Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1871-11-25
POETRY.
( From Burks's Magazine for Boys and Girls.
GOING A-NUTTING.
BIT xARaARBr J. PRESTON.

We've all been a-nutting today We have had
Such honest enjoyment,-so simple, so glad,
So brimfu of pleasure,-so home-sweet SO bright
Would you like me to tell you about it tonight
The dsy was delicious half sunny, half sober,
Just one of the goldenest days of October;
The mountains we're wrapped like an Orient Queen,
In an India mantle of scarlet and green:
All nature was draped in her richest and best,
I never have seen her more gcrgeously dressed:
But what should she curb her extravagance for
Her revenues haven't been hurtby the war
Beyond the old mill, at the bend Of the road,
Our carriage unburdened its frolicsome load;
There the nuts that we sought, in abundance were
found,
In their noli etangere burs strewn around.
In our drive we had talked of the skies and the air
We had feasted on Autumn huss, changeiui and
fair,
We had bresthed the rich odors Of forest and hill,
And of balm and of beauty had drunken our NIL
Had each one said something quite witty to utter,
And now we were ready for-bacon and butterl
The cloth being laid, It was spread in trice
From baskets full burdened with every thing nice
Cream, luscious and yellow,-brown coffee as rare
As the dantiest Frenchman could call for was
there;
Broied chicken as tender and toothsome as tho
Diana had even made game with her bow;
And butter as goldeH-as golden-(l pause
To think of figure to fill up the clause;)
Well.-well say as the Fleebs Of the Argondnts was
And bacon,-Lord Verullum, grand epicure,-
Would have vowed it suggestive OF Greece, l am
sure!
Then the fair wheaton rolls-why they melted a.
way
As snow melts at noon on a warm winter day,
SO that Harry had none, as 1t chanced to befal,
To eat with his sixth cup Of coffee, at all. 4,
Our desert was Arcadian,- n,-heaped up on our table
Were apples as fragrantas those Of the fable
Of Hesperus-(pardon my pen lit employs
These classic illusions for sake OF the boys:)
While the chestnuts We gathered, well stript OF
their skin,
And roasted, gave out their sweets hidden within.
The picture was pretty wish had power
Like Tennier's to paint you the scene of the hour,
With Flemish minuteness Of finish so true,
I'm sure you would own it was beautiful, too.
When dinner was over, we called " Uncle Ben, "
And he and his axe went to hewing again;
Crack-crack-cam the tree" All hands stand
from under ~
And il crashed down Its way with boom as OF
thunder.
Down, down rained the chestnuts,-a ravishing
sightl :,
Our fingers were pricked, but no matter for them
Was there ever rose with no thorn on the stem
We trod out the burs amid frolic and fun,
And the woods rang with merriment till wewere
done.
And when to the pile the last basket we add,
Pray, tell me, dear guesser, how many we hadl
You can'f Well, Of quarts, six and-twenty in all;
Ben called il "mighty respectable haul"
When the future comes, bringing US sorrow and
joy,
When the child of to-day Is no longer boy,
When the girls at my elbow are youthful no more,
And the beautiful dreams they are dreaming, are
Ger,
Wen store with our pleasantest relics away,
How happy We all were, a-nutting to-day.
70 me it bat wanted one element fair
To make it tperfection,-that you had been there.
Leyinctcn, Virginia.