CHAPTER VII.
THE "HOUSE-RAISIN'"
Soon after coming to the neighborhood, Abner Dudley, heeding the adviceof Mason Rogers, had gone to see the tract of land lying on Hinkson'sCreek. He found it to be all that Rogers had said of it--a rich,well-watered, well-timbered body of land. Early in November he hadpurchased of Simon Lucky his "head right" to four hundred acres, forfour hundred and fifty dollars. He had enough money for the firstpayment, and Mason Rogers became security for the rest of the purchaseprice. After making a rough survey of the land, and recording thetransfer in the land office at the county-seat, Dudley, with his ax,notched the corner trees of his purchase, and thus took formalpossession.
"Well, Abner," said Rogers the evening after he and young Dudley hadreturned from Bourbonton, whither they had gone to record the deed oftransfer, "you've got four hundred acres uv ez good land ez thar is inBourbon County, or in Kaintucky, fur thet matteh, an' now you kin pushyer way right on, an' in a few years you'll be inderpendent rich. Ef Iwuz you, I'd buy up a lot o' hogs, an' turn 'em loose in the woods, ezsoon's you git yer place fenced in. They'll be no expense fer therkeep; they'll fatten on the mast undah the trees, an' be an advantidgeev'ry way. Henry'll holp you Sat'days to cl'ar off breshwood an' cutdown trees, so's to let in the sun to dry yer ground in time fer yerspring plowin'. I'll spar' you Rube an' Tom this wintah sometimes, whenthar ain't much a-doin' at home, an' you kin hev the ox team, too, tohaul off the bresh. You'd bettah begin nex' Sat'day to girdle 'bout adozen o' them big oaks ovah thar on yer west slope--it'll mek splendidcawn-ground."
Spring in this favored locality was neither coy nor capricious, butcame on with a steady step and an assured air, as though confident ofher welcome. By the middle of February the icy fetters of winter'sbinding were loosened from creek and pond. Then came the fierce windsof March to melt the snow and to dry the earth; and presently woods andfields were springing into new beauty under the gentle touch of Aprilshower and sunshine.
The school term ended in March. The same need which called Abner andthe larger boys to the fields, provided tasks in garden, poultry-yard,loom-room and springhouse for the girls.
"Books is all very well fer wintah times," said Mrs. Rogers to Susanone afternoon as she sat on the back door-step, marking a basket ofeggs to set. "But now thet warm weathah's tekin' holt in arnest, thar'smore important things ter think 'bout. Thar's all thet soap grease tomek up soon's I kin git the leach bar'l sot up--'sides hens to set,gairden to plant, the turkey hens to watch so's they don't steal thernests; an' Brindle an' Crooked Horn an' Spot all comin' in fresh nex'week, an' ther new calves to look aftah, 'sides all thet buttah an'milk an' cheese. The days hain't nigh long 'nough fer all the wuckthet's to be did. Heah, these aiggs is marked. Put 'em undah them fivehens whut's been a-cluckin' an' takin' on fer a week or more. Eph madethe nests fer you this mawnin'--a whole row o' 'em back o' theloom-room in a fresh place, so's the chiggers won't pester the hens.Hev you boys picked thet basket o' chips?" Mrs. Rogers then asked ofTommy and Buddy, who at this moment came around the corner of thehouse, prancing and dancing, each astride a stick horse. "Whut! Youhain't? Drap them sticks this minit, or I'll w'ar 'em out on yer backs!Cl'ar out to thet woodpile, fast ez yer laigs'll carry you. Ef youdon't look sharp, nary a step do you go to the sugah-camp ter-morrow,an' nary a mouthful o' thet maple sugah shell you hev."
It was an unwritten law of the community that whenever a farm wasopened up, a house should be immediately built upon it. In fact, a manwas not considered to have positive possession of his land until ahouse of some description was erected thereon. So, although Dudley wasto continue to live with the Rogerses at least for the spring andsummer, as soon as the first plowing was done and the corn planted, heproceeded to build his house, the logs for which had already been cut;for Mason Rogers, in common with the other old settlers, held to thesuperstition that if the timber for a house was cut in the full moon ofFebruary, the future inmates of the house would never be molested bybedbugs--"An'," Mrs. Rogers had added when her husband was recommendingthis course to Dudley, "ef you gether pennyrile when it's in blossom,an' dry it, an' keep sprigs o' it b'tween yer bed-ticks, an' 'long thecracks o' the walls, you won't be pestered with fleas, nuther."
