Year: 1877

CHESTNUT HUNTING.


There is no fun TO be accumulated
in going chestnut hunting with town
girl she hasn't the regulate energy or
muscle to make the sport interesting /;
besides she wears too much Clothes
just contemplate; if you please. the
probable result of North Third or
Spring Garden street belle III fulr har-
ness climbing q fence or wading thro'
a grove of dewberry briars two feet
high. The thing can't be. And then
AS to her throwing q chestnut club. it
is sheer absurdity to think of it IN
connection with anything but the jerk
ing OF her back halr down over her
eyes.


When the country girl goes for
chcstnuts she mems business, aud un-
derstands it,.toO. She collects three of
her young feunale friends Oh election
day, when all the n,cn have gone to
vote aud all the boys have gone to
look on. Each of them steals her
brothers best fishing pole, and they
seek the most eligible tree within two
mlles. Here they take off their shoes
aud pile them up symmetrically under
shadowing bush and then coup that
tree-thc whole four of them.


How a girl can successfully climb
tree is a conundrum that has worried
the greatest scientific minds since Eve
Skinned up that apple tree but the re-
suit haa never been satisfactory, prin-
cipally owing to an indisposition on
the part Of the girl to afford proper
opportunities for prosecuting investi-
CATION. That they can climb tree
better than an oyster is amply evinced
by the fact that in a moment or two
they are up there, sitting side-saddle
fashion on the limbs, and chattering
like SO many amiable squirrels. Then
they wallop that tree with their fishing
poles until the poles are of no further
use for fishing purposes, and the
ground is covered with the brown har.
vest and the loving burs.


Then one girl looks down and sees
her brother coming across the field d.
rect for the tree, with more brothers
in his wake. She says:


MARY, just look at them wretches.
and minute after she yells:


you, Sam. don't you dare to come
under this tree


And Sam stops as though pile
driver had sat down on him.


tGosh them gals is up there 7 he re-
marks to his fellows in q voice OF aw-
full lemnity.


you Bill screams another girl as
she hugs her limb affectionately, sit
you don't go right away from there
I'll tell mother on you:' and another
fellows sister sings out between sigh
and sob:


George Henry, If you come one inch
further, I'll never speak to you again
as long as live.


The fourth girl don't scream or
but she just lets her pole
drop and comes down on the opposite
side of the tree from the boys, and the
first thing they know she is coming
for them with bloody murder in her
eye, three chestnut burs in her hair.
and q broken fishing.poIe in her fl st.
The boys take one hasty glance and
remark: Yes! Oh yes
gals, we're goin,' and they never stop
till they are safe on the top rail of the
fence quarter of 4 mile away. The
other girls come down, and all put
their shoes on and gather up the loose
chestuuts. Then they hold bashful
which results in one of
them calling out:


Il think if you were worth anything
you might come o. er and pOun these
burs open tor u.s.


AS this is directed to nobody in par
ticular, each youth gathers up u pile of
burs aud pounds them open for anoth.
er fellows sister, while she splits the
chestnut hulls with her teeth aud feeds
him with the kernels, aud the first
afternoon iu Eden afforded
no more pleasure than they find wan
dering home in the cleaning, to re-
ceive mothers scolding for tOusled
hair aud lacerated garments.-I Easton
Free Press.