The Easter Hare Family

: Fairy Tales From The German Forests

Story by BARBARA ARNDT



Two children, Paulchen and Luischen, were wandering about in the country

on Easter Day, they said sorrowfully to one another. "Has the Easter

Hare quite forgotten us this year?" For three hours they tramped about,

and hunted for eggs in every corner of the fields near the big forest.

Suddenly Paulchen found a huge egg; he called to Luischen to come at

once to see it, and she trotted along towards him, carrying a pretty

little nest filled with Easter eggs in her hands, which she had also

found.



The children were very happy; it was such a lovely sunny day, and they

were so delighted with their treasures. However they did not give up

hunting, and soon each of them found an Easter Hare made of the most

delicious chocolate. Then Luischen discovered an egg which she called an

April-fool's egg; for when she tried to lick it to see what it tasted

like, she found that it was made of soap.



"O, do come and see what a heap of eggs I've got," said Paulchen, in

tones of ecstasy.



Then little Luischen jumped up, calling out: "Look, look--O do come

here, quick, quick, and see those two beautiful big nests filled with

Easter eggs, and two lovely silver baskets beside them! O how exquisite!

The Easter Hare is too good, he is a darling, did you ever see such

beautiful things as he has given us. I can hardly hold mine!"



"Neither can I," said Paul, "but look over there, Luischen, there are

two large baskets. I expect they are meant for us, how very convenient!

We can put all our things into them."



"Let's go and fetch them at once," said Luischen. "Do you see that

pretty bush with silver palm-buds on it over there?" she continued, "we

will go and pick a few twigs from it and tie them on to our baskets with

some grass; then they will look more 'Eastery.'"



"If only we knew where the Easter Hare lives," they said somewhat sadly,

"we would go and call on him at once and thank him for all his kindness

to us."



"O but just look, Paulchen," said Luischen excitedly, "there is

something written on the rocks over there; perhaps the Easter Hare lives

there. Paulchen, you can read a little, do see if you can make out what

is written."



Paulchen read:



"I am the Master Easter Hare

Lay eggs, in plenty, everywhere."



"Come along, run, we will knock at the door," said Luischen joyfully. So

they went up to the rock and knocked.



"Come in," said a clear voice.



They went in and turned to the door on the right from which the voice

had come. They entered a comfortable room, and there on a cosy

easy-chair, there sat father Easter Hare, who had just put on his

spectacles to examine the eggs which his son, who was about seven years

old, had painted.



"Good morning, dear Mr Easter Hare, we have come to thank you for the

lovely eggs," said the children.



"Dear, dear," said Mr Easter Hare, "you found them of course in your

garden, or----?"



"Alas, no, we have no home, we are orphans; the people in the orphanage

did not treat us kindly, so we ran away, and meant to seek our fortune

in the wide world," said the children. "Then we were so lucky as to find

these beautiful eggs in the fields over there!"



"Dear me, so you are orphans!--well then perhaps you would like to stay

here with us and learn painting and housekeeping," said Mr Easter Hare.



"Oh yes indeed, we should simply love to!" answered the children, "but

where is your wife? Perhaps she will be able to teach us to be of some

use in the household."



"Well, well, my wife is in the kitchen cooking cabbage, and carrots, and

making a famous salad."



"Oh!" said both the children, "may we help her dress the salad?"



"Certainly, my wife will be very pleased to find that you can be so

useful; there, just opposite in the passage, is a door that leads into

the kitchen where my wife is busy."



The children followed his directions and went into the kitchen, and

there sat Mrs Easter Hare.



"Good morning, Mrs Easter Hare," said the children politely, curtsying

and bowing, "we have come to help you in the household, and to stay with

you till we are grown up; but now please let us make the salad."



"Well, that is very kind of you, I'm sure, to want to help me," said Mrs

Easter Hare, and the children set to work at once.



After this the children helped her every day in the kitchen in the

morning, and in the afternoon they learnt from father Easter Hare how to

paint the eggs smoothly and prettily, and how to read and write; for the

Easter Hare is educated, you must know, and far more intelligent than

ordinary hares. When they grew up and went out into the world again,

Paulchen became a celebrated artist and lived in the artist colony at

Cronberg, and little Luischen married, and became an exemplary

housewife; but their best friends throughout their lives were always



MR AND MRS EASTER HARE.