We Had
No Sugar-Kettle, But A Neighbour Promised To Lend Us His, And To
Give Us Twenty-Eight Troughs, On Condition That We Gave Him Half
The Sugar We Made.
These terms were rather hard, but Jenny was so
anxious to fulfil the darling object that we consented.
Little Sol.
and the old woman made some fifty troughs more, the trees were duly
tapped, a shanty in the bush was erected of small logs and brush and
covered in at the top with straw; and the old woman and Solomon, the
hired boy, commenced operations.
The very first day, a terrible accident happened to us; a large log
fell upon the sugar-kettle - the borrowed sugar-kettle - and cracked
it, spilling all the sap, and rendering the vessel, which had cost
four dollars, useless. We were all in dismay. Just at that time
Old Wittals happened to pass, on his way to Peterborough. He very
good-naturedly offered to get the kettle repaired for us; which,
he said, could be easily done by a rivet and an iron hoop. But
where was the money to come from? I thought awhile. Katie had a
magnificent coral and bells, the gift of her godfather; I asked the
dear child if she would give it to buy another kettle for Mr. T - -.
She said, "I would give ten times as much to help mamma."
I wrote a little note to Emilia, who was still at her father's;
and Mr. W - -, the storekeeper, sent us a fine sugar-kettle back
by Wittals, and also the other mended, in exchange for the useless
piece of finery.
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