y; but it reminded
the sojourners that they had not simply to draw themselves into
winter-quarters, and be comfortable; their winter-quarters were yet
to seek.

Sylvie had been cracking a plateful of butternuts; picking out
meats, I mean, from the cracked nuts, to make a plateful; and that,
if you know butternuts, you know is no small task. She brought them
to her mother, with some grated maple sugar sprinkled among and over
them.

"This is what you liked so much at the Shakers' in Lebanon," she
said. "See if it isn't as nice as theirs, I think it is fresher.
Here is a tiny little pickle-fork, to eat with."

Mrs. Argenter took the offered dainty.

"You are a dear child," she said. "Come and eat some too."

"O, I ate as I went along. Now, I'll read to you." And she took up
"Blindpits," which her mother had laid down.

"If it only wouldn't storm so," said Mrs. Argenter. "Mrs. Jeffords
says there will be a freshet. The roads will be all torn up. We
shall never be able to get home."

"O yes, we shall," said Sylvie, cheerily; putting down the wonder
that arose obtrusively in her own mind as to where the home would be
that they should go to.

"Did Mrs. Jeffords tell you about last year's freshet? And the
apples?"

"She said they had an awful flood. The brooks turned into rivers,
and the rivers swallowed up everything."

"O, she didn't get to the funny part, then?" said Sylvie. "She
didn't tell you about the apples?"

"No. I think she keeps the funny parts for you, Sylvie."

"May be she does. She isn't sure that you feel up to them, always.
But I guess she means them to come round, when she tells them to me.
You see they had just been gathering their apples, in that great
lower orchard,--five acres of trees, and such a splendid crop! There
they were, all piled up,--can't you imagine? A perfect picture! Red
heaps, and yellow heaps; and greenings, and purple pearmains, and
streaked seek-no-furthers. Like great piles of autumn leaves! Well,
the flood came, and rose up over the flats, into the lower end of
the orchard. They went down over night, and moved all the piles
further up, The next day, they had to move them again. And the next
morning after that, when they woke up, the whole orchard was under
water, and every apple gone. Mr. Jeffords said he got down just in
time to see the last one swim round the corner. And when the flood
had fallen,--there, half a mile below, spread out over the meadow,
was three hund