CHAPTER XV
THE STORM
"Look out there, George!"
"Jump over this way--away from the rocks!"
Bert and Charley called loudly to the boy who had climbed the littletree which broke with him. But George seemed to know what he was doing.As soon as he felt the tree going over he sprang out to one side, andcame down, feet first, on a pile of leaves that were almost as soft andspringy as a pile of hay in the meadow.
"Hurt yourself?" asked Bert.
"Not a bit--no. I'm all right," George answered.
"Oh dear!" cried Nan. "I thought sure you'd break your leg or arm orsomething."
"So did I," said Nellie. "Are you sure you're all right, George?"
"Of course I am. I'll show you by climbing another tree." George who hadnot even fallen down walked over toward the chestnut tree again.
"Well, pick out a good one to climb this time," Bert said, and Georgedid. He first shook the next little tree that grew near the bigchestnut, and made sure that it was not rotten, which was the troublewith the first one he had gone up.
This time everything was all right. George climbed up, and stepped fromthe small tree out on the branches of the one where the shiny, brownnuts hung all ready to be shaken down. And when George shook thebranches of the chestnut tree, down came the nuts in a shower.
"Oh, what a lot!" cried Freddie, dancing about in glee.
"And one--one struck me right on the end of my nose!" laughed Flossie."A chestnut on my nose! Ho! Ho!"
"Well, it's a good thing it wasn't a cocoa-nut!" cried George. "Pick 'emup now!"
This the children did. It was better than poking around among the leavesfor the nuts, as those George jarred down lay on top, and could easilybe seen.
The salt bags which the Bobbsey twins had brought with them, and thebags Nellie and Charley carried, were soon filled with nuts. Nelliepicked up nuts for her brother, who was in the tree shaking them down,and Bert said:
"We'll all give George a share of ours, as he can't pick up any whilehe's in the tree."
"He can have half of mine," offered Freddie.
"Oh, no, little man, not as many as that," laughed George.
"I wish he'd come down pretty soon," murmured Flossie, after a bit.
"Why, are you tired of picking up nuts?" asked Nan, with a smile.
"No, not 'zactly," Flossie answered, "but I'm hungry, and----"
"Oh, I see! And you remember that George brought the lunch," saidNellie. "Well, I guess we can all eat now. Come on down, George, andwe'll eat the picnic lunch."
"All right," her brother answered, and a little later he slid down thesmall tree. The bags of nuts were laid aside, George being given ashare of the others, and then Nellie and Nan set out the lunch on top ofa flat stump, which was like a little table.
Mrs. Parks had put sandwiches, cake and apples in the box, and there wasenough for all. The children ate the lunch and had a good time, sittingaround the stump-table. Then Flossie said:
"I'm thirsty! I want a drink!"
"Hum. Well, I'm afraid my mother didn't put any drinking water in thebox," said George, looking carefully.
"Well, I can drink milk," Flossie said.
"There's no milk, either," answered George, while the others laughed.
"There's a spring of water over there," said Charley Mason, pointing offthrough the trees. "We could get some water if we had a cup."
"I can make a cup out of paper," Bert said. "We learned how in schoolthe other day."
With some of the waxed paper which was in the lunch box Bert made apretty good cup. Then when the thin skim of ice on top of the spring wasbroken, water could be dipped up, and every one had a nice drink.Flossie had two cupfuls, she was so thirsty.
They played tag and some other games under the trees after the lunch,and then, having gathered a few more nuts, they started back through thewoods toward Lakeport.
As Flossie came near the little hollow in the ground where she had foundthe pile of nuts she cried out:
"Oh, look at the little squirrel! He's trying to find the nuts I took.Oh, I'm so sorry I took them."
"That isn't a squirrel, it's a chipmunk," said Bert. "You can tell it'sa chipmunk by the stripes down its back. It does seem to be looking forthe nuts though; eh, Charley?"
"Well, maybe he is," said George. "Here, I'll toss him a few. But thereare lots more in the woods he can get, so he won't starve."
From his bag George threw a few nuts to the chipmunk. But the littlefellow was not as tame as some squirrels to be seen in the city parks,for they will perch on your shoulder and eat nuts from your hand. Thechipmunk, however, made a loud, chattering noise, with a sort ofwhistle in between and scampered up a tree like a flash of sunshine.
