The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-05-09

And anoise like the baby's funny laugh,
That's the brook for me-"
A March Picnic.
Mr.. EDITOR As / love the small people
dearly when they behave property, per-
hsps q description Of some Of my country ad.
ventures may be acceptable to them and posi-
bly, serve to call up in the minds of their elders
echoes from their long past years.
AL aboard for the woods" shouted MIN,
coming around to the porch one lovely March
morning. His name was Clarence Adelbert
Montgomery Grubbins, and he was the lank,
loose jointed boy Of II, who, for a certain
monthly stipend, consented to care for the
horses, milk the two pretty, soft-eyed Alder
neys, till the garden, attend to the fires and
where the master WAS invalid; in other words,
he was the @chors-boy." His ambition to be-
come mighty hunter. shown in the assiduity
with which ne pursued the rabbits which
gnawed the apple trees and trapped the I'M
savory skunk which devastated the chicken
coops, had won for him the soubriquet of MINI
rod, shortened for the sake of convenience to
MINI Always ready for anything which seemed
to promise @fun," he was prime favorite, es-
pecially with the children, from stately Miss
Sylvia, who had arrived at the dignity Of her
first "train," down TO Bessie and Bette, the
5-year-old twins fractions Of Elizabeth"
their youngest auntie called them-both those
names being-did you know 1t, little girisy-
diminutives of that good old Saxon name
We had been hoping and waiting for sunny
day that we might accept the kind invitation of
a cousin to eat warm sugar at his camp, about
four miles away from us and near the bank OF
the river. Not such river as we see in ILL
nois creeping sullenly between low banks
which seem to melt into the turbid water, but
leaping, sparkling stream, bounding over,
stony bed, winding through lovely valley, the
banks whereof are at least hundred feet
high, and crowned with lofty trees of many
varieties The valley averages about an eighth
OF a mile in width, but the river grows wider
and deeper until six or seven miles from the
camp il loses itself in the blue waters Of Lake
Erie, having become quite respectable river,
with one of the best harbors on the southern
shore of that lake.
The camp lies partly in this valley and
partly On the hill where the sugar-house was
situated, and the view from the latter was ro-
mantle in the extreme the river just at that
point taking an abrupt turn across the valley,
tumbling over the rocks and powders as il in
haste to hide in the shadow of the overhanging
bank on the opposite side, and far above and
beyond, the hills rising one after another as far
as the eye could reach, dotted with neat farm
houses, thrifty orchards, groups of cattle and
other animals, and all the thousand sights
and sounds which fill O peaceful country
scene, and over all the glad spring sunshine.
Here and there, along the northern side Of
fallen tree, lay patches Of snow which had es-
the children said, e 30 they could make maple
wax" To-day the winds were asleep; robins
and blue birds by the dozen were filling the air
with their delicious notes; here and there, far
up and out of sight, was heard the sweet, sad
song of the SOLITARY bird" while the reedy
marsh below the orchard was alive with swarms
of chattering blackbirds. On the brow of the
hill grew wintergreens in profusion, and in one
or two sheltered spots we found clusters of
sweet shy Hepaticas and lovely wild Violete,
- n-,.x La
the whole hillside would be covered with
bloom; delicate Anemones and the quaint
Indian Pipe" Ferns, snowy Blood-root and
the perfumed clusters Of Trailing Arbutus,
while down in the valley, nodding Blue bells,
spotted Addertongue, Jack -in-the-Pulpit and
golden Cowslips would WOO the honey-loving
bees.
The days was pronounced perfect and the
"expres wagon" as the children called It,
was speedily prepared for the frolic. "We
should all Co." said good Uncle Mack; he
could find room for all of u.s." though how one
wagon. with only two seats, was to contain
nine human beings, big basket, pile Of
blankets for the little ones, and camp-chair
for Aunt Rosa, who was not very strong, and,
last, though not least in importance, the chill
drens playmate and most intimate friend, Don
Pedro, was question none but a good -natured
man could solve. The Don deserves a few
lines all to himself, for he is very grand per-
sonage indeed-an aristocrat of the bluest
blood. Seven years ago his master bought him
in the streets of Madrid, "looking," he said,
fist" and he put him in his pocket and brought
him all the way from s pain as q present to
baby Edith, since which time he has been an
honored and respected member Of the family.
Sometimes, when the winds blow and the rain
comes swirling down among the maple and
cherry trees that oyerhang the wide porch, he
viii sit long time by the glass door in Aunt
Rosa's room, looking wisely out upon the
commotion of the elements as if he knew we'll
enough what II all meant; occasionally turning
his great seft black eyes toward us to see If we
| agree with him that IL is very disagreeabe.
| He is very sociable, dislking extremely to be
| left alone, and il one of us moves toward an
| other room he Is instantly on the alert to fol-
| low. At night his mistress puts q soft crimson
cushion in large wicker chair, and he rarely
waits for her Come, Pedro" to bound upon It
and nestle down with sigh Of satisfaction to
| his nights rcpose.
At last, all being in readiness, the children
slowed away az tightly as matches in box,
| MIN mounted the high front seat, gave his
whip a vigorous flourish and crack, and of we
went As we nsared our destination ws ought
| sight Of the blue smoke from the camp fire
coiling gracefully between the leafiess branches
of the trees, and mighty shout of giadness
went up from five little throats, setting Don
Pedro into such paroxysm Of frantic barks
that we were glad TO let the whole troop de-
scend from the wagon and scamper away to
the woods az fast as their small legs would
carry them MIN drove carefully on among
| the GOO magnificent naples each freighted with
| a shining tin pail, into which its sweet life
blood was slowly dripping. Hmade one almost
sad to see il, but there was very little time for
cad thoughts, OF any other, for q very few min
utes sufficed to bring us to the sugar house.
where warm welcome literally awaited us
| II was quite q curiosity to one who had never
seen any except the old way of carrying the sap
in large buckets hung to meek yoke". across
| the shoulders of q man, and then boiling il
| slowly away in an immense iron kettle. This
was well -arranged house, with watts, strain
ers, brick fre-arch, dainty patent evaporator
supplied with pipes for conducting the sap
| In and the strip out AS we entered,
| the tall form of Cousin Austin doomed through
| the clouds of steam @like some hobgobn
brewing witch BROTH" one said, az he came
| forward, ladle in hand, to offer US some very
primitive seats Aunt Rosa was made COM
Portable in her csmp-chsir with a horse blanket
under her feet, and we all found plenty of food
for talk while watching the process Of sugar
| ing off," For that purpose q small kettle had
been carried from the house, and now hung on
| an improvsed @crane" in front Of the wide
mouth of the arch, bubbing in the most COM
| Portable manner, and sending up most delicious
odors Now and then the crane would be
swung aside, the huge mouth yawned and
swallowed at least q half-cord Of wood at one