Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-05-09
aglonlh's Column.
LOSING TOMMY.

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He put his head in at the door one
bright March morning, when, oh me !
Daily was so deep in sulks that it didn't
really seem as if she ever would get out
again; and Ben was crying over split
milk, and Tommy was trying to ride
across the floor on a chair, making a
great humping and humping and elat-
ter, and the baby was screaming in his
cradle, and
That's all; it's quite enough, isn't it?
And that is just the way things were
when Uncle John looked in.
There's good crust, " said he; sand
I'll warrant the mother'll be glad to get
rid of you"
Mother smiled, and took up the baby,
and Dafy laughed and ran to put away
the knives she had been polishing, and
Ben began to wipe up his split milk in
a hurry, and Tommy got down from his
chair to hug Uncle Johns knees.
"Me too! !" he cried.
"Yes," said Uncle John. "Come.
DafydowndilIy, get the little chap
ready"
Take good care of him, Daffy," said
her mother.
And Daffy answered "Yes'm," with a
smile so sunny as to make the last naugh-
ty thought spread its black wings and
fly away don't know where-l only
hope it never came back.
1t wasn't far to the sugar orchard, not
more than half a mile, to cut across the
fields. When Tommy's fat little legs
got tired, as they very soon did, Uncle
John took him pick-back, and so they
all went merrily over the crusty snow
to the sugar-house.
1t was not really house, you must
know; only little camp put up of
poles and bark and boughs. Before it
there were three great iron kettles
swinging and swinging from pole, over
three bright swapping fires and a little
way off there was Uncle Johns man,
Calvin, dipping something into hogs
head from barrel on sled.
"He's been gathering sap" said I'm
Gle John, swinging Tommy off his back
where is the sugar? ?" asked Tommy
looking all around and up into the tops
of the maple trees.
Tommy is foolish little boy" sale
Daily. "He doesn't know any bette
than to think sugar-cakes grow on tree
like apples. l used to think so myself
Uncle John"
Uncle John laughed, and dipped
little of the thick, bubbling syrup GU
of the smallest one of the big kettles, t
cool. Then he filled three little birch
bark trays with snow, and brought GU
three cunning wooden ladies from some
where.
Here's one apiece" said he. mo,
help yonrselves-eat all you can, an
don't get into the fire.
1--WE might eat it all, " said Ben, gal
ing with little anxious smile at th
syrup, foaming almost to the top of tn
kettle.
But Uncle John laughed again, an
said he guessed there was plenty.
there wasn't, he said, he would me
some sugar for them.
They dipped, and ate, and chartered
and laughed, until the woods rang wit
the happy sounds, and the snow-birC
In the maple-boughs flew away in
flock.
But after while the little birch bal
trays were filled oftener with fresh snoV
and the little wooden ladies began
dip very lazily indeed into the big bla(
kettle.
II can't eat any more noaO," sight
Ben at last; "and it doesn't look as
we'd taken out one bit. Let's play hid
and-coop, Tommy. I'll blind"
But Just then Calvin came up with
barrel of sap; and he said one kettlef
of syrup was ready to sugar off.
Ben forgot all about binding, al
stood around to watch Calvin and Une
John lift the kettle off the fire, and 81
the syrup until it began to grow thi
and granny, like hasty-pudding, and
last dip it into the moulds and put
away to cool.
1t was when she and Ben were pic
ing the morsels of warm crumbly sug
off the sides of the kettle, that Da
jumped up and looked around.
"Why, where's Tommy?" she cried
Sure enough! There was Tomm
birch-bark tray, and Tommy's site
little ladle; but where in the wo
was Tommy's self?
All ID minute he had gone.
TOMMY Dafy called, her poor
tie lips a-tremble with fear. "Tom-me
But Tommy didn't answer.
Uncle John began to look sober
made trumpet of his hands and she
3D.
Thomas Hallor'
The call went ringing through
woods, searching all among the big