South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-11-23
The Young Pioneer.
BY CLINTON MONTAGUE.

full Of danger. You must keep q
sharp lookout tor our sakes as well AZ
your own, for what would little Mag
gle and / do if the savages should take
you away?
Mrs. Clavering stood in the door
of their little cottage, with her ak
year-old daughter Maggie beside her,
while Robbie, her son, u manly youth
Of seventeen, was balancing an axe
on his shoulder, preparatory to start
ing for the forest. where for week
now he hal been busy gathering and
boiling sap from the budding naples.
1t was in central New Hampshire,
during the lons-away days OF the
eighteenth century. Tne indian
wars were not yet over, and the scalp
ing-knife and torture-po,t were still
the nightly and daily dread of every
man, woman and child on the from
tier settlements, Mrs. Clavering an !
her family, who had followed the tide
OF emigration from the more thickly
settled seaboard, mad been in their
new quarters nearly two years undis-
turbed; but for the past month or
two there had been fearful rumors of
devastation on the border, aud evory
day the little settlement of Canterbu-
ry, far up on the smiling Merrimack,
expected the onset of the red war
rlors.
Don't fear for me, MOTHER an
swered Robbie, bravely. Il shall be
us safe in the woods as here. / have
my axe and rifle, and can take care
OF myself
well, goodbye. When you hear
the horn sound come home to dinner.
And if you think of it you may bring
me some of those hem.ock twigs for
a broom. | need Il new oue.'
All right, mother dear Look ou:
and don't let the Indians get YOU and
Maggie. And whis;ling cheerilv,
Robbie walked away to his lonely
tack in the forest.
All that forenoon the lad was busy
carrying and boiling the maple sap,
which was flowing freely in the warm
April morning. 1t was before tie
days o! tin buckets and zinc evapora.
tors, and the pioneers way of doing
business WAS rather primitive.
In the first place large number of
troughs were hewn from poplar
wood. These would last two seasons.
Holes were bored into the naples on
the south side about foot from the
ground, and spouts made Of sumach
inserted to conduct the sweet fluid in
to the troughs.
The sap was boiled i'll two large
kettles, .upported by wooden bar
placed horizontally across two crotch
ed sticks driven into the ground
Robbie had built a rude covering o.
yer the kettles, two sides of which
were protected from the weather by a
wall oil hemlcck limbs aud branches
akiliiulIy interlaceI.
The sap-season was a very pleasant
one to Robbie, the most pleasant in
fact Of the whole year The boy was
never happier than when the warm
days Of March approached and the first
notes OF the blue-bird betokeued the
coming Of sar.time. To gather the
sweet fluid, tend the fires, and make
candy OF Tie inspissated liquid upon
the white snow, were cheerful eX-
periences in his young life.
Daring the season we are speaking
of, sugar time was late. Robbie tap.
ped bis first tree the second day of
April but as if to atone for la.eness
the saccharine flowed with regular
| ity beyond all precedent. AS all
those who are the least couversant
with the ways Of sugar making know,
the season is distinguished by what
are called runs There will he We
ry cold, freezing time followed by two
or three warm days. Sometimes a
run will continue a week, but usual
" three or four days ia the limited
time, and then ensues storm, or a.
mother cold snap, after which the lib.
Grated sap will flow again.
The first run that Robbie had last.
ed nine days, and as he had nearly a
hundred trees tapped nc had busy
time enough OF IT, On several occas-
sions he bad boiled all night. lie
was obliged TO give Lis whole atteu-
ton to the business. This he could
conveniently DO, rs his mother was
well and strong enough 10 attend 10
their small stock.
The ninth day was the best of all.
How the sap did run noon was con-
siderably past when The boy had tine
troughs empt;ed and all the holders
we're iull. lie was startled at the
iateness Of the hour. Had the horn
sounded and he failed TO hear it? 1t
must be so, nc thought. Never be-
tore had its blast failed 20 warn him
IF the hour OF noon. Either he bad
not heard it, Or HE mothers neglect
foreboded something terrible.
lie grasped his gun and started to
go home at once, alarmed 10y the
thought that presented itself, but after
rpfpu a gnurlr 81 ~. - .o..o.o 4