The Jasper news., 1921-08-25
CHAPTER IV-contlnued.

The logs for the new house we're
ready two days after the cutting be-
gan. Martin Waddell and Samuel Hill
sent teams to haul them. John Cam
eron and Peter Lukins had brought
the window sash and some clapboards
from Beardstown I'm small flatbOat.
Then came the day Of the raislng-a
clear, warm day early In September.
All the men from the village and the
near farms gathered to help make q
home for the newcomers. Samson
and Jack Kelso went out for q hunt
after the cutting and brought In
fat buck and many grouse for the bee
dinner, to which every woman Of the
neighborhood made a contribution Of
cake or pie or cookies or doughnuts
"What will be my part" Samson
had inquired Of Kelso.
Nothing but jug of whisky and
kind word and a house warming"
Kelso had answered. 70 - p
They notched and bored the logs
and made pins to bind them and cut
those that were to go around the fire.
place and window spaces. Strong,
willing and well-trained hands hewed
and fitted tho logs together. Alexan-
der Ferguson lined the fireplace with a
curious mortar made of clay In which
he mixed grass for binder. This NOR
tar he rolled into layers called "cats,"
each eight inches long and three inches
thick. Then he laid them against the
logs and held them In place with a
woven network of stocks. The first
fire-a slow one-bnked the clay into
q rigid stone-llke sheath inside the
logs and presently the sticks were
burned away. The women had cooked
the meats by an open fire and spread
the dinner on table Of rough boards
resting on poles set In crotches. At
noon one Of them sounded a conch
shell. Then with shouts OF Joy the
men hurried to the fireslde and for a
moment there was q great spluttering
over the wash basins. Before they
ate, every man except Abe and Sam.
son "took pull at the jug-long OF
short"-to quote phrase of the time
1t was q cheerful company that sal
with loaded plates. Their food had
its extra seasoning of merry jests and
loud laughter. Sarah was a little
shocked at the fortnight directness
of their eating no knives or forks OF
napkins being needed in that process
Having eaten. washed and packed
away their dishes the women went
home at two. Before they had gone
Samson's ears caught q thunder oi
horses feet In the distance. Looking
in its direction he saw a cloud Of dust
in the road and a band of horsemeu
riding toward them at full speed. ABB
came to him and said:
"I see the boys from CIary's Grove
are coming. If they get mean, let me
deal with 'em. It's my responsibility
wouldn't wonder II they had some
of Offut's whisky with them"
The boys arrived IN cloud O,
dust and a chorus of Indian whoops
and dlsmOunted and hobbled theil
horses. They came toward the work
ers, led by burly Jack Armstrong, I
stalwart, hard-faced blacksmith d
about twenty-five with broad, heay,
shoulders. whose name has gone int,
history. They had been drinking som,
but no one of them was In the leas
degree Off his balance. They scuf1e,
around the jug for a moment in per
feet good nature and then Abe an,
Mrs. Waddell provided them with III,
best remnants Of the dinner. The,
were rather noisy. Soon they wen
up on the roof to help with the rafter
aud the clapbOarding. They worke,
well few minutes and suddenly the,