Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-02-11
From Peterson's Magazine.
THE SUGAR PARTY.
BIZ J. t. TRowBR1DaE.

Sugar parties, in the town of C.,
have from time immemorial been accoun-
ted famous affairs, no quiltings, merry
makings, or bees of any description be-
ing able to approach them in popularity.
The reason of this may be, that the sea-
son in which The genuine sugar party
fourishes, is that particular season when
the country is apt to be afflicted with a
scarcity of all other kinds of entertain
ment.
In summer, there are soft twilight
hours, verdant fields, and silent groves,
which invite young hearts to sweet COM
munion, or to solitary meditation, no less
sweet, by the light of the silver moon
In autumn, fruits abound, and when pa
ring-bees' are not instituted, the adven-
turous youths take strange delight in
tracking through corn fields, swamps and
groves, the wild raccoon, keeping up the
arduous sport till deep into the autumn.
night Even in the winter, country life
is crowned with pleasures rare and rich /;
when in the garrets of great farm-houses
the lads and lasses assemble to chase the
flowing hours with plying feet or get
up old-fashioned games, in the quaint
parlors and homely sitting-rooms; and
when on the clear, sparkling night air,
rings the silyery chime of bells, which
make music for the light hearts of merry
sleigh-riders.
But in the spring time of the year-not
in the balmy month of May, but when the
sun, soaring northward, looks with re-
turning heat on the barren hills, snow
loaded valleys, and frozen streams, and
calls the thaw spirits out of the oozing
ground; when the warmth of noontide,
like the first smiles of summer, tempts sill
ly fowls from the farm-yards; but before
the naked woods have thought to COM
mence their gorgeous spring time toilet;
when the snow is too scarce for sleighs,
and the ground too soft for wheels; when
spring smiles a little by day, while at
night,
"When bleak winds of March
Make her tremble and shiver"-
then-then the sugar party is deservedly
held in high esteem, in all regions where
the soil is blessed with the beautiful ma
pie tree
In the town of O., especially
Every body there could tell you, from
sweet experience, that the sugar party is
delicious invention, which old and young
are free to enjoy, without the most distant
apprehension of trouble from infringe
ment of society's patent rights
But, as is usually the case, the elderly
people have their sugar parties by them
selves; and the youths and maidens enjoy
their own, uninterrupted by married
folks Thus, for example the Nelbies,
senior, give party to all the fathers and
mothers of families in the town of c.,
at the time of the earliest run of sap,
last season; and couple of weeks later,
when another grand thaw sent the trans
parent blood of the maple circulating
through torpid trunks and limbs, the Mel,
bies, junior, with the permission of the
old people, made preparations, and sent
out invitations, for their sugar party,
which every body anticipated would be q
grand affair.
Certainly, Eliva Nelby and her broth
ers Samuel and Nicholas, spared no pains
or expense to meet the anticipations ol
the public. Sam had personally attended
to the boiling of the sap, in its later sta
ges, and used his utmost skill and care in
keeping it free from all impurities, and in
reducing it to syrup of the proper consis-
tency, without scorching. Then Eliva
herselfhad secured the bright copper ket-
tie in which this delectable preparation
was to be placed over the SUI gar-making
slow FIRE in the kitchen, in time to have
it feather as soon as guests should be
ready for the grand sweetening,
Meanwhile, Nicholas had busted him.
self in filling large tub with the purest
snow which could be found in the woods,
and in hollow places, protected from the
sun; and he had deposited the cooling
treasure in the shed, covering it with
cakes of ice, brought from dismal ra-