"Oh, he's gone!" cried Flossie, who liked to watch the lively littlechap.
"Yes; he doesn't like company," said Bert.
Shouting and laughing, the Bobbsey twins reached home with theirchestnuts.
"My, you did get a lot!" said their mother, as she looked into theopened bags. "I never thought you would get so many."
"There are many chestnuts this year," Bert said. "Now we will have somefun roasting and boiling them to-night."
They gathered about the fire after supper, and laid the chestnuts theywanted to roast on top of the stove. Nan and Flossie boiled theirs, butBert and Freddie said they liked theirs best roasted.
All at once one of Freddie's chestnuts burst with a loud pop, and thepieces flew all over the kitchen.
"Oh my!" cried the little fellow. "What made it do that? Was there afire cracker in it?"
Before any one could answer him another nut burst, and a piece of ithit Dinah on the end of her shiny, black nose.
"What am dat all?" she cried. "Who am frowin' t'ings at me? Was dat yo',Freddie lamb?"
"No, Dinah. It was a chestnut--one of mine. But I don't see what makes'em pop that way, like corn."
"Did you make any holes in your chestnuts, or cut a little slit in theshell?" asked Bert of his brother.
"No. Do you have to do that?"
"You do unless you want your chestnuts to burst. You see," explainedBert, "there is water inside a chestnut, especially a new one. And whenyou put a nut on top of the hot stove the water is boiled and turned tosteam, just as it is in the tea kettle. Then if the steam can't find anyway to get out, as it swells it just bursts the shell of the nut andsends the pieces flying. That's what happened to yours, Freddie. I stucka fork in each one of mine, and the little holes, made by the fork, letout the steam. Look here."
Freddie went over to the stove to look at the nuts Bert was roasting.Surely enough, from the tiny holes in each one steam was puffing, almostas if from a little toy engine.
"When all the steam gets out and the nut dries, it begins to roast,"said Bert. "You must take yours off the stove and fix them that way,Freddie. I meant to tell you about it, but I forgot."
"Bang!" went another nut, bursting, and Dinah held a pan up in front ofher face.
"I don't want t' git shot no mo'!" she said.
Bert helped Freddie fix the chestnuts, putting little holes in them, andthen there was no more trouble. They roasted nicely, and when they werecool the children peeled off the dried shells and ate the nuts. Nan andFlossie boiled theirs in salt water, for salt seems to give thechestnuts a better flavor. In fact, salt is good with almost all kindsof nuts.
The twins "traded" their chestnuts, Flossie and Nan giving some of theirboiled ones for the roasted ones of Bert and Freddie.
"I think we are going to have a storm," said Mr. Bobbsey as he came intoward bedtime, having gone to the store for Mrs. Bobbsey.
"What sort of storm?" asked Bert.
"A snow storm, I think. It feels that way, and the wind is rising. It'sgoing to blow hard."
"I hope it doesn't blow the house over," said Freddie.
"I think you are safe," answered his father, laughing.
When the Bobbsey twins went to bed that night they could h
ear the windmoaning and howling around the house. It gave them a "shivery" sort offeeling, and they were glad to cuddle down in their warm beds. Soon theywere asleep.
But about the middle of the night Bert and Freddie, who slept in thesame room, were awakened by a loud noise.
"What was it?" asked Freddie in a whisper.
"The wind banging a shutter, I guess," Bert answered. "It woke me up.But go to sleep again, Freddie boy."
Just then the banging noise sounded again.
"Yes, it was a shutter," said Bert. "It has blown loose. I can heardaddy getting up to fasten it."
"It certainly is going to be a hard storm," Bert and Freddie heard theirfather say to their mother. "It's beginning to snow."
"Oh goodie!" whispered Freddie. "Did you hear that, Bert?"
"I certainly did."
"We'll have some fun to-morrow," Freddie went on. "I can go coasting."
"Yes, but go to sleep now," Bert advised.
"I can't, the wind makes so much noise," Freddie answered.
The wind was certainly howling and moaning loudly around the corner ofthe house. Suddenly there was a big crash on the roof of the kitchenextension near the windows of the room where Freddie and Bert slept.Then, after the first crash, came another.
Something smashed through the glass in the window nearest Freddie's bedand there was a thumping sound on the floor.
"Oh! oh!" cried Freddie throwing off the covers and jumping out. "Thehouse is blowing down! The house is blowing down!"