Volume I Part 25 (2/2)
”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 pa.s.s 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 about half cleared, Faith withdrew a little from the busy rush and bustle, left the chestnuts and chestnut burrs, and sat down on the bank to rest and look. Her eye wandered to the further woodland, softest of all in hazy veils; to the nearer brilliant vegetation; the open fallow; the wood behind her, where the trees closed in upon each other; oftenest of all, at the 'whapper' of a tree in which Mr. Linden still kept his place, and at the happy busy sight and sound of all under that tree.
And so it happened, that when in time Mr. Linden came down out of Mr.
Simlins' chestnut, besides the boys he found n.o.body there but Mr.
Simlins himself.
”Well!”--said that gentleman after a cordial grasp of the hand,--”I reckon, in the matter of nuts you're going to reduce me to penur'ousness! How you like Neanticut?”
”It's a fine place,” said Mr. Linden.--”And for the matter of nuts, you need not take the benefit of the bankrupt act yet, Mr. Simlins.”
”Over here to see a man on business,” Mr. Simlins went on in explanation,--”and thought I'd look at you by the way. Don't you want to take this farm of me?”
”I might want to do it--and yet not be able,” was the smiling reply; while one of the smallest boys, pulling the tail of the grey coat which Mr. Simlins wore 'on business,' and pointing to the heap of nuts, said succinctly,
”Them's yourn!”
”Mine!” said Mr. Simlins. ”Well where's yourn? What have you done with Miss Faith Derrick?”
”Why we hain't done nothin' to her,” said the boy--”she's done a heap to us.”
”What has she done to you, you green hickory?”
”Why--she's run round, firstrate,” said little Rob,--”and she's helped me shuck.”
”So some o' you's thanked her. 'Twan't _you_. Here, you sir,” said Mr.
Simlins, addressing this time Joe Deacon,--”what have you been doing with Miss Faith Derrick?”
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