Goldilocks liked maple sugar. One springtime she asked her father and her mother so many questions about how maple sugar is made, that Father Goldilocks finally said. "Let us take a vacation. Let us pack up and go to the sugar bush."

"What's a sugar bush?" asked Goldilocks.

"A sugar bush," explained Father Goldilocks, "isn't a sugar bush. We say sugar bush when we mean a forest of maple trees. The sap of sugar maples is sweet, and—"

"What is sap?" interrupted Goldilocks.

"The sap of a tree," replied Father Goldilocks, "is its juice. The tree sends its roots deep into the ground after water to make its leaves grow. After the cold winter is over and the frost is out of the ground, the roots work hard pumping water up into the tree to help it quickly put on a new dress of fluttering green leaves. Sugar maples tell their roots to bring sugar out of the earth; they wish their sap sweetened."

"But how do we get maple sugar?" persisted Goldilocks.

"We tap the sugar-maple trees," began Father Goldilocks.

"What is tap?" inquired Goldilocks.

"To tap a tree," her father went on, "is to make a little hole in the trunk. Out of that the sap will drip. Sugar makers drive sticks in these holes in the trees, and hang buckets on them. The buckets are soon filled with sap. The sap is then boiled until all the water is gone and only sugar is left. That's how we get maple sugar."

The very next day Goldilocks and her father and her mother drove to the forest and cleaned up a deserted little cabin where Father Goldilocks had made maple sugar when Goldilocks was a baby. Such a merry time they had, getting the little cabin ready to live in!

Late that afternoon the three took a long walk in the woods. Father Goldilocks carried a big, big bucket. Mother Goldilocks carried a middle-sized bucket, and the wee, wee Goldilocks carried a wee, wee bucket.

At last they reached a beautiful, sunbright clearing where stood three maple trees in a row: a big maple tree, a middle-sized maple tree, and a little maple tree.

"Oh, let us tap these trees and hang our buckets here!" begged Goldilocks.

She didn't know that that sunbright clearing was Little Bear's playground; neither did Mother Goldilocks know it, nor Father Goldilocks.

"This is a long way from our camp," objected Mother Goldilocks.

"But morning walks are lovely," added Goldilocks.

"So they are," agreed Father Goldilocks. "Suppose we tap these trees and come after our buckets of sap early in the morning when the birds are singing. This once we will make a long journey for the first sap of the season. Tomorrow we shall begin tapping the trees in our own camp, and soon you shall have maple sugar."

"We shall get up early, early," promised Goldilocks, "and come out here before breakfast"; and away she danced, happy as any forest bird.

Goldilocks and her father and her mother did get up early in the morning, but the Three Bears rose earlier still and went out to walk. They were very hungry, because of their spring appetites. When they reached the sunbright clearing and saw three buckets hanging from three maple trees, they were surprised and pleased.

"I'm thirsty," said Father Bear. "I shall take a drink of this cool-looking water." And he lifted the big, big bucket, that was dripping full of maple sap, and took a taste.

"I'm thirsty, too," said Mother Bear, "so I'll take a drink!" She lifted the middle-sized bucket, that was dripping full of maple sap, and tasted it.

"And I'm thirsty, too," added Little Bear, "so I'll take a drink of water!" Then he lifted the wee, wee bucket, dripping full of maple sap, and took a sip.

"Mine is sweet!" exclaimed Father Bear.

"Mine is sweet!" added Mother Bear.

"And mine is sweet!" cried Little Bear.

The Three Bears drank every drop of the maple sap, and then went on dancing and singing for joy.

And now came Goldilocks and her father and mother.

"Somebody's been drinking my sap!" shouted Father Goldilocks.