ossie boiled theirs, but
Bert and Freddie said they liked theirs best roasted.

All at once one of Freddie's chestnuts burst with a loud pop, and the
pieces flew all over the kitchen.

"Oh my!" cried the little fellow. "What made it do that? Was there a
fire cracker in it?"

Before any one could answer him another nut burst, and a piece of it
hit 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 the
shell?" asked Bert of his brother.

"No. Do you have to do that?"

"You do unless you want your chestnuts to burst. You see," explained
Bert, "there is water inside a chestnut, especially a new one. And when
you put a nut on top of the hot stove the water is boiled and turned to
steam, just as it is in the tea kettle. Then if the steam can't find any
way to get out, as it swells it just bursts the shell of the nut and
sends the pieces flying. That's what happened to yours, Freddie. I stuck
a fork in each one of mine, and the little holes, made by the fork, let
out 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, almost
as 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 of
her face.

"I don't want t' git shot no mo'!" she said.

Bert helped Freddie fix the chestnuts, putting little holes in them, and
then there was no more trouble. They roasted nicely, and when they were
cool the children peeled off the dried shells and ate the nuts. Nan and
Flossie boiled theirs in salt water, for salt seems to give the
chestnuts a better flavor. In fact, salt is good with almost all kinds
of nuts.

The twins "traded" their chestnuts, Flossie and Nan giving some of their
boiled ones for the roasted ones of Bert and Freddie.

"I think we are going to have a storm," said Mr. Bobbsey as he came in
toward bedtime, having gone to the store for Mrs. Bobbsey.

"What sort of storm?" asked Bert.

"A snow storm, I think. It feels tha