The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-03-20
AGRICULTURAL.
The Sugarin'- 0ff,

You'd hardly ever think 1T, sir,
That this big city, now astlr
with every lively rattlin' thing
The nineteenth century thought to bring
with roofs ashuttn' out the sky,
An trolley wagons skippin' by,
An wires a-dodgn' here an thera,
For folks to whisper through the air.
An factories at the daylights CLEAN
A.blowin' loud their horns o. steam,
You'd hardly ever think, l say,
Areasonin round the usual way,
That here, instead O. things like these,
Was once grove o. maple trees,
An under yon electric lamp,
We used to run sugar camp?
Twas Just the coolest end o. spring,
Before the trees begun to sing,
With winter still a-hangin' round,
An maybe snow across the ground,
But still the sun upon its way,
Was climbin' higher every day,
An all the brooks appeared to know
The frost would have to let 'em go,
An Mother Nature seemed about
To take a thurrer thawin' OUT
Twas then we asked the livin' wood
To give us somethin' sweet an good
The handsome treesl they nsed to rise
Like they was huntin for the skies
All summer they would kind o. seem
To wake an sleep, an sleep an dream;
Their leaves was fresh as fields O. grass
For clouds to step on as they pass;
While In their language soft an low,
They seemed to whisper to an fro;
An every sweetest wind that blew,
An every drop o. heavens dew,
An every flower that blossomed near,
An every bird singn' here.
Through all the blessed summer. would
Just gather up what sweet they could,
An then, 1t al'ays 'peared to me,
Present it to some maple tree
One starlt night-it seems, you know,
About year or two ago,
But when you come to count it tquare,
It's fifty of 'em, declare
We gathered on my fati ers lands.
Bout where that market.wagon stands;
Us younger folks each other found
From wooded regions all around,
An then with genuine laugh an smile,
We sugared off in country stylel
Since then, these memory-halowed spots
Are fenced up into city lots;
The farm is raisin' spires an domes,
Where once the naples had their homes;
Big feasts are given, rich an rare
OF which, own, have my share
But nothin' ever tasted quite
So good, as on that starlit night
We sat aroun' the leapn' blaze
That sent its glitter different ways,
An struck the trees an made em shine
Like we was in a silver mine
We laughed an chatted matters DER,
AS no one ever had before;
Until the woods. the first we knew,
Began to laugh an holler too!
An whep the sap was bOilin' there
Till we could taste it in the air
We woodland hoys, with hearts awhirl,
Each took cupful to his girl,
An cuddled down with her, an ate,
With just he white snow for plate;
You see that first.class candy.shop
Up yonder where them school girls stop?
They've gathered sweetness there that's wor
AS much as any now on earth;
But they've got nothin' that's in sight
OF what we ate that starit night!
An up on Woodland Avenue,
A young.old lady kind an true,
With handsome tresses gray enough,
But still on earth, an " up to snuff"
Will tell you. when we go that way,
(If she hasn't changed her mind to-day,)
That, though the years have brought her nigl
All earthly goods that cash can buy,
She'd give 'em all for that one night
When, from the sap fires fadin light,
We wandered homeward side by side,
An kndled flames that never died,
An felt Confessions sudden charm.
An, slowly walkin' arm-in.arm,
With no one there to laugh or scott.
Just had a private sugarn'-off!
wa Carleton, in Everywhere for Mare