Dutch Easter Buns

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 154, 27 March 1937, Page IX (Supplement)

Dutch Easter Buns

(Written and illustrated by Lofty (14), for Easter Page.) A T ERY early on the morning of the market day just before Easter. Madame ’ Vansweeten packed her freshly-baked hot-cross Imus into tyro large panniers, ami placed the chocolate Easter eggs with their attractive tiusel wrappers and yellow chicks into a large basket on the counter of her tiny shop Madame Vansweeten kept a little sweet shop beside the while grin el highway, and sold delicious Dutch loaves and buns to the passing motorists and country folk from the neighbouring village. Every Easter she sent her hot-cross Imus ami chocolate eggs into the village market for sale, for they were very much in demand, and Madame Vansweeten sold them herself iu the marketplace, beaming upon her cutomers with her broad Dutch smile, as she sat framed by the crisp brown eggs and shiny-topped buns. However, on this particular Easter market day mmlame had consented to let her two children take the buns ami egg' to the market, for they were very eager to help her. ami she herself fe.t very tired after her early morning baking. So little Wilhelmina put on her freshly-scrubbed clogs ami tied on her Sunday bonnet with the emerald ribbons, while Jan placed the pannieron the back of Carrotin, the donkey. Before the clock in the marketplace chimed eight, and while the dew was still shining on the meadows, the children started off, feeling very important ami excited. Wilhelmina perched on Carrotin's buck between the panniers, and Jan held the halter in one band ami the basket of chocolate eggs in the other. Carrotin. however, was in a very bad temper, tor he disliked having t<> leave his warm straw bed so early to carry heavy panniers before lie had had what lie considered proper time to digest his carrots. This thought weighed so heavily on the disgruntled donkey's mind that he jogged along ever so slowly, and no matter how Jan tugged at the halter, and Wilhelmina used her switch, lie refused to quicken his pace. Soon they came to a definite halt in front of a signpost that pointed to the village, and bad written upon it in large letters: VANLIETEN VILLAGETHREE .MILES. Wilhelmina sighed as she read it. "Acb." she cried. "The good people will never get their buns now, you horrid, old. lazy mule!” But Carrotin

just planted his forefeet firmly on the road and looked surlier than before, for a puppy had run out from a meadow and was barking at him. All at once they heard the boot of a motor horn and the steady buzzing of an engine, and next moment a huge car came roaring round the corner. The ro:jd was very narrow, and Carrotin stood in the middle of it, and when Jan heard the ear he seized the donkey's ears and pulled with all his might. Carrotin thereupon doubled up his knees ami lay fiat downtumbling off the top layers of buns and throwing Whilhelmina 'upside down upon the road! The car came to a stop with a screech of brakes, and the driver jumped out. He was a kind man, but lie burst into roars of laughter when he beheld the spectacle—Whilhelmina was struggling to turn herself the right way up and Jan was falling over himself in his efforts to stop the buns from tumbling down and rolling into the ditch I He stopped, however, when Whillielmina began to cry at their sorry plight, and he helped Jan and listened to their troubles. "Come, help me place the panniers in the back of my ear." he said, "and I shall drive you to the marketplace. As for the chocolate eggs, they are not damaged in the slightest, so I shall buy them all for my family, where there are plenty of mouths to eat such fine chocolate.” He tied the naughty donkey to the signpost, ami helped rhe children into the front of the car. How grand Whilhelmina and Jan felt when they glided into the marketplace, and stepped from the wonderful ear! The kind motorist helped them out with the panniers, ami thrust a gold piece into the bewildered Wilhelmina’s hand. They waved as he sped away into the distance, and then proceeded with the morning’s sales. Madame Vansweeten was surprised to see them walking home with not an egg or a bun loft, and her surprise turned to delight when she counted the money and heard of their adventure. She looked at the bedraggled donkey (who had been alone by the signpost all day) as he trailed to the door, tint! knew that he had learnt his lesson and had his punishment for being

So Carrotin went to bed after a lovely tea of tilings that donkeys love, and Jan, Wilhelmina and Madame Vansweeten climbed the stairs to bed —all aglow with the excitement of the day and the anticipation of Eastern morning.