Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-10-30
Gathering the DeacOn's Chestnuts
I've. II. Gibson in Harper's for NoyamherI

Gathering the DeacOn,s ChestnutS
[w. II. Gibson in Harper's for November.I
A party OF adventurous lads. myself among
the number, were out for glorious holiday.
Each had his canvas bag across his shoulder.
and we stole along the stone wall yonder and
entered the woods beneath that group OF chest
guard, and another, young Teddy Shoopegg by
name, the best climber In the village, did the
shaking. There were five busy pairs OF hands
of us fully realized the necessity Of making the
most of his time, not knowing how soon the
warning cry from our OutpOstS might put US all
10 neadlong hight. for the alarm. Turner's
coming' was enough to lift the hair Of any boy
in town.
But luck seemed to favor us on that day. We
Cleaned OUT six big chestnut-trees, and then
turned our attention to the hickorfes. There
was splendid tall shagDark close by, with
branches fairly loaded with the white nuts In
their open shucks. They were all ready to drop,
and when the shaking once commenced, the
nuts came down Hike shower Of hail. bounding
from the rocks, rafting among the dry leaves,
and keeping up clatter all around. We scram-
bled on all fours, and gathered them by quarts
and quarts. There was no need OF poking over
the leaves for them, the ground was covered by
their bleached shells, all in plain sight. While
busily engaged, we noticed an onlnous lull
among the branches overhead.
"'Sst! 'sst!" whispered Shoopegg up above; II
see old Turner On his white horse daown the
road yender."
"Coming this way?' also In whisper, from
below.
81 dunno yit, but Jest guess you'd better be
gittln reddy to leg it. fer mes h!tchin his old
a-cummin. shoopegs, you'd better be gltt,n
aout O. this" and he commenced to drop hap
hazard ha from his lofty perch: In a momenl
paused, once more upon the watch. !'Sly
fellers, he again broke in as we were preparin
for retreat, hes gone off to'rd the cedar5: Ii
ascenoed into the tree-top and flushed hi
shaking In peace, and we our picking also
There was still another tree, with elegant largt
Iu's. that we had all concluded to "ftnish up
on" IT would Tot do to leave it. They wert
the largest and thinnest-shelle nuts 10 town
ana there were ever buShel in sight or the
two minutes. and they we're snowered DOM tn
torrents as before. And What splendid perfec.
mus they We're! We bags ed them with eager
hanes, picked the ground all clean, and with
Jolly chuckles at our luck were Just about think
iIg of starting for home with our well rounded
sacks, when change came DER the spirit o.
our creams There was suspicious noise In
tie shrubbery near by, and In a moment more
we heard our doom.
"Jest yeu look eeah, yeu boys" exclaimed
high pitched voice from the neighboring shrub.
berry, accompanied by the form Of Deacon Tur-
ner, approaching at brisk pace hardly thirty
feet away. Don't yeu think yeu'Ve got jest
abaOut enun o. them nuts?'
or course Wild panic ensued, In which We
made for the bags and dear life, but Turner was
prepared and ready for the emergency, ana
raising huge old shot gln he leveled it, and
ChITtstopher I'll blow the heads clean efr,n the
nin,."
And We believed Lin, for his aim was true,
and his whole expression was not that OF man
who was tritiiDg. l never shall forget the un-
comfortable sensation that / experienced as i
looked into the muzzle OF that double barreled
shotgun and saw both hammers fully raised
too. And / can see nov the squint and the
glaring eye that glanced along those barrels.
There was wonderful persuasive power Turk
ing In those horizontal tubes; 50 FASTENED TO
inform the deacon that we We're " not going to
run"
"Wa'al," he drawled, sit looked leetle tibet
way. thort, a spell ago." and he still kept ia
the field Of his weapon, till at length L eX-
claimed, in desperation:
Point that gun in some other way, Will
"Wa'al, no. I'm not fer pintin' it emmy whar
else jest yit-not until you've s0t them ar bags
daown agin. jist whar ye got EN-, every one on
ye." The bags were speedily replaced, and he
slowly lowered his gun s.+,,,os 81. ,o o.,,o ~
In our midst. this IS putty b!zniss, amt IL?
Bin havin a putty lively sort o. time leu, | shd
jedge from the looks O. these ERE bags: One
on ten two an a half bushel In every PIGGY Que
on em. Wa'al, naow"-wlth his peculiar drawn
-" look eeah, you're putty ondustrous lot O
did all the talking, for his maneuvers were
such as to render us speeches.. Putty likely
place teu cum muffin, amt it," Pause
" fulty nice mess o SQeuOdTkS yo Sot Gu1i
a sa y tsey2 "ite sight o onestnuts in S0uFa'
There was only one spoken side to this Ola
logue, but tie pauSes were eloquent on both
sides, and the boys kept up deal OF tall think-
Ing as we watched the deacon alternate his
glib remarks by the gradual removal or the
Dags TO the foot OF nefghboring tree. THIS
done, he seated himself upon rock beside
them.
'.Thar," he exclaimed, removing his tall hat
and wlping his white. fringed forehead with
obleeged. Eve been a-watchin on ye gittfn'
these ERE nuts the hull AFTERNOON. l thOrt e
haow yeu might Ike 10 know It." And then, a
Thoughts happy thought had struck him. what
and grasp his gun. "Look eeah"-a pause in
which he cooked both barreis-"yeu boys wuZ
powerful anXyis 1eu git away from eeah spell
ago Naow yen kin git ez lively ez yeu please
haint got nothin' more fer ye teu deu to day.
over our heads.
We got. and when once out OF gun range we
pal0 the deacon wealth OF those rare cOmpii-
ments for beth eye and ear that always swell
the DoyB' vocabulary.
In THE COURSE OF A LECTURE on 'sThe Vol
GERS OF Nature" say the Albany Journal,
scientific gentleman informed his auditors that
series Of exhaustive Investigations had shown
nm that the common house fly lays upwards OF
lily thousand 600, 1000 eggs Id single season.
among those upon whose ears the steep figures
leu was wide awake. enterprlstng Yankee,
who raised poultry for living. No sooner was
the lecture finished than he mace for the plat
form and eagerly inquired OF the lecturer
whether he thought IT would be possible to
graft common house nv ON hen?"
A societ y has been formed in Philadelphia to
secure the appointment OF Roman catholic
cnaplalns for some OF the regular army regi-