The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-12-29
Chestnuts.

- . -
Chestnuts
On the boundless prairies the chest
nut only grows in the ,rain-boy's
basket.
The chestnut is the home of the riot
ing worm. No self-respecting worm
will live in the ground if he can find a
chestnut. He enters it by hole which
cannot be perceived, and once in the
nut he riots in solitude and abundance
until some incautious man reads the
riot act to him. A chestnut without n
worm is as great rarity rs Il bee with
out a sting
The chestnut burr is a sweet boon to
the chestnut. 1t is an Oriental imita-
ton of a cactus cluster, and not very
bad imitation, either 1t lacks the ma
tive penetration of the cactus, the sort
Of ''oh whisper what thou feclest' sug
gestiveness that turks in the coy caress
of the prickly pear; it does not work
in so deep nor stay in 20 long, nor
ranklc around like the bitter memories
of an over due note, rs the clinging
cactus does, but it isn't half so bad.
The man who kneels down on n chest
nut burr, in the act of looking for Il
chestnut, is satisfied with the burr He
says what he has to say in hurried
tone of countenancc, and does not ask
for any more.
Where all the chestnuts come from,
goodness only knows. don't. They
don't grow on the trees The prince
went ont one day with the little ones at
the parsonage. He came home with
half peck of beautiful brown chest
asm, and said to his mother:
II will 60 out with him myself and
get couple Of bushels"
did 60 out with him. took some
things to bring the nuts home in; to
wit, % grain sack, n large double deck
er market basket and box; the aggre-
gate capacity of these vessels was two
and one-half bushels. DR.. McLain and
Louie accompanied us with some
what larger equipment.
The proportion of the chestnut burrs
TO chcstnuts is as the leaves of the add
ers to the trout in the brook just
about You walk over acres of hulls,
Won turn them over, YOU look into them.
Al las, your heart bounds with joy.
You find burr with Il chestnut in it.
You get all the needles on the burr in
TO Your two thumbs while you extract
the chestnut. and then the ever pres
cnt worm looks out and denounccs the |
barbaIi,v Of eviction.
carried the chcstnuts home that
nioht in my pocket. The Grain bar ! |
folded up and hid under my coat, |
threw the box away and the basket | |
filed with hickory nuts. After il was !
full Il native drove past and looked at |
me kindly.
"ThcrG's lots and bushels of Shell |
barkS down on the other road about II
mile" he sal +. with a peculiar emphu-
ST, on thr shcll banks.
We'll. what's these | asked with !
n sinking heart.
Pig nuts he replied, they're no
GOOD: nobody ever FATHERS them.
| lied, freely. saving tina, | kept n |
pi1 and hal gathered these nuts for
fcrd. and the native looked incrcdu,ous |
and drove on.
"NEat you rmptyin all dem nuts |
over DC fence for? III" Prince de.
mandcd.
told him there were motives III thc
human heart that sometimes shaped |
our actions, TOO deep and intricate fol
him 10 comprehend. and then the doc
tor aud ! gathered NJ the children and |
tre,pa>-ad across 81 field To n forbidden
chestnut tree, escorted by whole herd 4
Of cattle ana a Mr.. Durham, who paw
ed the ground in another field and talk 4
ed bass ~ u through the rails. We
made Il great haul at this tree. Yhc