ite as excited as the rest of them,
wondering whether she would find enough to fill her basket. It was the
first of November, and there had been several slight frosts, which,
Ruby heard the teachers say, ought to ripen the persimmons.

"That is funny," she said to herself. "I should think it would spoil
persimmons to be frozen. I never heard of anything being better
because it had been out in the frost. I wonder what persimmons are
like, anyway."

Ruby had never seen any persimmons in her life, as they did not grow
near her home, and she had a vague idea that they were like apples,
only smaller, perhaps. It did not take the girls very long to get
ready, and in a little while they were all on their way, so happy that
it was hard work to keep in procession, and not lose step with each
other.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was so blue that not the tiniest
little white cloud was floating about upon it anywhere, and the air was
not very cold. There was just enough frostiness to make warm wraps
very pleasant, and to make the girls find a brisk gait delightful.

The leaves had all dropped from the trees, and their bare, brown limbs
stood out sharp and clear against the sky, and Ruby wondered whether
the persimmons would not have fallen from the tree, too. She did n't
ask any questions, however, but made up her mind to wait and see for
herself. It was very hard for Ruby to admit that she did not know
anything; and although Agnes could have told her all about the
persimmons, she preferred to wait rather than ask her.

It was quite a long walk to the field where the persimmon-tree grew
which was considered the special property of the school. In the woods
there were several persimmon-trees, but the boys knew where those
persimmons grew, and gathered them as soon as they ripened, and very
often before they were ready to eat; so it was of no use going there to
look for any. This tree stood in a field that belonged to a friend of
Miss Chapman's, and he always kept it just for the girls, and was
willing to send out his man to shake the tree and knock the persimmons
down for them, if Jack Frost had not done it already. As soon as they
reached the field, and the bars were let down, the girls could break
their ranks and rush for the persimmon-tree, which grew in the middle
of the field. It did not look very inviting, Ruby thought, as she ran
along with the others. All the leaves had dropped off except a few
which da