The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-30

rartrgdgV~ aud quail a.N about in pro
fusion. Finally sl., chs~tau, trees began
- diminish. caks anal ;ses~ here Were
N abundance. hat ihHy seemed ~ have
a~sei out sc rhe chestnut l~ft.
We've comeaicsp far. Las g back.
said Mason.
No; t. NOR. Likely thar .be -rcs i
not among the othrr>. answered Jason.
20 they went ou, Rms ,i,ey were 80 tlrs~l.
And 50 hungry. Amt ~ depressed. They
had not walked =. Tar IN ;heiv lives aud
their leg muscles Swclled I'm in rcscrt-
li'ent Of The task imposed uIou them.
Ii miisi have htsa close - . u'closk
ccrtainl! thc beams of the sun were Al.
mast horizontal Whom Mason said. Joy
fully. There il is
IL The same instant lae,n uttered a
CRY of fear for ~crourhlng u spring a.
them WAS "a panther. She had been lying
on the eutStrrtche-l limb Of an oak. tax
ing an afternoon nap. and she had
awakened jtLs; in tim" - see her supper
coming 10 Aer.
Here's inck." though, she. and
rouvhed 10 spring.
Blu II The. twins were laZy. they were
also plucky. And there were no boys
on London ISL who were such masters
in the use. Of the deadly sling. Both
loys srrang behind tres ana drew our
their sings ~ thc SIN. time. They al
ways carried a rockctful Of bullets. anu
they lost no lime in loading M.
There WAS the tree, just laden. 50
that it benz and creakci with the weight
Of nuts. all Of them hanging by their
ica{hery tails - the stem. and not a
sign OF Il burr on them. II evidently
needed but a tap on the triRk Of thc
tree 10 liberatc them all. And. better
yoF. n Well dchnei wage path led from
the tree out To the high road som"
miles distant 10 b. sure. Yet sill easily
within reach of their house.
But there was the panther still crouch
ing and waiting for the boys to step
from behind the trunks. | tell YOU that
such plucky little fellows deserved TO
succeed. and AZ far M the panther wac
concerned they did They watched their
chance and just as she closed hor eyes.
thinking She must hay. dreamed that she
saw two little boys and wishing to dream
again, they elung their shots and the two
bullets joined forces and penetrated her
brain and she fell off that branch rs
dead rs Il door nail or even n window
nail.
.And rs soon as she fell every nut on
the tree dropped to the earth. Whether
her fall Jared them off. or whether she
WAS the guardian spirit of the nuts and
ut her death they were II ;ile mercy OF
anyone who chose Ia gather them. will
never be known. but there j. no Doubt
that the boys ran glccfully under the tree
and filled their blue bags in less time
than it takes 10 say boo 10 a red headed
woodpecker. and You know how little
unle that takes.
} Mason always carried a bah Of very
finn tbrnaJ IN his rst.E1f and h. fnDt
it out and tied one end Of it II the tree
and then they started for home, unwind
ing it as they went. 50 that they could
find their way back. Just as they got
half way home the ball gave ont.
Bp Il curious chance Jason always
carried n ball of very fine thread in hIa
pocket and he tied his to the end Of the
other and they continued their home
run and met their father just about
starting to look for them with Ned and
the big wagon.
We've found the burrlcSS tree said
both together. land W" killed a panther
Old Grandpa Mason was standing in
the gateway. That just what An
derson Sanderson did the time he got
the nuts. I've heard my father tell Of
ii time and again. You're smart boys"
The barrels were soon put on the
wagon and Mr.. Mason whipped up old
| Ned and following the thread. they
came in course of time 10 The tree.
Mrs. Mason had thrown 4 few apples
and n loaf Of bread into the wagon, a.
: she thought the boys might BE- hungry.
She had not worried, ~ 81" had guess
cd what they were doing. The wins ate
The food AS if il had been a Thanksgiving
dinner.
1t didn't take MIR. Mason long. Will,
the help Of Il coal shovel. 10 fill seven
barrels with the mus. IL" Jeff the pan
Their. because Mrs. Mason hated cats or
all kinds.
On the way home they met Kn"cland
Nrecland. and when be saw the seven
barrels Of burrless nuts he congratulated
hem. although my eight barrels are
burrless how and / haven't a pricker 10
chow for il, il a great chestnut year
The twins did not say that they had
; secured any p~rickcrs themselves. They
, were really too tired 10 say anything.
That evening their mother boiled and
roasted a lot Of the nuts and they Were
very good: no better than ordinary nuts,
bun excellent. nevertheless. But, Strangc
to say. the BOYS did not care to eat any.
They may have been too tired 10 eat OF
they may have thought that such hard
earned nuts deserved a better fate, but
whatever the reason, the nuts went beg
ging as far as Mason and Jason Were
concerned. and -, after a few days
they were all shipped out west 10 a tooth
less minister. 10 whom 4 box Of goodie.
was expressed every fall by the mission
ary society.
II would be pleasant 70 be able 10 SAL
that the boys were cured Of their lazl
ways, but, as y matter OF fact, the,
still coast 10 school and skate 10 grand
mas as OF old. so the lesson ofs1he burr
less nuts was lost on them.
HIS LIFE WAS SAVED.
Mr.. j. T.. Lilly, Il prominent citizen 9
Hannibal. Mo. lately had II wonderful