AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 13 



to the brim with sweet, plump berries; then up the gentle 

 slope of Pine Hill the sled moved slowly on, cutting its 

 way almost to the frozen ground, through fleecy flakes of 

 snow, under the overlapping branches of oak and chestnut. 



Again in springtime the children, with their father, vis- 

 ited the woodlands. The spruce and pine had early put 

 on their new spring trimming tips of light green. The 

 oaks and birches on the hillsides had awakened from their 

 winter's sleep and were joyously waving their beautiful 

 fringelike pollen blossoms in the breeze. 



But the time ever to be remembered by these New 

 England children was purple, hazy days of Indian sum- 

 mer, when autumn robed the trees with richest tints. 

 Days when after the first frosts Chub was harnessed to 

 the cart and with baskets in hand in which to gather the 

 fallen chestnuts and hickory nuts the children climbed in 

 beside the father, calling Trip to follow. 



Occasionally a gentle breeze caused a shower of glisten- 

 ing nuts from the opening burrs, which were hailed with 

 delight by the children. Trip ran to and fro, now and 

 then halting at the foot of a tall tree to make known in 

 his own expressive language the presence of a bushy- 

 tailed squirrel among its branches. Then Chub, as if 

 understanding it all, slackened his pace, and three happy 

 children were soon seen scrambling among fallen leaves 

 searching for the little brown nuts. Sometimes the burr 

 itself with its three nuts snugly encased lay beneath the 



