The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-04-03
The Prize Egg
--9--
AN EASTER STORY.

SOAA -
filled with chocolate covered eggs of
all sizes, and a large placard announ
ced:
each egg in this window contains
a valuable and unique prize. All
eggs are the same price, % cents.
Each egg will open on Easter morn
ing"
Passersby paused to look and read
the notice, and not a few entered the
shop to purchase.
Presently a winsome looking girl
and a very tall young man paused in
front of the window. He looked in
quiringly at her, and she smiled; then
they went in, coming out again in a
few minutes carrying a small box.
That evening at the girls home they
opened the package and examined the
egg; S,u "a. oona
cor wait until Easter and see what
happens ?"
"Oh, let's wait!" he answered. at
don't suppose it will have anything
worth while inside, and it may not
even open, though of course that could
be chemically arranged"
The egg was again put in its box
and laid away where the girl promis-
ed it would remain until the arrival
of the mar on Easter morning.
Easter dawned fair and beautiful,
and while it was quite early the man
arrived to find the girl a~nxiously
awaiting him.
They opened the box with care and
gently laid the egg on the table. The
surface of chocolate was as smooth
as when purchased.
For half an hour they watched it
closely and were about to give up
when the girl noticed a faint crack
across the top. Very slowly it spread
in fact, almost imperceptibly-until
quite without realizing how it happen
ed or when, the two halves of the egg
lay or the table and between them a
small object wrapped in tissue paper.
Very gingerly she tore off the paper
and cried in disgust when she saw on
ly a dirty old silver dollar.
"Still," he exclaimed practically, "a
dollar is a dollar, no matter how old
it is" He took it from her and look
ed at it closely, feeling it all over,
when the eagle opened, and the face
of a woman smiled up at him.
"Oh!" Suddenly he raised it to his
lips, kissing it p~assionately.
The girls expression instantly
changed from sweet winsomeness to a
jealous fury, and she snatched the dol
lar from him.
"How dare you kiss that woman
when you say you love mel" She
fairly Kissed the words, and her angry
eyes devoured the lovely features of
the almost faded picture.
Ha tooE II 4oan+Iu frnpo hon. bo1dipo
it tenderly in his hand, while he put
wonder in his voice when he spoke.
Strange and improbable as it
seems, that is my mothers photo
graph"
"How curious!" she murmured from
his shoulder.
"You see how thin and worn the dol
lar is" he continued. "That is be-
cause my father carried it for ten
ly he spent it. He never knew where
or how, but it was gone, and he was
never able to find a trace of it, though
| don't believe he has ever given up
trying.
1 think mother felt it until she saw
how it worried father; then she made
light of it by saying she wondered
whose husband was carrying her pic
ture now How glad they will bel"
He raised the eagle to look once more
into the beautiful tender eyes that, so
the girl thought at the moment, were
exactly like his.
81 thought / would be afraid of
her." the girl said slowly, shut I won't
be unless she has changed. Has
she 2"
"Only to become more beautiful.
This was taken before / was born.
You will change that way some day,
dear, and | shall watch you as my
father watched her. You do love me
I know it now" he said with con-
viction, "for you were jealous when
kissed the picture, and you couldn't be
unless you cared"
Once more she gazed upon the pic
ture; then, closing the dollar, she slip
ped into his vest pocket.
"Take it to her, dear,"-she hesitat-
ed-"and tell her it came out of a
prize egg, but that a girl who hopes
some day to be loved as much as she
is sends it, and"-
"Then," he interrupted, you're go
ing to say yes today?"
Ill sui III uoupI dpouC ioLS VI
things, but l do love you, and l want
a beautiful mother to love me, and'-
"You darling!" He lifted her off
her feet for a second and crushed her
to him.
As he put her down they both no.
ticed the egg had closed, and only a
faint crack showed where it had been
split.
eyes, it's a strange egg" he said in
answer to her questioning, "but what
l said about the action of chemicals
accounts for the closing as we'll as
the opening. But whatever it is it
has served its purpose here in giving
me the prize"
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