monday moing everybody got up early, in a o get started to grandpas. pa ed to be to s make good to eat for all to the dance.

  breakfast en and t. pa packed s box and put it in t ing at te.

  ty and t he robes.

  t on to grandpas.

  t, and trees seemed to be her side.

  after aree trunks, and tly pink. all ttle curve of snos and every little track in the snow had a shadow.

  pa sracks of tures in t tracks of cottontail rabbits, tiny tracks of field mice, and titcracks of snoracks, like dogs tracks, o the woods.

  t t last long.

  it did not seem long until to t grandpas o tood to to come in.

  s grandpa and uncle george  in t to into grandmas ook off their wraps.

  laura loved grandmas tle room t belonged to uncle george, and ts, aunt docia and aunt ruby. and tcove.

  it o run t one end all to grandmas bed, under t grandpa e, and t hers.

  t caken to t set table, but ate cold venison sandwic for supper grandma made y pudding.

  sood by tove, sifting to a kettle of boiling salted er. sirred ter all time ed in til ttle it on tove w would cook slowly.

  it smelled good. t and spicy smells from tc flames in t on table. thing was large and spacious and clean.

  at supper time pa and grandpa came from t grandpa  to fit around t to fit over t full of maple syrup.

  pa and grandpa ttle in teadied ts t tle on tove. pa and grand pa poured to ttle, and it it s. t of syrup, and everybody ate t y pudding h maple syrup for supper.

  uncle george tons, and h a swagger.

  laura looked at ime sing y pudding, because so ma t he was wild.

  george is couldnt be o be a drummer boy in teen years old.

  laura know w.

  outside t made a lovely, ringing sound, far a and trees stood still as tening. ttle bugle anshe big one.

  “listen,“ uncle george said, “isnt t pretty? “ laura looked at s say anytopped bloo the house.

  ma and grandma cleared a t docia and aunt ruby made tty it, their room.

  laura sat on tc t it carefully. ted it from to ted it

  across from ear to ear. ts.

  t tcore soap, not t, dark bro grandma made and kept in a big jar to use for common every day.

  time  ttle looking-glass t so smootraige part t it s. ttle puff on eacoo, and ted neatly under t in the back.

  tiful ockings, t t of fine cotton ttes, and ttoned up t ss. aunt docia pulled as rubys corset strings, and t docia o t of t ruby pulled on hers.

  “pull, ruby, pull!“ aunt docia said, breat;pull ; so aunt ruby braced and pulled docia kept measuring  last s;i guess ts t you can do.”

  s hey were married.”

  caroline was lauras ma, and w proud.

  t ruby and aunt docia put on tticoats and tticoats and tiff, starce petticoats ted lace all around t on tiful dresses.

  aunt docias dress , dark blue, . ttoned do tons laura ed to taste them.

  aunt rubys dress te in lig buttoned tons, and every button tle castle and a tree carved on it.

  aunt docias pretty ened in front . but aunt ruby pinned  couldnt be used as a needle any more.

  ts. ttle s rose up tig, under the wings of shining, sleek hair.

  ma iful, too, in tle leaves t looked like stratered over it. t rimmed s of dark green ribbon, and nestling at , as long and as fingers, and it laura o touch her.

  people o come. t tes, and to time.

  tall boots and s libby tle girl, ttier than baby carrie.

  “s, eit; laura said. “carries ttiest baby in t;no, s,“ ther laura said.

  “yes, s; “no, s“ ma came sailing over in ;laura!

  so neit made a loud, ringing sound in took of its box and began to play, and all tood in squares on to dance whe figures.

  “grand rig!“ pa called out, and all ts began to ss began to stamp. t round and round, all ts going one s going ting he air.

  “sners!“ pa called, and “eac boo t!

  tc sle bending and ma dancer in the fiddle was singing:

  o you coming out tonig you coming out tonig you coming out tonig you coming out tonigo dance by t of the moon?”

  ttle circles and t round and round, and ts ss stamped, and partners boed -and met and bowed again.

  in tcirring ttle. sirred in time to times grandma took a spoonful of syrup from ttle and poured it on some of the snow in a saucer.

  laura c;t; now. he called:

  “doe see, ladies, doe see doe, come down oe!

  laura could not keep still. uncle george looked at her and laughed.

  t tle dance cciful, too; a dark blue calico umn-colored leaves scattered over it. he wooden spoon was in her hand.

  “i cant leave t; she said.

  but pa began to play “traveler,“ and everybody began to clap in time to to teps by tily as any of t drohe music of pas fiddle.

  suddenly uncle george did a pigeon ossed o somebody. s ed. grandma was jigging.

  laura clapped ime to t s as ts.

  everybody ed. uncle george kept on) jiggling and grandma kept on facing oo. t stop. uncle george began to breat off winkled.

  “you cant beat ; somebody sed.

  uncle george jigged faster. as heir

  easing george. george did not care, but o laugh. he was jigging.

  pas blue eyes crings. laura jumped up and down and squealed and clapped her hands.

  grandma kept on jigging. on jigging, but s did not t first. grandmas on clickety-clacking gaily.

  a drop of s dripped off georges forehead and shone on his cheek.

  all at once ;im beat!“ opped jigging.

  everybody made a terrific noise, sing and yelling and stamping, -c a little minute more, topped. s like pas woo, and wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

  suddenly grandma stopped laugued and ran as fast as so tcopped playing. all talking at once and all teasing george, but everybody ill for or a minute, w.

  to tche big room, and said:

  “the syrup is waxing. come and help yourselves.”

  to talk and laugh again.

  to tces, and outdoors to fill tes che cold air came in.

  outdoors tars y in th was like smoke.

  ses. t back into tchen.

  grandma stood by ttle and syrup on eace of sno cooled into soft candy, and as fast as it cooled te it.

  t all ted, for maple sugar never anybody. ty of syrup in ttle, and plenty of snodoors. as soon as te one plateful, tes .

  en t maple candy until t no more of it, table loaded -rising bread, too, and cold pickles boiled pork, and pickles. “oo, e till to dance again. but grandma ctle. many times sook a little of it out into a saucer, and stirred it round and round. to ttle.

  the dancing.

  at last, as grandma stirred, t; saucer tued into little grains like sand, and grandma called:

  “quick, girls! its graining!

  aunt ruby and aunt docia and ma left t out pans, pans and little pans, and as fast as grandma filled t out more. t to cool into maple sugar.

  t;noty-pans for the children.”

  tty-pan, or at least a broken cup or a saucer, for every little girl and boy. tc t be enougo be unselfise.

  t enougo go round. t scrapings of ttle exactly filled t patty-pan. nobody out.

  t on and on. laura and tood around and c docty and t laura kneired of it.

  all tiful skirts ss stamping, and t on singing gaily.

  t of grandmas bed. it s on t. s docia and aunt ruby in their bed.

  soon everybody ting up. t, and t to the door.

  ossed to traucked in tood calling, “good-by! good-by!“ as to the big oods, going home.

  trotting s of muddy snoprints, and every footprint o the mud.

  “before nig; pa said, “ of the sugar snow.”