as so tired of winter, and the first
thing I saw was that wet look on the maples, and on the low land, where
they are sheltered and yet get the sun, several of them are oozing!"

"Grand!" cried Dannie. "Jimmy, we must peel those rats in a hurry, and
then clean the spiles, and see how mony new ones we will need.
To-morrow we must come frae the traps early and look up our troughs."

"Oh, for pity sake, don't pile up work enough to kill a horse," cried
Jimmy. "Ain't you ever happy unless you are workin'?"

"Yes," said Dannie. "Sometimes I find a book that suits me, and
sometimes the fish bite, and sometimes it's in the air."

"Git the condinser" said Jimmy. "And that reminds me, Mary, Dannie
smelled spring in the air to-day."

"Well, what if he did?" questioned Mary. "I can always smell it. A
little later, when the sap begins to run in all the trees, and the buds
swell, and the ice breaks up, and the wild geese go over, I always
scent spring; and when the catkins bloom, then it comes strong, and I
just love it. Spring is my happiest time. I have more news, too!"

"Don't spring so much at wance!" cried Jimmy, "you'll spoil my
appetite."

"I guess there's no danger," replied Mary.

"There is," said Jimmy. "At laste in the fore siction. 'Appe' is
Frinch, and manes atin'. 'Tite' is Irish, and manes drinkin'. Appetite
manes atin' and drinkin' togither. 'Tite' manes drinkin' without atin',
see?"

"I was just goin' to mintion it meself," said Mary, "it's where you
come in strong. There's no danger of anybody spoilin' your drinkin', if
they could interfere with your atin'. You guess, Dannie."

"The dominick hen is setting," ventured Dannie, and Mary's face showed
that he had blundered on the truth.

"She is," affirmed Mary, pouring the tea, "but it is real mane of you
to guess it, when I've so few new things to tell. She has been setting
two days, and she went over fifteen fresh eggs to-day. In just
twinty-one days I will have fiftane the cunningest little chickens you
ever saw, and there is more yet. I found the nest of the gray goose,
and there are three big eggs in it, all buried in feathers. She must
have stripped her breast almost bare to cover them. And I'm the
happiest I've been all winter. I hate the long, lonely, shut-in time. I
am going on a delightful spree. I shall help boil down sugar-water and
make maple syrup. I shall set hins, and geese, and turkeys. I shall
make soap, and clane house, and plant seed,