The Coolidge examiner., 1934-03-16

America. After telling how the boy comes run.
ming to the house with hls excited announce
ment Of ~Sap's runnln'"' be continues:
And then. indeed the stir and excitement be
kin. The sap~buckets, wEich have been stored
In the garrett over the wood house. and which
the boy has occasionally climbed Up 10 look ht
with another boy. Tor they are full of sweet sug
ges;ons ~ the annual spring froilc. are brought
down and So out on the south side of the house
and scaided The II stu foot or two deep
tn the woods and the or sled is got out 10 make
n road 70 the sugar camp and the campaign be
gins The boy IL everywhere present superlnteud
Ing everything. asking questions. and allied with
desire 20 help the excitement
In the first place the men go about aud tap
the trees drive Ia the spouts. and hang the
buckets under. The boy watches all these op
erations with the greatest Interest lie wishes
that sometime when a hole Is bored IN a tree
that the sap would spout out IN a stream as Il
does when a elder barrel = tapped but IL never
does II only drops. sometimes almost Ia
stream. but 90 the whole slowly. aud the boy
learns that the sweet things o, life have TO be
patiently waited for and do not usually come
otherwise than drop by drop
Then the camp Is 20 be cleared ot SNOW
The shanty 10 recovered with boughs In front
OF IL two enormous logs are rolled nearly to-
gether. and a Gre II 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 20 receive the
sap that .s gathered. And now. II there Is
good sap run the establishment Is under full
way.
The great ERE that is kindled up is never let
out. night or day. long as the season lasts
Somebody Is always cutting wood 10 feed IL ;
somebody Is busy most OF the time gathering n
the sap somebody is required 10 watch the ket
ties that they do not boil over. and 10 fll them
IL is not the boy, however; he is too busy with
things in general 20 be OF any use In details
He likes 10 boil eggs with the hired man In
the hot sap; he likes TO roast potatoes In the
ashes. and he would live n the camp day and
night II he were permitted. The great oc-
casions for the boy. though. are the time OF
'sugaring OF. Sometimes this used TO be done
In the evening and II was made the excuse for
frolIc In the camp. The nelghbors were In
vited sometimes even the pretty girls from the
village who filed all the woods with their sweet
voices and merry laughter. -.
AT these sugar parties everyone was expected
10 eat as much sugar as possible: and those
who are practiced In Il eat a great deal II
is peculiarity about eating warm maple sugar
that though you may eat so much OF II one day
as 10 be sick and loathe the thought OF IT, you
will want II the next day more than ever At
the 'sugarlng of they used to pour the hot
sugar upon the snow. where II ccngealed. with
out crystallizng. into sort OF wax which do
suppose Is the most dellclocs substance that was
ever invented. And 1t takes great while TO eat
H. II one should close his teeth firmls on a ball
OF 1t. he would be unable to open his mouth un-
III Il dissolyes. The sensation while II is melting
is very pleasant but one cannot converse.
"The boy used to make a big lump Of IT and
give Il TO the dog, who seized II with great
ayidity. and closed his jaws on 1t. as dogs viii
do on anything. 1t was funny the next moment
10 see the expression OF perfect surprise 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 a 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 II he could have
howled But that was the one thing he could
not do"
eby Western Newspaper Union