The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-17

been tapped during the last days of
February, and, as the farmer had met
with an accident. the month of March
saw Tom at work alone in the sugar
bush and having his hands fun.
On the night of the fifth he gave a
sugar off" party to half a dozen
young fellows and their girls. and, OF
course, Bessie heard of it, Tom heard
that she heard of it. and also that che
said she never could see any romance
in trailing about the wet woods and
eating maple wax off chip and so
he repeated the performance a week
later. This time she had no remarks
to make, and he felicitated himself
that he had made her feel real bad
Three or four days after his second
party Mrs. Taylor said to her daugh-
ter:
Bessie. I've got great yearning
for taste of new maple sugar, and II
it wasn't for my sore heel I'd go over
to Dixon's bush and ask Tom for
some"
"And what a goose you'd make of
yourself" snapped Bessie.
well, l dunno. There's worse fell
lers than Tom Dixon. I've never been
mad at him."
But you ought to be. You shouldn't
stand up for any one who has acted
as mean as ne has.
mo, mebbe not but perhaps you
were a little bit to blame. I'd like
some new maple sugar, as / was say
ing, and next to that I'd like two or
three leeks to eat with bread and but
ter. The leeks must just be coming
up in the woods now. and / can fairly
taste 'em. If father wasn't so busy
to-day, I'd have him go down in the
woods and look for some"
Bessie made no reply but an hour
later when the mother happened to
look out of the kitchen window and
saw her climbing the pasture fence
and making for the woods, she said
to herself:
Our woods and the Dixon's woods
Join and if leeks and maple sugar
don't get together, 1t won't be my
fault"
Bessie reached the home woods and
began to look for leeks. Here and
there one was beginning to sprout,
but she passed them by and went far
Their. BY and by she came to the line
fence dividing the farmers. The leeks
on the other side looked bigger, and,
after a long look between the rails.
she climbed over. Yes, the leeks were
bigger.
She had pulled three or four and
was still wandering along, when she
passed a bush-heap and rabbit ran
out with a great rustic. Naturally
she screamed. The rustic of the rab-
bit was followed by the boot of an
owl, and naturally the girl screamed
again. She heard the sound of foot
steps near at hand, and was about
to scream for the third time, when
she heard the words:
Miss Taylor, do not be afraid"
1t was Tom Dixon. with two pals
of sap suspended from the neck-yoke
of his shoulders. In her hunt for
leeks she had wandered into the Dix
on sugar bush.
"Oh Toni" she exclaimed, as she
turned to face him.
you mean the windmill man."
II do not--I meant mcan-well
you ought to have asked me to so to
spelling school with you
But you had better company"
80 did you"
Miss Taylor!"
Mr.. Dixon!"
1t was just growing dusk when Tom
and Bessie reached Taylor's. Tom
had a handful of leeks, and Bessie
had big maple chip, with big lump
Of sugar wax on 1t.
"Why, Tom, is this you!" exclaimed
Mrs. Taylor. as the pair walked in.
Yes, Aunt SAL" he replied, "and
here's the leeks and maple sugar and
Bessie, and--and-"
We'll, / never. never did see." she
remarked, as she turned from her
work of /peeling potatoes to give Tom
a bug and Bessie a kiss.