Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-04-06
Helping the Easte,
Bunny
BY Laura K. Hudson.

l|5!sVl I'D NSlt btS,iiAI1lS L w INCL
duty. Every nesting place in the bi
chicken houses was full Of glossy whit
or golden yellow eggs, which all hal
TO be found counted, and put int
buckets and baskets; and just here !
where small and nimble Martha cam
in so handily.
Whatever we should do withou
our Martha" Uncle Dan would sa.
about twenty times in a busy day, ="
really do not know! For every twenty
five eggs you find, Martha-mite. ant
deposit, sound and clean, in any on
of these boxes or baskets, you ma.
put one in this pail for your very owl
self, to eat, or sell, or give away, JUS
as you see fit"
, So Martha worked on manfully, l
keeping every twenty-sixth egg 70,
toll. until her pail held what Silas, thu
hired man, was pleased to call &
1ra'aI tidy lot, Sissfe."
What you goin' to do wild eng
quiried Esther, Aunt Kittie's "help,'
when Martha carried them proudly
into the kitchen for Auntie's approval
I'm going to make them into Easter
eggs" declared Martha, enterpris
ingly, Unto pink and purple ones, and
maybe, some with initials and witt
spots and stars on them"
"Why, Martial" cried Esther, very
much interested. "How you goin' tc
do dat?"
Whereupon Martha showed her the
"Buster Brown Outfit" she'd been saw
So - ,sr~~ Thrictv m q q orI which chs
had tucked into her small suitcase
with a toy or two, on leaving home;
and she explained her plans to such
purpose that Esther grew quite en-
thusiastic, so much so, indeed, that
while Aunt Kittie was at the fort
nightly church sewing-bee, she spent
the entire Wednesday afternoon and
early evening h%ard-boiling and color
ing and polishing and wiping eggs dry
with Martha. until the forty-seven
Easter eggs we're things Of real beauty.
There were blue eggs and green eggs
and purple eggs, and eggs OF every
possible shade of red; a polka-dotted
one for Silas, and one decorated to
resemble a handsome white-whiskered
old man (made while she was not
looking and without her knowledge),
for Esther; n with red cheeks,
black curls, a dimple, and melting
brown eyes, for Uncle Dan; and a
Chinese, laid by old ~chickabiddy, and
therefore darkly yellow, with a cap
and a long black sewing-silk cue, for
Aunt Kittie herself.
"I tell YOU" announced Esther, sur
veying the fruit of her labor (and
Martha's) with much satisfaction,
these are sure the finest Easter eggs
I ever see anywhere!"
On Easter morning, there was a
hand painted and a solid tinted egg
apiece for every one, and Martha her
self was made happy with an enor.
nous glistening and hen-and-chicken
ornamented nougat confection from
town. Everyone was, OF course,
charmed with Martha's gifts, and every
one wanted to know what was to be-
come of the other thirty-eight Cfor
one had been smashed in the dyeing)
she had left over.
"Like as not" suggested Uncle Dan,
"they'd be glad to buy them from you
at the general store in the village, for
I don't believe eggs just like these
have ever been seen here before"
,"Tn give ten cents for three OF EN-.
right now volunteered Silas.
"TIl take half a dozen for twenty
five cents" volunteered Silas.
But Martha laughed. and shook her
head. 81 have a plan" said she: but
maybe you'll think it's funny, and Will
laugh at me-"
When everyone had promised not
even to smile, Martha explained her
Then she borrowed from
Auntie her new flat mending-basket.
which she lined with soft, white paper,
on which she p%leasingly arranged her
and carried them to Sunday
school with her. She took Mr.. Blake,
superintendent. into her conf
dence: and that afternoon. when Sun
d%ay-school let out. each boy and girl,
of whom had never seen or heard
an Easter egg Of any sort or kind,
carried home one of Martha's. There
we're more than enough to go round,
20 that Mr.. Blake could take one-the
delicate lilac one, Mrs. Blake's favor
lie color - to his wife, and MISS
Lane, Martha's much-beloved, very
)wn, temporary teacher. could have
me to remember my Matte by as
she laughinsly remarked: and every
BODY felt the better for Martha's low
ng thought.
Two days after Easter, Martha,
yroVyn strong and plump and red
,heeked at Aunt Kittie's, returned TO
own: and she hadn't bee home more
han a day before she received a let
all regularly sealed and stamped,
md addressed to her very OWN self,
rom the country. In it was a post
ard. taken by Mrs. BlaFe's brother, a
,oung man with n great knack at
snapshots, of herself carefully carry
ne the big mending basket full OF
Caster eggs across the Sunday-school
ard. Underneath, it said in big black,
lear, printlike letters, which even
Martha could read at a glance, Our
Martha, Head Assistant TO the Stock.
ridge Junction Sunday-school Easter
Bunny"