The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-01-07


ToMMY's WALNUTs.-The leaves upon
the chestnut trees had begun to turn
yellow, and the bristling, porcupinish
hulls were bursting open little at the
crown, showing the smooth, brown nuts,
with glossy sides and pointed tips toned
down with sort of fuzzy gray. The
kindly summer sunshine had done most
of the work, and now the keen frost
had lent a helping touch. And so, one
fine day, after the hard work on the farm
had Stacked little, Tommy's father and
big brother, and Tommy himself was
with them, of course, went a-chestnutting
upon the thickly wooded hill, where the
chestnut trees grew in plenty. They
were going on their own land upon the
hillside, and intended to cut off some
Of the lofty limbs of the trees, where the
chestnuts grew thickest and finest.
But can imagine hear some of the
clear-eyed, bright-witted children saying,
"Why, thought you were going to tell
us about walnuts." Do not be impa-
tient, my dears. We haven't come to
the walnuts yet; but shall, presently, all
in good time and order, / hope. Soon
the chestnut hunters reached the deep,
quiet woods, and after driving short
distance they came to a great-limbed
tree, whose spreading branches grew
high in the air, and whose hOrrid burrs
were slightly opened, just enough to show
the tempting treasures snugly held with
in the Jagged sides that so safely kept
them from harm while growing.
Then they stopped the horses and
made ready to gather the desired chest
nuts that hung in such lofty security so
high above their heads. Tommy's brother
strapped his sharp iron climbers to his
boots, and assembled the tree. When well
up into the leafy top, he began to cut
off with his light ak, or hatchet, many of
the fullest bearing branches, which soon
came crashing to the ground with their
nutty burden. Then Tommy and his
father went to work. They dragged the
fallen boughs from under the tree, out of
the way of the limbs that dropped from
time to time, and then they broke off the
burrs that were not fully opened, and put
them in the baskets and bags to be taken
home, where they could seperate the
goodly nuts from the thorny hulls at
their leisure. Some of the ripest would
tumble out of their own accord, or be-
came jostled out by their fall. These
they carefully gathered up separately.
Now, not far from the chestnut tree,
they discovered a walnut tree, under
which a quantity of fine walnuts APP
peared, thickly strewing the ground.
Tommy liked walnuts, and here was an
excellent opportunity to take home all
he wanted. So, by the advice and with
the help of his father, he gathered up
several bushel-basketsful, and put them
in the wagon. 1t was pleasant change
to handle the smooth walnuts after the
shaggy burrs, and there was soon good
pile in the wagon. You see, l have
come to Tommy's walnuts at last.
After the walnuts were gathered, they
turned back homeward about the time
the slow-sinking sun began to grow red
in the West. They drove into the yard
through the wide gate, and unloaded Tom
my's particular part of the afternoons
cleaning from the woods, and heaped the
bountiful spoils under cherry-tree that
stood near corner of the back yard amid
the clustering plantain-leaves. This was
handy place, where the hulls could be
pounded off, and the bare, dark-colored,
fragrant nuts spread out in the sun to
dry, and so made ready to be stored away
for cracking" nicely by the winter fire.
But those walnuts were never hulled.
Do you ask, sadly, "Did Tommy get
sickT No, he was in quite good health,
l believe. 1t was something even sadder
than sickness that caused the neglect,
for it affected the spirit more than the
body. Tommy's baneful habit of putting
things off was the simple reason why his
walnuts were not promptly taken care of.
Although he had to help about the farm
work good deal, yet there were many,
many hours, and even half hours, in
which he could have taken his mallet,
and, with rapid strokes, removed the soft
hulls from the brown, ridgy nuts. But
such opportunities were not improved.
He seemed to put them aside with the
easy thought, "Not Just now, but some
time soon I'll do it," Pehaps he hulled
very few, but it did not make the
bountiful heap seem any smaller.
And so the days crept by, and the
walnuts still lay under the cherry-tree,
growing browner and browner. At last
sharp, biting frosts came in the long De-
cember nights, and froze the waiting nuts
to stony hardness. Of course it was too
late then, and on Christmas Tommy'snuts
were, imagine, stinging Jumps of frost,
instead of being dry, crisp, sweet nuts,
fit for the happiest holidays. They
might have helped to make many little
friends glad, and assisted in rendering the
winter evenings more CHEEKY sometimes.
Besides this loss of what might have
been, Tommy lost all the labor he spent
in bringing his walnuts from the woods
and, moreover, he strengthened an evil,
harmful habit.
When spring came, and drove away
the frost, there remained under the
cherry-tree only black, ill-looking, out
spread heap of decaying nuts and rotting
hulls to tell what became of Tommy's
walnuts, and to reproach him for his
wasteful neglect. r'
And now, children, perhaps some Of
you are thinking that you would not
have been such "puttersoff."' But are
you always prompt in doing everything
that ought to be done2 Do any of you
sometimes say to yourself iii do it 10
morrow, or next week r' All, that fair
! tomorrow and that fine next week, how
often they deceive us with easy promises
of "time enough then; time enough,
plenty, thenp' But when tomorrow
comes, 1t is new to-day, and you feel
about IL very much rs now, only, per.
! hans more idle careless and behind