n. It is of German origin and runs as follows:

Many years ago, during a cruel war, the Duchess of Lindenburg with her
two children and an old servant fled for safety to a little obscure
village in the mountains. She found the people very poor, and one thing
that surprised her much was that they used no eggs. She learned that
they had never seen or heard of hens, and so when the old servant went
to get tidings of his master and of the war he brought back with him
some of these birds.

The simple village folk were greatly interested in the strange fowl, and
when they saw the tiny yellow chickens breaking their way out of the
eggs they were full of delight. But the Duchess was saddened by the
thought that Easter was drawing near and that she had no gifts for the
little mountain children. Then an idea came to her. The spring was
beginning to colour the earth with leaves and flowers, and she made
bright dyes out of herbs and roots and coloured the eggs. Then the
children were invited to visit the Duchess, and she told them stories
of the glad Easter day, and afterwards bade each make a nest of moss
among the bushes. When they had all enjoyed the little feast provided in
their honour, they went back to the woods to look at their nests. Lo! in
each were five coloured eggs.

"What a good hen it must have been to lay such beautiful eggs," said one
child.

"It could not have been a hen," said another. "The eggs that the hens
lay are white. It must have been the rabbit that jumped out of the tree
when I made my nest."

And all the children agreed that it was the rabbit, and to this day the
mystic Bunny is supposed to bring eggs and gifts at Easter to the little
children of the "fatherland" who have been loving and kind during the
year.

THE STORY OF ST. VALENTINE

Once upon a time, there lived in a monastery across the sea a
humble monk called Valentine. Every brother save himself seemed to have
some special gift.

Now there was Brother Angelo, who was an artist, and painted such
wonderful Madonnas that it seemed as if the holy mother must step down
from the frame and bless her children.

Brother Vittorio had a wonderful voice, and on saints' days the
monastery chapel would be crowded with visitors, who came from far and
near just to listen to that wonderful voice as it soared up among the
dim old arches.

Brother Anselmo was a doctor, and knew the virtues of all roots, herbs,
and drugs, and was kept very busy goi