noon
`` Well , I 've been hickory-nutting three times , and I guess you 've never seen Niagara Falls and I have ! '' boasted Katy by way of keeping her self-respect . The children worked busily all morning only stopping now and then to chase the squirrels who came scolding the intruders for taking their winter stores . By noon Alice declared they had more nuts than they could stow away in the old carriage , if they hoped to get in themselves . Sherm and Gertie found a tempting persimmon tree and there were some wry-looking faces till Alice showed them how to find the fruit the frost had sweetened . After that the persimmons became immensely popular , and dresses and jackets alike were liberally stained with the mushy orange pulp to which samples of the picnic dinner were added later . They spread their feast out in the sunshine , using the sacks of nuts for seats , and waging war on intrusive ants and whole colonies of welcoming flies .