r. Linden, when he at
last descended to terra firma out of the stripped chestnut tree.

He did not say anything, but leaning up against the great brown trunk
of the chestnut took a pleased survey of the whole--then went to work
with the rest.

"Boys!" he said--"aren't there enough of you to open these burrs as
fast as Miss Derrick can pick out the nuts? You should never let a lady
prick her fingers when you can prick yours in her place."

There was a general shout and rush at this, which made Faith give way
before it. The burrs disappeared fast; the brown nuts gathered into an
immense heap. That tree was done.

"Hurrah! for Mr. Simlins!" shouted all the boys, throwing up their caps
into the air,--then turning somersets, and wrestling, and rolling over
by way of further relief to their feelings.

"The chestnut beyond that red maple for him," said Mr. Linden, flinging
a little stone in the right direction; at which with another shout the
little tornado swept away.

"Will you follow, Miss Faith? or are you tired?"

"No, I'm not tired yet. I must do something for Mr. Simlins."

"Well don't handle those burrs--" he said. "They're worse than darning
needles."

"Have you seen Kildeer river yet, Mr. Linden?"

"I have had a bird's eye view."

Faith looked a little wistfully, but only said,

"We must look at it after the nutting is done. That's a bit of reading
hereabout you ought not to pass over."

"I mean to read 'everything I can,' too," he said with a smile as they
reached the tree.

"Now Mr. Linden," said Joe Deacon, "_this_ tree's a whapper! How long
you suppose it'll take you to go up?"

"About as long as it would you to come down--every-one knows how long
_that_ would be. Stand out of my way, boys--catch all the burrs on your
own heads and don't let one fall on Miss Derrick." And amidst the
general laugh Mr. Linden swung himself up into the branches in a way
that made his words good; while Joe Deacon whistled and danced 'Yankee
Doodle' round the great trunk.

Half at least of Mr. Linden's directions the boys obeyed;--they caught
all the burrs they well could, on their own heads. Faith was too busy
among them to avoid catching some on her own bright hair whenever her
sunbonnet declined to stay on, which happened frequently. The new
object lent this tree a new interest of its own, and boys being an
untiring species of animals the sport went on with no perceptible
flagging. But when this tree too was ab