Ein Aecount with Mature 
by with a fistful of stones, and waited for the thieves 
to show themselves. I came so near to hitting one of 
them once that the sweat started all over me. After 
that there was no danger. I lost my nerve. The little 
scamps knew that war was declared, and they hid and 
dodged and sighted me so far off that even with a gun 
I should have been all summer killing the seven of 
them. 
Meantime, a big rain and the warm June days 
were turning the berries red by the quart. They had 
more than caught up to the squirrels. I dropped my 
stones and picked. The squirrels picked, too, so did 
the toads and robins. Everybody picked. It was free 
for all. We picked them and ate them, jammed them 
and canned them. I almost carried some over to my 
neighbor, but took peas instead. You simply can’t 
give your strawberries in New England to ordinary 
neighbors, who are not of your choosing. You have 
no fears at all as to what they will say to your 
peas. 
The season closed on the Fourth of July, and our 
taste was not dim nor this natural love for straw- 
berries abated; but all four of the small boys had 
the hives from over-indulgence, so bountifully did 
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