THE FEAST OF EGGS.
There was once a princess who left her beautiful castle. She went to live in a little house in the country.
One day she told her servant to go to the village and buy some eggs for supper.
“Eggs!” said the servant. “There are no birds’ eggs.”
“I did not ask for birds’ eggs,” said the princess. “Buy hens’ eggs, of course.”
The servant shook her head and said, “We have no hens. I do not know what kind of birds they are.”
The princess thought that she would surprise the boys and the girls of the village. So she sent an old man far away.
When he came back the old man carried a chicken coop on his head.
All the children of the village ran after him. They wanted to know what he was carrying on his head.
The old man set the coop down, opened the little door, and a large rooster stepped out.
The children all cried, “Oh, what a wonderful bird that is!” They did not know what to call him.
Then out stepped the hens. There was a white one, and one that was brown, and one that had tall red combs.
The princess gave the chickens some corn. When they had eaten it the rooster crowed.
How the children laughed! “Ki-ki-ri-ki!” they cried, like the rooster.
The children ran home to tell about the wonderful birds that had come to live in the village.
Not long after, the princess showed the children one of the hens that was sitting.
“Fifteen eggs!” they cried. “The doves lay only two, and the other birds only five. How will the hens feed so many little ones?”
The children watched the chickens when they came out of the eggs. They were surprised that the little chickens were covered with yellow down.
“It is wonderful!” they cried. “Other little birds have no feathers. And see! They know how to run. Oh, there are no birds like them!”
By and by the princess asked the people of the village to a feast of eggs. They all sat down at a long table in the garden.
The eggs were in large baskets on the table. They were as white as snow.
The princess showed them how to break the eggs. Then she cooked them in many ways.
The people of the village liked the feast of eggs. When they went home, the princess gave them some chickens.
After that the children had merry times hunting for the white eggs.
From the German ofChristoph Schmid(Adapted).