Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-03-20
TOE SUGARIN-OFF.

with every lively rattlin' thing
The Nineteenth Century thought to bring,
With roofs a-shuttin' out the sky,
An trolley wagons skippn' by,
An wires a-dodgin' here an there
For folks to whisper through the air.
An factories at the daylght'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 a 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 stlll a hangin' round
And maybe snow across the ground.
But still the sun upon its way.
Was climbn' 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 thurrer thawin' OUT
Twas then we asked the Twin wood
To give us something sweet and good,
The handsome trees, they used to rise
Like they was nuntln' for the skies!
Al summer they would kind o seem
To wake an sleep, an sleep an dream
ihcir leaves was fresh as fields o grass
For clouds to step on as they pass;
While in their language soft an low,
'Nhcy seemed to whisper to an fro,
An every sweetest wind that blew,
An every drop o heavens dew,
An every flower that blossomed near,
Nn' every bird a singn' here,
I Through all the blessed summer would
Just gather up what sweets they could,
IN then, it alays 'pcered to me,
Present it to some apple tree
one star-lit night it seems. you know,
about year or two ago.
l'ut when you come to count it square.
rs fifty of EN-. | declare
We gathered on my fathers lands.
Bout where that market wagon stands;
l younger folks each other found
From wooded regions all around,
An then with genuine laugh an smile,
/ We sugared off in country style!
( since then, these memory hallowed spots
| Arc fenced up into city lots;
The farm is raisin' spires an domos.
Where once the naples had their homes
/ Rig 'casts are given, rich an rare,
/ OF which, own, | have my share;
/ Eut lothiu' ever tasted quite
/ 50 good as on that star-lit night,
! We sat aroun' the leapin' blaze
! That sent it's glitter different ways.
D
/ Like we was in a silver mine;
We laughed an chatted matters Ger,
/ AS No one ever had before;
/ init, the woods, the first we knew,
/ Began to laugh an hollcr too,
| An when the sap was boilin' there
! Till We could taste It IN the air,
| We woodland boys. with hearts awhirl,
zach took a cupful to his girl,
/ An cuddled down with her, an ate,
| with just the white snow for plate;
| You see the irst-cass candy shop
Up Wonder whore them schoolgirl stop
/ They've gathered sweetness there that,
worth
! AS much as any now on earth:
! But they We got nothin' that's in sight
/ OF " nat We ate that star-lit night,
! An mp on Woodland avenue.
! A Young old lady, kind an true.
| WITH handsome tresses gray enough,
| But still on ear,h. an up to snuff"
| VIII tell you when We go that way,
/ or she hasn't changed her mird today
That though the years have brought he
nigh
All earthly goods that cash can buy,
She give EN- all for that one night
| When from the sap fires fadin light,
We wandered homeward side by side,
An kindled flames that never died.
/ An felt Confessions sudden charfn,
An slowly walkin' arm in arm.
! with no ono there to laugh or scott,
jus had private sugarn'-offl
Will Carleton in Every Where.