. Country life reader . her, as he blew on his fingers, winterdislikes to let go. Then he began to bore holes in thesouth side of the great maple tree—two hundred years old—and we boys drove in the spiles and set the pans. Thesweet juice began at once to ooze out through the eldersticks and then to drop into the buckets. I can hear itnow ! That first drop, drop, against the tin I Out of a fewof the larger trees, in the warm hollows, where the windcould not find its way, the sap spurted in httle bees came from their hives and flew about our heads,ahghting on the chips to get a taste
. Country life reader . her, as he blew on his fingers, winterdislikes to let go. Then he began to bore holes in thesouth side of the great maple tree—two hundred years old—and we boys drove in the spiles and set the pans. Thesweet juice began at once to ooze out through the eldersticks and then to drop into the buckets. I can hear itnow ! That first drop, drop, against the tin I Out of a fewof the larger trees, in the warm hollows, where the windcould not find its way, the sap spurted in httle bees came from their hives and flew about our heads,ahghting on the chips to get a taste of the sweets. Abutterfly flitted, and tasted, and flew again to find a sweeterchip or perhaps a safer spot. Boys, said father, it is time to swing the kettle, forwith this run we must begin to boil before night. To be 325 326 COUNTRY LIFE READER sure! For the pans were nearly full by noon, as we our-selves were half full of the sweet stuff—and we could smellthe boiling sugar in our anticipation. Down in the very. Hanging the sap-buckets. heart of the glen we drove strong crotched sticks; andacross these we laid a stout ash pole. On this the ten-pailiron kettle was hung with a double hook. There were nopatent evaporators in those days; but that did not worryus; our sugar should be the best. Little Tom ran to the MAPLE-SUGARING 327 house, which was a quarter of a mile away, with two piecesof hemlock bark to bring us coals. For in all the worldthere was not at that time a single match! Did we notby match-making mean making a very different thing?But you should have seen how well nature cared for uswithout matches. By order of Providence hemlock barkcurled up just enough to hold a dozen big maple coals,and these another bark would cover from the wind. Wehad already gathered bunches of dry grass, with dry twigs,and more hemlock bark. I can smell it to this day. Thedehcious resin as it touched the coal! Then Jim quicklytook the coals and blew them with all his might. It wasa
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