THE NUTTING EXPEDITION.
One Saturday afternoon, Frank and his sister went into the woods,
provided with little baskets and bags, to gather walnuts. As they left
the village, they were regaled with a song from the Golden Crested
Wren, who was perched on the branch of an apple tree, and seemed to be
lamenting the rapid approach of winter.
[Illustration: THE GOLDEN CRESTED WREN.]
Scarcely had they got into the thick part of the woods, where the
walnuts were abundant, when they found that they were not the only nut
gatherers on the ground. The grey squirrels were on the alert,
scampering about upon the tall trees, where they were quite at
home. Their nests are in hollow trees, high up from the ground, and
here they delight to store up the sweet nuts, and acorns, for their
subsistence. Frank told Fanny some wonderful stories about these
squirrels, which he had heard from Farmer Baldwin: how some thousands
of them once set out in company, on an expedition from New York State,
to Vermont, and swam across the Hudson; and how they were so fatigued
and wet, after crossing the river, that many of those who escaped
drowning, were killed with clubs by the people, on the eastern shore
of the river.
[Illustration: THE GREY SQUIRREL.]
Fanny also knew some stories about the grey squirrel, which she had
read in a book, which she got out of the school library--how they
sometimes crossed rivers on chips, and bits of bark, using their large
bushy tails for sails. Frank doubted this; but they both agreed to
believe what is really the fact, that these animals sometimes migrate
from one part of the country to another, in very large numbers.
[Illustration: THE YELLOW THROAT.]
When the children had half filled their baskets and bags, they sat
down under the shade of a walnut tree, to eat some dinner, which they
had brought along in one of the baskets. During this frugal repast
they were entertained with the song of a Yellow Throat, one of the
very sweetest of all the wild birds of the forest. He loves the
thickest shades of the wood; and although the children were perfectly
charmed with his music, he was so shy, that they could not get a
single look at him.
After dinner, the children strolling further into the wood, came
suddenly upon a party of their school fellows, who were in the woods
for a day's sport. They were sitting under a tree, telling stories to
each other.
[Illustration: THE STORY TELLING PARTY.]
Frank and Fanny were received by this lively party with loud shouts of
welcome. They sat down and listened to one or two stories after which
Fanny was invited by one of the little girls, to go and see a fine
swing, which the party had put upon one of the trees of the
forest. The two girls enjoyed themselves in swinging here for half an
hour, while Frank remained with the party who were so much engrossed
with the stories as not to miss the two little girls who were enjoying
the swing.
[Illustration: THE SWING.]
When Fanny returned from the swinging expedition, the children took
leave of their friends, and returned alone to the business of filling
their bags and baskets with nuts. This they accomplished before
sunset, and joyfully set forward for home. Leaving the skirts of this
forest, they saw a little boy reclining under a tree with a dog by his
side. The boy was leaning his head rather dejectedly on his hand, and
seemed rather tired. On the children inquiring how he came there, he
replied, that he had been spending the whole day with his dog, vainly
endeavoring to catch a woodchuck, which he had seen running into the
woods, in the morning. Frank kindly condoled with him on his
disappointment; but, at the same time, advised him to seek some more
profitable employment in future.
[Illustration: THE WOODCHUCK HUNTER.]
After they had left the boy, Frank and Fanny talked together very
sagely on the importance of making a proper use of time, and the folly
of spending it in the hunting of wild animals, like the woodchuck,
which are very hard to catch.
Just before reaching the village, they met a party of boys playing at
soldiers. They had their drum, and fife, colors, and wooden guns, and
tin swords, and flourished away in all the "pride, pomp, and
circumstance" of military display.
[Illustration: PLAYING AT SOLDIERS.]
This sight afforded Frank another theme for remark. His conversations
with Farmer Baldwin had inspired him with disgust for this kind of
amusement. He hated war, and was not pleased with any thing which
reminded him of it. Besides the nonsense of this soldier-playing, he
said there was an objection to it, as inspiring a taste for real
soldier life, and for amusing one's self with gun powder; and he told
Fanny a story of a boy, who, in firing off a little brass cannon,
which split in pieces, received one of the pieces in his neck, which
cut off a large artery, and caused his death in a few minutes.
[Illustration: DANGEROUS SPORT.]
Before Frank had finished his comments on this sad affair, they
reached home; and so ended the nutting expedition, which, Frank
thought, was not quite so profitable as helping Farmer Baldwin to
gather his apples.
[Illustration]