ree that has a lot of
nuts on it, and shake it. Then the nuts will fall down, and they won't
get under the leaves. We can easily pick them up then."

"Good!" cried Bert Bobbsey. "We'll do it."

They searched through the woods until they found just the tree they
wanted. Looking up they could see the burrs clinging to the branches.
The frost had opened the burrs and the brown nuts could be seen, just
ready to fall.

"If there was a good wind," said George, "that would blow the nuts
down: but, as there isn't, we must shake the tree."

"It's too big to shake," remarked Nan. "Why, you never could shake that
tree. I can't even reach around it."

"You can't shake it by standing on the ground and pushing against it,"
said George. "I'll climb up among the branches and shake them. I've
often done it."

"How are you going to climb such a big tree, when you can't get your
arms around it?" Bert demanded.

"I'll show you," answered George. "Do you see this little thin tree,
growing close to the big chestnut?"

"Yes," Bert answered.

"Well, I'm going to climb up the little tree until I get high enough to
step from it into the branches of the big one," went on George. "Then
we'll have plenty of nuts."

"And after we pick up all we want, can we eat?" asked Freddie.

There was a laugh at this.

"Hungry already; are you?" asked George. "Well, it does give one an
appetite to come out on a crisp, cold day like this. Yes, after we
gather up the nuts I'm going to shake down we'll see what mother put in
the box."

George started to climb up the small tree. This was easy for him to do,
for he could put his hands and legs around it. Up and up he went, just
as you boys have often climbed trees. He was about ten feet from the
ground when Bert suddenly saw the little tree beginning to bend over.

"Look out, George!" Bert called. "That tree is going to break with you!"

George looked down. And, just as he did so, there was a sharp, cracking
sound and the tree broke and bent suddenly over. George fell toward the
ground. Nan, Flossie and Nellie were screaming.

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 little
tree 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, and
came down, feet first, on a pile of leaves that were almo