
THAT was what the hares did, thought
Rudel, and he called out.
''Litile hare, little hare,
That ! saved from the snare,
Are you there, little hare,
Are you there p
And a voice replied:
Take the eggs to the Princess Tell
her that ON the sea shore there are many
shells. Send the young men TO gather
them, and let the old men grind them, and
they shall discover the shell that dyes pur-
pie. y
Rudel gathered the eggs quickly into
his hat
Thank you, good little hare, he cried,
and ran bareheaded down the path and up
IN the castle oatas