"Oh, we"ve made it enough times to know," David replied. "Some folks stick a thermometer into it and figger how hot it will have to be; they say that"s the best way. Others try the syrup in cold water or on snow like you would candy. Generally speaking, I can tell by the feel of it, and by the way it drips from the spoon. Sometimes, though, when I"m in doubt I try it on snow myself. If it gets kinder soft and waxy you can be sure it is getting done. If I was you instead of tracking round emptying buckets I"d go in the sugar-house and see "em boiling the syrup. They started yesterday, and as I calculate it the mess ought to be pretty well along by now."
"Bully idea, David! What do you say, Van?" asked Bob. "Shall we trail David or shall we go in and see the sugar made?"
"Sugar! Sugar! Me for the sugar!" Van cried.
"Sugar it is then!"
Into the sugar-house they went.
The small room was hot and steamy, and in the middle of it in a zinc-lined tank the foaming sap was boiling furiously. Beside it stood McMasters, Mr. Carlton"s foreman, a thermometer in his hand.
"Good-morning, Mr. Bob," he said. "So you are coming to cast an eye on the maple-sugar! Last week we made syrup and bottled it. Not a bad day"s work, eh?"
With no little pride he pointed to a row of neat bottles symmetrically arranged on a shelf. "We"ll seal them to-morrow or next day and get the labels on, and then they will be ready to sell.
But to-day it"s sugar, so we have to keep the sap at a higher temperature."
As he spoke he paused to test the bubbling liquid in the kettle.
"If you lads want a treat take one of those wooden plates over there and fill it with snow; I"ll spoon some of this hot sap over it, and you will have a feast for a king."
The boys needed no urging. They took the plates, hurried out, and soon returned with them; over the heap of snow the foreman poured several heaping spoonfuls of hot syrup which, to their surprise, cooled in an incredibly short time and stiffened into a sticky ma.s.s that looked like candy.
"Now get one of those wooden skewers from the shelf and use it as a fork," McMasters said.
The boys caught the idea at once.
They gathered the candied syrup up on the end of the sticks and thrust it into their mouths.
"Why, it is just like toffy!" Van exclaimed.
"It is a sight fresher than anything you could buy at the store,"
observed the foreman.
"I believe I"ve got to have some more, Mac," Bob said. "Somehow it melts away before you know you"re eating it."
He refilled his plate with fresh snow and held it out for a second helping of syrup.
McMasters filled it good-naturedly.
But when the plates were extended the fourth and fifth time the Scotchman demurred.
"It is no stuff to make a meal of, Mr. Bob," protested he. "And at ten o"clock in the morning, too. I"ll give you no more. It is too sweet. Next you know the two of you will be spending your vacation in bed and wondering what"s the matter with you. Why, we"d have no sugar at all if you should stay here eating at this rate. If it"s candy you"re wantin", ask the cook to boil some maple-syrup until it is thick like mola.s.ses candy; then turn it out of the pan and when it is almost cool pull it until it turns white. You"ll find it better than any candy you can buy. Try it."
"We certainly will, Mac, and thanks for the suggestion," Bob replied.
"And while you"re at it you might hunt up some b.u.t.ternuts and stir them in; I"ll recommend the result and will wager you"ll think it as good as anything you ever ate."
Once more he took the temperature of the steaming sap.
"We"re going to put some of the sugar in those tin pails and sell it," he continued. "Each pail holds ten pounds. And some we shall pour into those small tin moulds and make little scalloped cakes for our own use. I reckon you can have some of them to take back to college when you go. We"ll certainly have a plenty to spare you some, for your father will make a handsome thing out of his sugar this year. I wouldn"t wonder but you"re being educated on maple-sugar money. You better make your bow of thanks to the trees as you go through the orchard," he added whimsically.
CHAPTER IV
THE REFINERY
Vacation with its country sports came to an end only too quickly, and leaving the New Hampshire hills behind the Carlton family, together with Van Blake, set out for New York where the boys were to make a weekend visit before returning to Colversham.
"I wish while we"re in New York we could go through your refinery, Dad," Bob remarked to his father.
Mr. Carlton glanced at him in surprise.
"What set you thinking of that, Bob?" he asked. "You never were interested in sugar making before."
"I know it, Father." Bob flushed guiltily. "I ought to have been.
But since we have seen maple-sugar made Van and I thought it would be fun to see the process that white sugar has to go through before it is ready for the market."
"Van thought so, did he?" queried Mr. Carlton.
"Why, yes, he thought so. I believe, though, it was I who suggested it."
"Humph!" murmured Mr. Carlton. He mused a moment. "I suppose it would do no harm," he said at last, half to himself.
"Harm!"
"No, no! Of course not," interrupted Mr. Carlton hurriedly. "The process is an open secret anyway, except perhaps--Oh, I guess it would be all right."
Bob regarded his father with a puzzled stare.
"I will arrange for you and Van to go through the works right away,"
continued Mr. Carlton. "It simply will be necessary for me to telephone the superintendent and tell him you are coming so he will have some one on hand to explain things to you. This was your scheme, you say?"
"Yes, sir. Why?"
"Nothing, nothing," was Mr. Carlton"s enigmatic reply.
He was as good as his word, for despite his peculiar reluctance in the matter he lost no time in perfecting the plan, and the next morning after the party reached New York he informed the boys that the motor-car would be at the door at nine o"clock to take them to the refinery.
Bob and Van, to whom New York was more or less of an old story, hailed this announcement with pleasure and promptly stowed themselves away in the big limousine which was to whirl them to Long Island where the works were located. All the way out Van was singularly silent, and appeared to be turning something over in his mind; once he started to speak, but checked himself abruptly.
Bob watched him uneasily.
"I believe you"ve lost your enthusiasm about sugar," said he at last, "and did not really want to come."
"What a notion! Of course I wanted to come."