The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-06-25

the boys, and she said yes, IT we would
be back at nine o'clock. .s.
We "saw" the boys, but it was in the
lane leading to the woods, where they
were waiting, whist as mice. Ii WAS
growing dark fast, and we cut for the
woods as fast as we could &c. There was
big bed of Goals snugly covered with
ashes, and We soon had it raked out, put
new wood on, and made blazing fire.
Then we took hold of the long pole and
swung the big kettle over it. How to
get the syrup in was the next question,
as we couldn't lift the big jugs up. But
l found the dipper, and we dipped it
out of the churn used to store it in, until
there was pailful or more in the kettle,
and it began to boil up, as yellow and
sweet as could be. a' :.
But this time it was dark as pocket.
The fire lighted up the woods for short
way, but it seemed all the blacker in the
shadows beyond We had never been
out alone before, and the strange still
ness began to make us feel very queerly.
Our shadows, thrown by the freight
across the clearing, looked like giants,
and there was not much fun in our
laughter as we watched them. One of
the littlest boys vowed he saw something
hiding behind tree; another thought
he heard some animal stepping in the
brush a little way off. You see we knew
we weren't doing right, and that makes
boys-and men, too-very uneasy.
But we kept close to the fire, and
talked as bravely as we could, until the
boy who was stirring the sugar, said:
1T hairs it must be done! Who'll
try it first?"
"Who! Who'll" said loud voice out in
the darkness of the woods.
Every boy started up as if panther
had come upon us. Jim dropped his
stirring stick into the fire. Harry tip
ped over the pans of snow on the bench.
Charlie stumbled over root and fell
head first into sap bucket; and then
we held our breaths and listened.
"Who! whoW said the voice again,
loud and solemn.
Who arc you, your own self %
shouted Frank, the boldest boy in the
party" and what-r-ye doing III this st.-
gar bush this time of night?"
No answer came.
"Let's smoke him outr' said Frank,
grabbing a blazing stick from the fire
brush, using it as torch. He hadn't
gone many yards before great white
owl few from its perch in tree, calling
Who-who-o.o! To-whit-to-who-o"
Then we all laughed at our scare, and
~, 70 tho crror Incf Hraad fuI
smoke and smell began to come out Of
the kettle. While We had been "owling
it" the sugar had burnedl
We had just got the kettle swung off
from the fire when another voice sound
ed close behind US, and this time it wasn't
an owl, but father himself, who had seen
the light of the fire, and came down to
find out what it all meant.
$50, So" he said, livery industrious
boys, I see!-like to work nights! Well,
we can't have anything wasted. You
can just 20 at that beautiful sugar you
have made and eat it up" And he was
a man that meant business, and no fool
ing, when he spoke.
Well, we tried it on snow, and tried it
warm, but couldn't tell which way it
tasted the worst. Burnt sugar is about
the bitterest stuff ever got hold of, and
few mouthfuls of it was enough to set
us all to begging. Father let up on the
eating, but made us scrape and wash the
kettles and dishes, and bank up the fire
again. And then he took me ahead and
made Will take hold Of my coat-tail and
the next boy hold of Wills, and so on
to the end, and marched us all single file
through the woods up to the house, a
giggling but rather sheepish procession
Mother said she didn't think we were
a very happy-looking set of boys who
had been off for such sweet time; and
well, we didn't do any more sly sugaring
off after that. There didn't seem to be
much fun it you know.-Golden Rule.