Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-03-21
THE SUGARlN' OFF.
You'd hardly ever think IT, sir,


That this big city now astir
with every living 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 day lights 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. III tple 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 n hangin' round,
And 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 thurrer thawin' out;
Twas then we asked the livin' wood
To give us something sweet and good!
The handsome trees they used 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 a singin' here,
Through all the blessed summer, would
Just gather up what sweets they could,
An then, II al'ays 'peered to me,
Present it to some maple tree
One star lit night it seems, you know,
About a year ar 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 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 style!
Since then these memory hallowed spots
Are fenced up into city lots;
The farm is raisin' spires an domes
Where once the naples had their homes /;
Big fcasts are given, rich an rare,
OF which, ! own, have my share;
But nothin' ever tasted quite
So good as on that star.lit night!
We sat aroun' the lie tpin' blaze
That sent Its glitter different ways,
An struck the trees, AN made 'em shine
Like we was in IL 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 Wen the sap was bOilin there
Til we could taste it in the air,
We woodland boys, with hearts awhirl,
Each took a cupfu to his girl,
An cuddled down with her an ate,
With Just the white snow for plate;
You see the 1rst-class candy shop
TIP yonder where them schoolgirls stop:
They've gathered sweetness there that
worth
As much as any now on earth;
But they've Z 1t nothin' that's in sight
OF what we ate that star.lit night
An up on Woodland avenue
\ young old lady, kind an true,
with han'some tresscs gray enough,
But still on earth, an "up to snuff"
VIII tell you, when we go that way,
Of she hasn't changed her mind to.day,)
That, though the years have brought he
nigh
All earthly goods that cash can buy,
She'd give 'em all for that one night
When, from the sap fires fallin' light,
We wandered home ward side by side,
An kindled flames that never died,
An felt confession's'sulden charm,
An slowly walkin', arm in arm,
With no one there TO laugh or scott,
Just had private sugarin'-Ofl,
will Carleton in Every Where.