Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-04-09

such an important figure in the
a. celebration of the Easter festival
is still a subject of grave dis
pute. 1t is perfectly clear, however,
that the good people of the early mid
die ages knew all about it. The folk
lore of that period makes frequent ref
erenc to the part played by the egg
In Easter doings, and there have been
handed down numerous entertaining
stories about it. One of them tells
how a very beautiful young woman
secured a noble husband through its
agency.
Her name was Margaret, and she
was a royal princess, the daughter of
the Emperor Macmillan of Germany.
She was born at Client In 1880, and,
although that is a long time Ago., her
fame as an attractive young person
still survives. When one looks on her
fair face as the old time painters have
depicted her it seems incredible that
she should have found it difficult to
provide herself with a suitable hus-
band. Yet it happened so.
When she was still an infant Marga-
ret was betrothed to Charles VIII. of
France. OF course the tiny princess
had no opportunity to say nay, and
she grew to maidenhood in the belief
that her matrimonial affairs were all
settled. Her royal lover proved faith
less. The charms of Anne of Brittany
made him Indifferent to the fact that
he had promised to become the son-ln-
law of the German emperor, and he
married her. Margaret was only elev-
en-, altogether too young to lose her
beauty sleep over the matter. Her ia
Their was exceedingly wroth, but moth
ing dreadful came of 1t. He waited
until his heiress was seventeen and
married her to Don Juan of Spain, son
of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Almost before Margaret had made
her new husbands acquaintance, even
before he had had an opportunity to
introduce his bride to the Spanish
court, he fell sick and died. Under
the circumstances Margaret was not
inconsolable, but she waited another
four years before she began to scan
the matrimonial horizon in search of
No. 2. Her experience had taught her
n thing-in future she purposed do
ing her OWL selecting, with no aid
from anybody except Providence.
Finally, at the age of t~wenty-one,
more beautiful than ever, the young
widow put off her weeds and notified
Providence that the game was on, In
order that she might enlist the services
of her patron saint she set out on a
pilgrimage to a shrine in the south of
France. That Providence was taking
a lively interest in the business is EVIL
dent from the sequel.
1t was not even required of her that
she should complete her pilgrimage.
Midway of the journey the princess
and her party halted at the little vii
lage of Bourg for a few days rest. 1t
was a charming spot in the mountain
region of the Cevennes, with great.
dark forests on every side.
It happened to be the Eastertide. On
Easter Monday the chatelaine of the
castle at which the princess was a
guest proposed that a party should be
made up to attend the village games.
Margaret accepted the proposition with
enthusiasm. For a long time she
watched the varying scene with the
liveliest interest. The day was per-
feet. The air was soft and genial, and
Nature was in her most amiable mood.
Luncheon was served in the open, and
afterward the great p~ersonages put
aside their state and joined in the
dance.
Toward the middle of the afternoon
came the great event of the day, the
famous egg contest of Bourg. Several
men in holiday attire advanced, each
with a basket on his arm containing
the gayly colored eggs which were to
be used in the contest. There were
twelve dozen of these in all, and one
by n they were
~ distributed over
N~ r the field in a
Mic series of figures.
eSS1g - I'M When all was
* h8ISTA ready the music
u XEeE changed to a
1wG4/N stately measure
x 1E/NkNNal and a young man
IN AN ~ UN and his ohacop