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!”