"Every room," he replied, "except the kitchen. You must not go out there to bother cook. She has all she can attend to." This sounded pleasant, so Marjorie went on, only pausing for one more question. "What kind of nuts, Father?" "Gather any kind you see, my child. There was such a strong wind last night, I daresay it blew down all sorts." And truly that seemed to be the case. Shrieks of surprise and delight from the whole seven announced the discoveries they made. They found peanuts, English walnuts, pecan nuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, hickory nuts, black walnuts, and some of which they didn't know the names. The nuts were hidden in all sorts of places. Stuffed down in the cushions of chairs and sofas, on mantels and brackets, under rugs and footstools, on window sills, on the floor, on the chandeliers, they seemed to be everywhere. All over the house the children scampered, filling their baskets as they went. Sometimes two would make a dash for the same nut, and two bumped heads would ensue, but this was looked upon as part of the fun. The older children gathered their nuts from the highest places, leaving the low places for the little ones to look into. Rosy Posy found most of those on the floor, behind the lace curtains or portieres, as she toddled about with her basket on one arm and Boffin in the other. At last the whole house had been pretty thoroughly ransacked, and the nutting-party returned in triumph with loaded baskets. "Did you look under the sofa pillows on the couch in this room?" said Mr. Maynard, gravely, and seven pairs of legs scampered for the couch. Under its pillows they found three big _cocoanuts_, and Mr. Maynard declared that completed the hunt. Meantime, the big, round table in the middle of the room had been cleared of its books and papers, and the children were directed to empty their baskets of nuts on the table, taking care that none should roll off the edge. The seven basketsful were tumbled out, and a goodly heap they made. Then the seven sat round the table, and to each one was given a tiny pair of candy tongs, such as comes with the confectioner's boxes. "This is a new game," explained Mr. Maynard, "and it's called Jacknuts. It is played just the same as Jackstraws. Each, in turn, must take nuts from the heap with the tongs. If you jar or jostle another nut than the one you're taking away, it is then the next player's turn." Of course they all knew how to play Jackstraws, so they understood at once, but this was much more fun. "The first ones are so easy, let's give Rosy Posy the first chance," said Dick Fulton, and Mr. Maynard, with a nod of approval at the boy, agreed to this plan. So Rosy Posy, her fat little hand grasping the tiny tongs, succeeded in getting nearly a dozen nuts into her basket. As Dorothy Adams was not quite as old as Kitty, she took her turn next, and then all followed in accordance with their ages.