The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-03-16

does when cider barrel is tapped; but it never
does, it only drops, sometimes almost in
stream, but on the whole slowly, and the boy
learns that the sweet things of life have to be
patiently waited for, and do not usually come
otherwise than drop by drop.
'"Then the camp is to be cleared of snow.
The shanty is recovered with boughs In front
of it two enormous logs rolled nearly to-
gether, and fire is built between them. Forked
sticks are set at each end, and long pole is
laid them, and on this are hung the great
caldron kettles. The huge hogsheads are turned
right side up, and cleaned out to receive the
sap that is gathered. And now If there is a
good sap rum, the establishment is under full
way.
1.-The great fire that is kinaled up is never let
out night or day, as long as the season lasts.
Somebody is always cutting wood to feed it I;
somebody is busy most of the time gathering in
the sap somebody is required to watch the ket-
ties that they do not boil over, and to fill them.
1t is not the boy, however; he is too busy with
things in general to be of any use in details.
He has his own little sap-yoke and small pals,
with which he gathers the sweet liquid. He has
little boiling place of his own, with small logs
and tiny kettle. In the great kettles the boil
ing goes slowly and the liquid, it thick
ems, is dipped from one to another, until in the
end kettle it is reduced to strip, and is taken
sugar off, To sugar Off is to boil the strip until
it is thick enough to crystalline into sugar. This
is the grand event. and it is only done once in
two or three days.
"But the boys desire is to sugar Off per-
petually. He boils his kettle down as rapidly as
possible; he is not particular about chips, scum
or ashes; he is apt to burn his sugar; but II
he get enough to make a little wax on the
snow or to scrape from the bottom Of the ket-
z 10 xyith tic pn bo &c haD A
deal is wasted on his hands and on the outside
of his face and on his clothes, but he does not
care; he is not stingy.
ITO watch the operations of the big fires
gives him constant pleasure. Sometimes he is
left to watch the boiling kettles with piece of
pork tied on the end of the stick which he dips
into the boiling mass when it threatens to go
over He is constantly tasting Of it. however, to
see If it is not almost sirup He has long
round stick, whitfield smooth at end, which
he uses for this purpose, at the constant risk Of
burning his tongue. The smoke blows In his
face; he is grimy with ashes; he is altogether
such a mass of dirt, sickness and sweetness
that his own mother wouldn't know him.
HE likes to boil eggs with the hired man In
the hot sap he likes to roast potatoes in the
ashes and he would live in the camp day and
night II he were permitted. The great oc-
casions for the boy, though are the time of
'sugaring off, Sometimes this used to be done
in the evening, and 1t was made the excuse for
q frolic in the camp. The neghbors were in
vited; sometimes the pretty girls from the
village, who filed all the woods with their sweet
voices and merry laughter and little affectations
of fright.
"At these sugar parties everyone was expected
to eat as much sugar possible; and those
who are practiced In it can eat a great deal. It
is a popularity about eating warm maple sugar
that though you may eat so much of 1t one day
as to be sick and loathe the thought Of it, you
the .sugarng Off they used to pour the hot
sugar upon the snow, where it CONCEALED, with
out crystallizng, into sort of wax, which do
suppose is the most delicious substance that was
ever Invented. And 1t takes great while to eat
It. If one should close his teeth firmly on ball
of it. he would be unable to open his mouth I'M
til IL dissolves The sensation while 1t is melting
Is very pleasant but one cannot converse.
"The boy used to make big lump Of it and
give it to the dog, who seized it with great
avidfty. and closed his jaws on it, as dogs will
do on anything. 1t funny the next moment
to see the expression of perfect surprise on the
dogs face when he found that he could not open
his jaws. He shook his head; he sat down in
despair; he ran round In circle; he dashed
into the woods and back again. He did every
thing except climb tree and howl. II would
have been such relief to him If he could have
howledl But that was the one thing he could
not do"
cby Western Newspaper Union