ck-a-doodle-doo!"
As if that were just about the only thing he knew!

[Illustration]

On the roof the gentle dove says, "Coo, coo, coo!
Love me, little girls and boys, for I love you."

[Illustration]

What does the hen say? "Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
As she scratches for her chickens, and has good luck.

[Illustration]

What does the bird say? "Peep, peep, peep!"
As, early in the morning, she rouses us from sleep.

What does our baby say? "Goo, goo, goo!"
See the loving glances in her eyes so blue;
How we rush to take her, at the slightest call!
Oh! the darling baby is the sweetest pet of all.

ELLA.

[Illustration]

CHESTNUT-GATHERING.

DID you ever go chestnut-gathering? Such fun as it is! especially when a
lot of girls and boys go together.

On one of my father's farms there were many chestnut-trees; and every
autumn, after the first frost, when the leaves were all turning, and
beginning to fall, we used to have chestnut-gatherings.

The boys used to get long poles, with which they would beat off the
nuts. Sometimes they would climb the trees, and shake or beat off such
nuts as they could not reach from below. And we girls used to help pick
them up, and put them into baskets.

Some years chestnuts are very scarce. I remember one year there was only
one tree that had any nuts on; and we could not reach them: not even a
man could climb it.

One day, Henry, who was a very kind man, said, "Perhaps we will cut that
tree down: it will make good rails, and then you children can get all
the nuts."

We no sooner heard this than we gave him no peace till it was done. And
such an event! For we were to see the tree cut down.

We children were stationed far away from danger; and another man and
Henry chopped and chopped, till it was almost ready to fall, when they
stepped back, and, in less than a minute, there was such a whistling
through the air, such a crashing, and breaking of branches, and then a
loud thud!

The tree was down. I felt quite breathless with excitement; and so did
the others; for it was some minutes before we ran up to see how many
nuts there were.

Oh, such lots! all spread around, and beaten out of the prickly burrs,
all ready for us. I cannot remember how many we gathered, but it was
some bushels; and we could no