FOR days t on t smasrees s, black branches, and chunks of snow fell down.
ter from trees. t glitter; it looked soft and tired. Under trees it ted wtling.
tc grehe woodpile.
quot;Cant I go out to play, Ma?quot; Laura asked, and Ma said:
quot;May, Laura.”
quot;May I go out to play?quot; she asked.
quot;You may tomorro; Ma promised.
t nig tucking anot over her.
quot;Snuggle close to Mary,quot; Ma said, quot;and youll get warm.”
In tove, but t, trees t lay in mounds along top of tood up in great, op of te-posts.
Pa came in, s sno from s.
quot;Its a sugar sno; he said.
Laura put ongue quickly to a little bit of te sno lay in a fold of
on ongue, like any snoe it.
quot; a sugar snoo explain now. o Grandpas.
Grandpa lived far arees ogetood at tc and strong, c and pos made great tracks in t snocill of sighe woods.
It e before niged t.
quot;; to Ma, and t ts he door.
quot;If Id met a bear,quot; ;I couldnt dropping my load.quot; t;And if Id dropped t bucket and bundle, I o s ood and c hem and lick his chops.”
Ma un was full of dark brown syrup.
quot;; Pa said, and tle round package out of .
took off ttle, ifully crinkled edges.
quot;Bite it,quot; said Pa, and winkled.
Eac off one little crinkle, and it . It crumbled in t ter even tmas candy.
quot;Maple sugar,quot; said Pa.
Supper tle maple sugar cakes beside tes, heir bread.
After supper, Pa took t before told t Grandpas, and the sugar snow.
quot;All er, Pa said, Grandpa s and little trouge as give a bad taste to the maple syrup.
quot;to make troug out little sticks as long as my tick one stick, one end. t, and tled ill it part of tick ill it tle trough.
quot;en nes. o move in trees.
quot;t into t ree, and tle trougo t a cedar bucket on t end.
quot;tree. It comes up from, ts, o tip of eaco make the green leaves grow.
quot;ell, ree, it ran out of tree, dotle trougo t.”
quot;O it tree?quot; Laura asked.
quot;No more t s you ; said Pa.
quot;Every day Grandpa puts on s and and into tree to tree and empties ts into t to a big iron kettle, t imber betrees.
quot;ies t into ttle. ttle, and tc carefully. t be enougo keep t not enougo make it boil over.
quot;Every fees t be skimmed. Grandpa skims it s too , Grandpa lifts ladlefuls of back slotle and keeps it from boiling over. quot; enougs er t, il it grains w in a saucer.
quot;tant to t all out from beneattle. t as o t are standing ready. In turns to cakes of hard, brown maple sugar.”
quot;So ts ; Laura asked.
quot;Noquot;, Pa said. quot;Its called a sugar snoime of year means t men can make more sugar. You see, ttle cold spell and trees, and t makes a longer run of sap.
quot; means t Grandpa can make enougo last all takes o too trade for mucore sugar. only a little store sugar, to able when company comes.”
quot;Grandpa must be glad t; Laura said.
quot;Yes,quot; Pa said, quot;o sugar off again next Monday, and all come,”
Pas blue eyes t, and o Ma:
quot;herell be a dance!”
Ma smiled. Se. Oh, Charles! she said.
t on s on smiling. S;Ill wear my delaine.”
Mas delaine dress iful. It tle pattern all over it t looked like ripe stra, in t to thes.
t s to t touciful dark red buttons t buttoned t, and sly t in ttle criss-cross stitches.
It sant a dance o iful delaine dress. Laura and Mary ed. tions about til at last he said:
quot;Noo bed! Youll kno t. I o put a nering on my fiddle.”
ticky fingers and s mouto be ime Laura and Mary rundle bed, Pa and t time on the floor:
“Im Captain Jinks of ten go beyond my means, For Im Captain Jinks of tain in the army!”