CHESTNUTS BY THE WAY 



gence. The great bole of the tree came down 

 and gnarled itself into the earth with mighty con 

 volutions. The bursting burrs had been shaken 

 down by the wind, and they shone in the dead 

 leaves like lumps of flesh as the rays picked them 

 out. 



&quot; We have caught the atoms at their Orphic 

 hymn,&quot; said the Doctor, softly. 



Under the tree, hunting in the dead leaves, 

 were two children with little tin pails, such as one 

 sees in the stores with lard in them. The elder, 

 a boy of eight, barefooted, was running heedlessly 

 among the burrs, intent only on filling his pail. 

 The other, a girl of six, was digging her plump 

 fist into her eyes and holding her little head down 

 in inexpressible sorrow. As we came up, she 

 made a start like a bird as if to run, and the 

 Doctor caught her. &quot; What s the matter, my little 

 maid?&quot; he said. &quot; Are you cold ?&quot; 



&quot; Oh, she s afraid of the burrs,&quot; said the boy. 

 &quot; A girl s no good to pick chestnuts, anyway.&quot; 



He had his pail half full and went on with his 

 gathering quite disdainfully. The Doctor lifted 

 the little woman up into the air, and I looked 

 into her pail. There were two miserable chest 

 nuts rattling on the bottom, and one was wormy. 

 As he held her there a moment, she looked like 

 a chestnut herself, so ripe and brown. Her two 

 plump little cheeks were just as hard and inviting, 

 and her swimming eyes were the same colour. 

 Her little brown legs hung down, only half- 

 covered with stockings, and her plump pads of 



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