porch five by
five--705 square feet of inside floor space and 130 square feet of
porch.

"A dozen pine trees stand on the lot, and maneuvering was required
to set a cottage among them without the crime of cutting one. The
front received the salutes of a leaning oak, the life of which was
saved by the sacrifice of six inches from the porch eaves, the trunk
forming a newel post for the step railing.

"We closed the contract immediately for 120 Norway or red pine logs,
thirty feet long and eight by ten inches diameter at butts. The
price was low--one or two dollars their like should have brought. We
used, however, only eighty-one logs; forty thirty-foot, fourteen
eighteen-foot, thirteen sixteen-foot, and fourteen fourteen-foot.

"Work was begun on April 22. Two days sufficed for the owner and one
man to clear and level the ground, dig post holes, set posts, and
square the foundation. The soil was light sand with a clay hardpan
three feet down.

"Twenty-seven days each were put in by two men from start to finish,
with assistance rendered by the owner. There were seven days by the
mason, eight by carpenters, and four teen and one half by other
labor. On June 4 the cabin was ready for occupancy, and the family
moved in. The prices, as in most cases cited, are higher to-day.
Cheaper transportation or lower tariff may reduce them again.

"Making allowances for increased cost of logs and differences in any
of the material cost, this cabin can be duplicated for less than
$700 by any one who has the ground, a few tools, and some building
ability. It is compact, convenient, and more roomy than a
superficial glance reveals, and it can be occupied (slight care is
required) from April to November with only the kitchen stove and the
fireplace supplying the heat. The same plan can be used for an
all-frame structure, perhaps at less cost. It could be sheathed and
slab covered in a locality where slabs, edged to six or eight inches
wide, could be had; or slabs could be used perpendicularly in the
gable ends and on the outside of the rear extension."

We must not overlook the differences in cost of lumber and labor in
different places, sometimes more than doubling nor the fact that
different contractors will vary often twenty-five per cent in their
bids.

A mere cabin, like a wooden tent, 12 X 10 with a platform adjoining,
will accommodate one or even two persons and can be built by a
contractor even at war prices for about fift