It was another unwritten law of these early times that every ablebodiedman should assist in a "house-raisin'." Therefore, one clear Aprilmorning about forty men and boys assembled with axes, mauls, and otherrude tools, near the site of the proposed cabin. This site was a gentlysloping, wooded prominence near the center of the farm. A prettylocality it was. Through the trees at the back there was a glimpse ofHinkson Creek, and across the newly plowed fields to the right and leftcould be seen the shadowy blue of some distant, low-lying hills. Infront, several walnut, oak and elm trees had been left standing topreserve the wild beauty of the place.
The first day was spent in preparing materials and laying thefoundation logs. The men laughed and jested and shouted merrily as theyworked; and by noon the timbers were prepared, and the rock hauled forthe two mammoth chimneys. Well it was that the hardest part of the workwas already done, for some of the party, not content with the efficacyof hard cider, had brought whisky, and at the noon repast many of themen imbibed so freely that they were incapacitated for active service,and spent the afternoon lounging on log heaps, dozing off the effectsof their potations or singing maudlin songs and making still moremaudlin jests. However, the whisky of those days was pure, and thoughit did inebriate, its after effects were not so injurious, nor did itrender its votaries so quarrelsome as does our so-called "pure Bourbon"of to-day. By the next morning even the most intoxicated had slept offthe effects of their indulgence, and all reassembled at sunrise for the"raisin'." Four "corner men" were chosen, whose business it was tonotch and place the logs handed them by the rest of the men, as needed.Meanwhile, boards for window and door frames were placed in readiness,so that by the time the walls were a few rounds high, the sleepers werelaid and the chimneys being built.
The cabin was considered unusually commodious and elegant for a younghouseholder. It was built of white oak logs and was forty feet long byeighteen wide. Moreover, it was a "double house;" that is, the twolarge rooms were separated by a passageway. The puncheon flooring wasplaned into delightful smoothness, and the mantels were of beautifullygrained walnut, prepared by Abner during winter evenings.
The house was to "set with the sun;" and on the second day, by the timethe sun's rays shone squarely across the newly laid threshold, wallswere raised, rafters laid, and door and window frames adjusted. Thenoon recess was a merry time. Lunches were eaten with greater relish,and cider and whisky circulated even more freely than on the previousday. Nevertheless, by four o'clock the work was completed, and the lasthelper had departed homeward.
The cabin was, of course, not yet fit for occupancy; the walls were notchinked, nor the hearthstone laid. Doors were still unhung and windowsunglazed; but as Abner stood alone that evening in his doorway, leaningon his ax and looking across his rich lands, his heart swelled with afeeling of proud proprietorship. He pictured how inviting thiswilderness home would look when its interior walls should shine with aplentiful coat of whitewash, and when hop vines and morning-gloriesshould cover the rough exterior, and convert doorways and window framesinto bowers of beauty.
"In a few years," he mused, "if I am as prosperous as I see reason tohope, this log cabin will be replaced by a mansion as commodious as anyin Bourbon County. Flowers will bloom in my trim gardens; and my broadfields will whiten with a wealth of grain. A home that shall be a fitsetting for the jewel of my love shall make her forget her formerluxurious life in Virginia, as well as the toils and privations of thefirst days with me; and our children shall take their places with thehighest in the land."
From that October day when Abby Patterson had raised her veil in theold church and revealed the features of the beautiful girl who hadentranced his boyish fancy at the Assembly ball four years before, aveil seemed lifted from his own vision. Love
had dawned, and in itslight life was invested with a deeper and more beautiful significance."What if she is a few years older than I?" he would ask himself. "Isshe not above me in everything else as well? So that, if she accepts mylove, it will be through no worthiness of mine."