windows--not only the darkeys of the Rogers household, but many from
neighboring domains as well--heads bobbing, eyes rolling, teeth
glistening, as their feet beat time on the frozen ground. Sometimes a
dusky swain caught some dusky maid around the waist and swung her
merrily; and all promised themselves "jes' sech a dance in the big
cabin, nex' Sat'day night, with Marse Bushrod Hinkson's Jake fur
fiddler."

CHAPTER VII.

THE "HOUSE-RAISIN'"

Soon after coming to the neighborhood, Abner Dudley, heeding the advice
of Mason Rogers, had gone to see the tract of land lying on Hinkson's
Creek. 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 had
purchased of Simon Lucky his "head right" to four hundred acres, for
four hundred and fifty dollars. He had enough money for the first
payment, and Mason Rogers became security for the rest of the purchase
price. After making a rough survey of the land, and recording the
transfer in the land office at the county-seat, Dudley, with his ax,
notched the corner trees of his purchase, and thus took formal
possession.

"Well, Abner," said Rogers the evening after he and young Dudley had
returned from Bourbonton, whither they had gone to record the deed of
transfer, "you've got four hundred acres uv ez good land ez thar is in
Bourbon County, or in Kaintucky, fur thet matteh, an' now you kin push
yer way right on, an' in a few years you'll be inderpendent rich. Ef I
wuz you, I'd buy up a lot o' hogs, an' turn 'em loose in the woods, ez
soon's you git yer place fenced in. They'll be no expense fer ther
keep; they'll fatten on the mast undah the trees, an' be an advantidge
ev'ry way. Henry'll holp you Sat'days to cl'ar off breshwood an' cut
down trees, so's to let in the sun to dry yer ground in time fer yer
spring plowin'. I'll spar' you Rube an' Tom this wintah sometimes, when
thar ain't much a-doin' at home, an' you kin hev the ox team, too, to
haul off the bresh. You'd bettah begin nex' Sat'day to girdle 'bout a
dozen o' them big oaks ovah thar on yer west slope--it'll mek splendid
cawn-ground."

Spring in this favored locality was neither coy nor capricious, but
came on with a steady step and an assured air, as though confident of
her welcome. By the middle of February the icy fetters of winter's
binding were loosened from creek and pond. Then came the fierce winds
of March to melt the snow and to dry