THE SUGARING-OFF
ready. Then Ranald and Don slid the little kettle along the pole off the fire, and with tin dippers began to pour the hot syrup upon the snow plates, where it immediately hardened into taffy. Then the pulling began. What fun there was, what larks, what shrieks, what romping and tumbling, till all were heartily tired, both of the taffy and the fun.
Then followed the sugar-molding. The little kettle was set back on the fire and kept carefully stirred, while tin dishes of all sorts, shapes, and sizes—milk-pans, pattie-pans, mugs, and cups—well greased with pork rind, were set out in order, imbedded in snow. The last act of all was the making of "hens' nests."
A dozen or so of hens' eggs, blown empty, and three goose eggs for the grown-ups, were set in snow nests, and carefully filled from the little kettle. In a few minutes the nests were filled with sugar eggs, and the sugaring-off was over.
There remained still a goose egg provided against any mishap.
"Who wants the goose egg?" cried Don, holding it up.
"Me!" "me!" "me!" coaxed the girls on every side.
"Will you give it to me, Don, for the minister?" said Mrs. Murray.
"Oh, yes!" cried Maimie, "and let me fill it."
As she spoke, she seized the dipper, and ran for the kettle.
"Look out for that fire," cried Don, dropping the egg into its snowbed. He was too late. A little
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