The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-27
MERRY TIMES.
Two Little Girls Make Their Grandfather
Visit.

A letter had come from grandfather
In which he said that he had begun
making maple sugar and that he wanted
Katie and Ada to pay him visit and
| see how it was made.
sob! do take us mamma" begged
both of the children as soon as their
mother had finished reading the letter.
Il would like to- she said, but I'm
afraid your papa will object to drive
of thirty miles through the muddy
roads. You know in early spring the
mud is dreadful "We'll coax him."
said the little girls, ''and we'll begin
this very minute, for there he comes
now," and off they ran to meet him.
But at first, coaxing seemed to have no
effect Papa said: Wv never could reach
| your grandfat theirs at this season of the
year. We'd stick in the mud somewhere
on the way, and then we'd be in pref
| ty fix. Besides which there are several
other good reasons why should stay at
home just now"
| However, Katie and Ada did not give
up, but commenced coaxing with many
'dear papas' and good 'papas" until
finally dear good papa gave his con-
sent, for which he received the fondest
of kisses and warmest of thanks, and
then off went the youngsters to tell
mamma the joyful news. How long
that night seemed, and how long the
next day, and as for the night before
the morning they were to start, on
which they scarcely closed their eyes,
they thought it would never pass.
They kept jumping out of bed and
! looking from the window, in hopes
of seeing the dawn, and seeing the
big, round moon instead, for at least
two hours before daylight. But at last
the sun rose and they rose too, and,
dressing quickly, hurried downstairs to
breakfast. Breakfast over, they pre-
pared for their journey, and laughed
and chatted gayly as everything being
ready their father lifted them into the
stout, old-fashioned buggy in which
their mother was already seated, and
then climbed in himself. 1t was a
lovely morning-warm and bright and
balmy. The first mile or so is sandy
road and the horses trot smoothly
along, but then they strike clay and
is p1od, plod thenceforward, while the
birds fly around them with many cum
ming jerks of the head and pretty little
songs, seeming to ask: Don't you wish
you could fly as we do?"
Katie and Ada are as happy as the
birds until they come to wide river
lone of Michigan's largest) which must
be crossed, and find that the long bridge
has been swept away. What is to be
done? They can not bear to even think
of turning back and giving up all the
expected fun at the sugar bush.
At last Mr.. May said: I'VE will stop
and take dinner here, and rest the team
and then drive five miles up the river to
where there is another bridge and a
hotel where we can stay all night and
go on bright and fresh in the morning"
This plan was carried out, and on the
evening of the second day they reached
the comfortable farmhouse of the
old folks, where they were most
warmly welcomed. Clear and
bright and cool came the next
morning, with just snow enough for the
ox-sled to slip across the fields, and with
plenty of bread, milk and meat for
lunch, they all set out in the best of
spirits for the bush.
How grand the tall pines and hem
locks look, their dark green foliage COW
cred with frost, glittering in the first
rays of the rising sun. And how bare,
by contrast, the naples look as the oxen
slowly near the bush, which stands a
little higher than the surrounding coun-
try. In the center of the bush is a
shanty, which is made simply of posts
driven in the ground and supporting a
roof. Under this roof hang two large
kettles filled with boiling sap, for work
has already begun.
Our friends jump from the sled and
join the workers, gathering the sap
from the troughs and buckets, and fill.
ing with it the large trough that stands
by the shanty. Two or three times in
} their eagerness to help, Katie and Ada
} slipped and fell down. splitting the sar
they were carrying, but they scrambled
up again and went on as cheerily as
ever.
Tired at last, the little girls left the
busy scene and wandered through the
bush gathering bits of pretty moss from
the logs and old tree roots, and finding
few early flowers, jumping across
small streams and finally arriving at a
tiny lake formed by the water from the
late drifts, into which tree had fallen
Out on this tree, of course, they wall
Immediately, balancing themselves
carefully and shouting with de
light, when Ada makes mis-
step, and into the water she goes
katie's cries soon bring grand
mother and mamma, and she is pulled
out dripping wet from head to foot. Tt
the shanty she is marched. Katie fol
lowing with the moss and flowers. ant
there they stay until dry and warm
But still time passes quickly, for tn,
sap has just reached the stage in boiling
called wax, and cooling it from a pin,
stick is new and delightful expe
ricnce. Then comes lunch picnic fash
ion. and after, a hurrying to place pan,
! and tins Of all sizes in row on =. alanl