News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-03-12
THE SUGARIN'- OFF.
You'd hardly ever think it, sir,

| You'd hardly ever think it, sir,
| That this big city now astir,
! With every lively rattlin' thing
| The Nineteenth Century thought to bring
| With roofs a-shuttIn out the sky,
An trolley wagons skippin' by,
An wires a-dodgin' here an there
| For folks to whisper through the air,
An factories at the daylight's CLEAN
| ALLOWING loud their horns o steam,
You'd hardly ever think say,
A-reasonin' 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 a sugar-camp?
Twas just the coolest end o. spring,
Before the trees begun to sing,
With winter still hangin' round,
And maybe snow across the ground,
But still the SIM upon it's way,
Was elm bin higher every day,
An all the brooks appeared to know
The FROST would have to let em go,
An Mother Nature act med about
To take . thurrer thawIn' out;
Twas then we asked the Twin wood
TO give us something sweet and good
The ban'some trees they use 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 sngin here,
Through all the bessed summer, would
Just gather up what sweets they could,
An then, it alaSs 'peered to me,
Present it to some apple tree!
One star.it night it seems, you know,
About year or two ago,
But when you come to count it square,,
It's fifty of 'em, | declare
We gathered on my fathers lands,
Bout where that m arxet. wagon stands:
Us younger folks each other found
From wooded regions all around,
An then with genuine laugh 'au smile,
We sugared off in country sUyle
Since then, these memory-halIowed 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,
If which, | own, have my share;
But nothin' ever tasted quite
So good, as on that star-lIt night
We sat aroun the leapin' blaze
That sent it's glitter diff rent ways,
An struck the trees, an made 'em shine
Like we was in 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 tool
An when the sap WAS hoilin' there
Till we could taste it in the air,
We woodland b Iys. with hearts awhirl
Each took a cup-ull to his girl,
An cuddled down with her. an ate,
With Just the white snow for plate;
You see the first-clasS candy.shOp
Up wonder where them schoolgirls stop?
They've gathered sweetness there that 8 wor
AS much as any now on elrth
But they've got nothin' tina ts in sight
OF what we ate that star-lit night!
An up on Woodland avenue,
young old lady, kind an true,
With han 'some 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 today
That, though the years have brought her nis
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 kindled fl tmes that never died,
An felt Confessions sudden charm,
An slowly walkin' '~m-in arm,
W tn no one there to lugh or scoff,
Just had a private ugarin' off!
viii Carleton in Every Where for March.