FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119  
>>  
ngled as if the next puff of wind would send them down upon the ground with the others; and the persimmons, which hung thickly upon the branches, did not look at all as Ruby had fancied that they would. There were several lying upon the ground, and Ruby wondered at the girls for picking them up so eagerly. They were all shrivelled, and the least touch would break their skins. Indeed some of them in falling had broken, and were lying in bunches, all mashed together. Ruby did not want any such looking persimmons as those, and she looked carefully about for nice round ones, that were firm and hard. "Come over here, Ruby," called Agnes. "Here are ever so many, and such nice ones. I am getting lots." Ruby glanced over and saw that those in Agnes' basket were just the kind that she did not want. "I see some here," she answered, and so she picked up the firm, hard fruit as quickly as she could. Presently she wondered what they tasted like, and she put one in her mouth. Did you ever have your mouth puckered up by a green persimmon? If you have, then you will know just how Ruby's mouth felt; and if you have not, you must imagine it, for I am sure I cannot tell you about it. It was a very green persimmon that Ruby had tasted, and she had taken such a bite of it before she could stop herself that it seemed to her as though she would never be able to open her mouth again. She was quite frightened at the way her mouth felt, and her eyes filled with tears as she went over to Agnes. "Oh, it has done something to my mouth, and puckered it all up," she said, trying to keep from crying. "I never had such a dreadful feeling in my mouth. Do you suppose it will ever come out again? Oh, it is worse than a toothache, it truly is." [Illustration: "OH, IT HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MY MOUTH!" (missing from book)] "You must have eaten one that was not quite ripe," said Agnes. "Let me see; oh, that one would pucker your mouth dreadfully, for it is n't nearly ready to eat yet. See, it is only these soft ones that are ripe, and the hard ones will all pucker one's mouth." "And I thought that these soft ones were n't good," said Ruby, in dismay, "and I have gathered only these old puckery ones. I could not think what you picked up the squashed ones for." How many times that afternoon Ruby wished she had known more about persimmons, or that she had asked some of the other girls something about them. Her mouth seemed
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119  
>>  



Top keywords:
persimmons
 

pucker

 

picked

 

persimmon

 

tasted

 
puckered
 
wondered
 

ground

 
missing

Illustration

 

toothache

 

SOMETHING

 
crying
 

dreadful

 
suppose
 

feeling

 
squashed
 
puckery

dismay

 

gathered

 

afternoon

 

wished

 

thought

 

dreadfully

 

thickly

 

falling

 

broken


bunches

 

mashed

 

Presently

 

Indeed

 
quickly
 

looked

 

carefully

 

called

 
glanced

answered

 
basket
 

shrivelled

 
fancied
 
filled
 

branches

 
frightened
 
picking
 

imagine


eagerly