Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 March 1910 — Children's Easter. [ARTICLE]

Children's Easter.

it was the Saturday before Easter, and the children all ran out to the barn to hunt eggs, with Egypt, the tame crow, hopping after them. Nanny was sure there must be several dozen eggs in the hen house, Billy thought the haymow was the /best place to find them, and Kitty skid she had seen old Topknot flying out from Dobbin’s manger. Egypt said nothing, but I rather think he knew as much about the nests as they did. Egypt was a sly old fellow. He liked buttons and pennies, but he had the greatest fancy for pins. He would pull them out of every pin cushion in the house when he could get a chance, so you might search, through room after room, and not come across a single pin. Nobody knew what he did with them all. He was fond of eggs, too, and I am afraid this was the reason that the children had such a long hunt for them, and found do few. At last they climbed up the long ladder Into the mow. The hay was piled almost to the roof and covered the windows. It was so dark that Nanny and Kitty were a little bit ifrald, but Billy went first, floundering along in the hay, just as you wad* through a snow drift. “Guess there are nests on thin beam,” said Billy, “but it’s so dark I ;an’t see. I’ll feel.” In went Billy’s hand, and out it came in a second, with “It’s hornets or yellow-jackets or something!” he screamed. “Fetch th* barn lantern, Kit, and I’ll knock ’em out!” Kitty brought the lantern, and then ran to the other side of the barn, for fear of the yellow jackets. Billy held the lantern over his ear and peeped in. What did he see? Not hornets, but pins. He had run his hand into Egypt** own little “hidy-hole,” where the sly little rogue had laid away a whole pile of his favorite treasures. No wonder they pricked like hoi-nets. But what the queer old bird was saving them for I never knew.