Part 23 (2/2)

”You do unless you want your chestnuts to burst. You see,” explained Bert, ”there is water inside a chestnut, especially a new one. And when you put a nut on top of the hot stove the water is boiled and turned to steam, just as it is in the tea kettle. Then if the steam can't find any way to get out, as it swells it just bursts the sh.e.l.l of the nut and sends the pieces flying. That's what happened to yours, Freddie. I stuck a fork in each one of mine, and the little holes, made by the fork, let out the steam. Look here.”

Freddie went over to the stove to look at the nuts Bert was roasting.

Surely enough, from the tiny holes in each one steam was puffing, almost as if from a little toy engine.

”When all the steam gets out and the nut dries, it begins to roast,”

said Bert. ”You must take yours off the stove and fix them that way, Freddie. I meant to tell you about it, but I forgot.”

”Bang!” went another nut, bursting, and Dinah held a pan up in front of her face.

”I don't want t' git shot no mo'!” she said.

Bert helped Freddie fix the chestnuts, putting little holes in them, and then there was no more trouble. They roasted nicely, and when they were cool the children peeled off the dried sh.e.l.ls and ate the nuts. Nan and Flossie boiled theirs in salt water, for salt seems to give the chestnuts a better flavor. In fact, salt is good with almost all kinds of nuts.

The twins ”traded” their chestnuts, Flossie and Nan giving some of their boiled ones for the roasted ones of Bert and Freddie.

”I think we are going to have a storm,” said Mr. Bobbsey as he came in toward bedtime, having gone to the store for Mrs. Bobbsey.

”What sort of storm?” asked Bert.

”A snow storm, I think. It feels that way, and the wind is rising. It's going to blow hard.”

”I hope it doesn't blow the house over,” said Freddie.

”I think you are safe,” answered his father, laughing.

When the Bobbsey twins went to bed that night they could hear the wind moaning and howling around the house. It gave them a ”s.h.i.+very” sort of feeling, and they were glad to cuddle down in their warm beds. Soon they were asleep.

But about the middle of the night Bert and Freddie, who slept in the same room, were awakened by a loud noise.

”What was it?” asked Freddie in a whisper.

”The wind banging a shutter, I guess,” Bert answered. ”It woke me up.

But go to sleep again, Freddie boy.”

Just then the banging noise sounded again.

”Yes, it was a shutter,” said Bert. ”It has blown loose. I can hear daddy getting up to fasten it.”

”It certainly is going to be a hard storm,” Bert and Freddie heard their father say to their mother. ”It's beginning to snow.”

”Oh goodie!” whispered Freddie. ”Did you hear that, Bert?”

”I certainly did.”

”We'll have some fun to-morrow,” Freddie went on. ”I can go coasting.”

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