“Oh, but that may spoil it!” cried Shaggy Bear.
“The sap is made sweeter by boiling,” said Father Thrift. But the bear did not see how that could be.
When the sap began to boil, Father Thrift told Shaggy to stir it, so that it would not burn.
Suddenly the bear began jumping about and crying: “Father Thrift, come here, come here!”
Father Thrift ran over to see what had happened.
Shaggy was all excitement.
“Look!” he cried. “Look in the kettle! We had much there. Now we have little. I told you the fire would spoil it!”
“No,” replied Father Thrift, smilingly, “the fire has not spoiled anything. When the sap boils, the water in it goes away in steam. And the longer it boils, the more the water goes away.
“This time we will not let it boil so very long, and then we shall have sirup. But the next kettle of sap we will boil longer and then we shall have maple sugar.”