The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-12-20
ROMANCE OF A YOUNG LADY UP
A CHE8TNUTT TREE.


From the New York Times.
To the youthful mind there is q rare
fascination in gathering chestnuts.
This Is due partly to the meritorious
qualities of the chustnut itself, and
partially to the fact that there is 8
spice Of danger in the act of gathering
f. II il true that there is rather more
bur about . chestnut in it's native state
than seems really necessary, and there
n no doubt that if the chuetnuts were
to grow on one tree and the burs on
another, it would be more generally
satisfactory arrangement. Still. the
boy who has climbed to the topmost
branch Of a chestnut tree, and seen ap-
proaching in the distance the angry
owner, accompanied by a large club
and . savage dog, will hastily fill the
front of his jacket with unopened burs,
and grind them against his body as he
glides down the tree, with a fortitude
surpassing that of the historical Spar
tan small boy who stole an anise-seed
bag from tho master of the Argos
county hunt, and allowed it to blister
the entire surface of his stomach in
preference to admitting his guilt and
undergoing the inevitable thrashing.
1t is . curious provision of nature that
chestnuts must always be stolen. The
trees always belong to another man,
and there is no small boy living whose
father ever had chestnut tree on his
own land. Why this should be SO Is a
mystery which it is the province Of
moralists to solve, and which, there
fore, needs no discussion here.
1t is the opinion of Miss Anthony
that the tyrant man has committed one
of the worst outrages in moDopolizing
the sport of chestnut gathering. 1t
caneot be denied tnat the female sex
p yfrtuaily shut out from that delight
fafpursuit. To gather chestnuts sue
cessfully involves climbing trees, and
the mature woman or the full-grOwn
girl rarely cares to incur the risks
which are inseperable from climbing
in the present fashion of female dress.
OF course. DR.. Mary Walker could
gather chestnuts with impunity, but
among women who have not put on
that is to say, who still wear skirts,
theEs is general feeling that stock
16gs should not publicly wave either
from clothes-lines or branches, unless
they have been previously and care
fully emptied. Nevertheless there are
infreauent and exceptionally daring
gifl4 who Indulge In the hazardous
amusement of secret chestnuting, and
the experience of Massachusetts,
young lady who recently climbed a
chestnut tree in Berkshire county is
worth ,narrating. TY rT
The yeung lady. in question it
1psrsectly useless for any body to Of
fer twelve gratuitous teams Of wild
horses to assist in dragging the secret
Of her name to light-was remarkably
beautiful, and was the object of the
devotod attachment of two local young
men, one of whom was q model of all
possible virtues, while the. other was
. bold, bad youth, who was known to
be in the habit of smoking, and who
was currently believed to have more
than once visited circus. Early in
October this estimable young lady
suborned her younger brother-aged
1O-to accompany hey on q clandes-
tine chestnuting expedition. A chest
nut-tree, separate from the road by a
nerrew, but dense belt of trees and
bdshes, was soon found, and the pair
zealously searched the ground for fall
lenE4gtA The young lady-and per-
haps we had better call her. Miss r,
for the purpose of Identification, as the
lawyers say,-soon grew weary of this
occupation, and determined to climb |
the tree. With the aid of fence-rai!
and the zealous boosting of her broth
er, she succeeded in reaching the low
est branch, from whish her progress
was easy. Pleased with her success,
she soon grew careless, and finally |
ventOred out upon limb until it bent
under her weight. Becoming fright {,
ened, she lost her presence of mind
and hold, and suddenly fell. Forum.
ately, she did not fall far, for her skirts
caught in fork Of the limb and sus-
pended her between heaven and earth |
IN the attitude of an umbrella which
has struggled with a violent gust of
wind and experienced a reverse.
Her voice though somewhat smoth-
cred by the peculiarities of her situa-
ton, could be easily heard by her as
tOnished brother, and in accordance
with her calm directions that devoted
small boy instantly fed for help. Now,
it 50 happened that each of the young
lady's lovers had noticed her as she
started from home in company with
her brother, and each had independ.
emily determined to meet her az if by
accident. Thus it fell out that the
first person the small boy met az he
rushed along the road was the mild
young man, who listened to his inco-
herent tale and hastened to the rescue.
No sooner, however, did he come
within sight of the tree than he
paused, turned his back up.
on the object of his alteration, and in
faltering voice explained to the small
boy that he thought his sister would