THE SUGAR MOON 47 



'*Have you seen a little girl by the name of 

 Nani here?" he asked of the man who was 

 tending the sirup, so like in color to Nani's 

 eyes and hair. 



''There was a little gal here yesterday— a 

 dark, sulky child," replied the man. 



''That wasn't Nani, then," said Dick, "for 

 Nani was sunny and looked like pretty maple 

 sugar." 



He would have continued his search to the 

 big sugar-house still farther on, but vaguely 

 realized that he would never find Nani among 

 modern evaporators — ^no, he must look else- 

 where. And so he returned alone. 



The Sugar Moon was waning, and the dark- 

 ening sap loosing its sweetness and flavor, so 

 the holes were plugged with green wood, and 

 the maple grove given over to the buds and the 

 birds. 



It seemed very lonesome to Dick and Dotty 

 May as they trudged through it one day, bound 

 to find Nani if Nani were to be found. Leav- 

 ing familiar haunts, they wandered far 

 through the forest, and finally came to a wig- 



