"Ah! It is easy to see what is the attraction here for that bepowdered, beruffled, fashionable swain, as well as for the Cane Ridge youths,"
Miss Patterson interrupted, as James Anson Drane presented himself before Betsy, and bowed over her hand with a courtly grace befitting a far more brilliant scene than this country dance in the old loom-room.
"Do you think she favors him?" asked Dudley, anxiously, a momentary fierce pang of dislike or distrust or envy shivering through him as he looked at the debonair young lawyer.
"At any rate," laughed Abby, "there can be no doubt of his intentions.
As for her," she continued, looking earnestly at Abner, "I have in mind a far more suitable lover, who will, I hope, some day win that heart of gold."
"Who is this fortunate one destined to "win that heart of gold"?"
Dudley carelessly inquired, feeling but little interest just then in any topic save that which concerned himself and the girl at his side.
"Do I know him?"
"Only slightly, I believe," Miss Patterson replied, looking down with a demure smile; "not nearly so well as I hope you will some day."
Abner flushed warmly, and his pulse leaped high with hope; for he interpreted the words to refer to a closer relationship between Abby and himself. "Of course," he thought jubilantly, "I shall become well acquainted with Betsy"s prospective husband, when Abby shall have accepted me."
"Whoever he may be," said Abner, heartily, "since he has your approval, I wish him G.o.dspeed with Betty; for," he added in a lower key, and frowning slightly, as he looked at Mr. Drane, "I can not, for the life of me, cordially like or trust yonder fine gentleman. But what about this other lover for Betty?"
"At present," Abby answered with a meaning which Abner was far from construing correctly, "he thinks his affections are centered in a far less worthy object; and he is blind to his heart"s best interests."
"Let us hope that this blind Romeo may soon be restored to sight,"
laughed Abner; "or else, that dear little Juliet yonder will be carried off by some clearer-visioned wooer. But see, Mr. Rogers has at last restrung that fiddle and tuned it to his notion; so now for our dance!"
No stately minuet or mincing cotillion was the order of the evening.
Instead, the "countre dance," the "gauntlet," the "four-handed reel"--old-time, energetic country dancing--shook the rafters overhead, and made the puncheon floor vibrate. Such jigging, such "cutting the pigeon wing," such swinging corners! No languid, lazy gliding, but hearty motion--up and down, round and round, faster and faster, as the twinkling bow sawed across the strings to the tune of "c.o.o.n Dog," "Roxy Ann," "Billy Batters," or "n.i.g.g.ah in the Cawnfield."
Rousing music it was--"enough," as Rube and Tom declared, "to mek even a one-legged fellah git up an" hump hisse"f."
Mason Rogers at one end of the room, his eyes beaming, his face shining, made the fiddle hum and sing. Interspersed with his music came energetic promptings, "Balance all!" "Swing yer pardnahs!" "Ladies, chain!" "Gals to the centah, an" boys all around!" Sometimes he admonished some laggard or blunderer, "Hurry, thah, Sammy!" "Bill, to the left!" his feet the while tapping the floor, and his body swaying rhythmically as his right arm swung the bow and the fingers of his left hand twinkled over the strings. A further incentive to merriment was the excited admiration of the negroes gathered outside at doors and 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 Ma.r.s.e 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 a.s.sured 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 the earth; and presently woods and fields were springing into new beauty under the gentle touch of April shower and sunshine.
The school term ended in March. The same need which called Abner and the 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 Susan one afternoon as she sat on the back door-step, marking a basket of eggs to set. "But now thet warm weathah"s tekin" holt in arnest, thar"s more important things ter think "bout. Thar"s all thet soap grease to mek 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 ther nests; an" Brindle an" Crooked Horn an" Spot all comin" in fresh nex"
week, an" ther new calves to look aftah, "sides all thet b.u.t.tah an"
milk an" cheese. The days hain"t nigh long "nough fer all the wuck thet"s to be did. Heah, these aiggs is marked. Put "em undah them five hens whut"s been a-cluckin" an" takin" on fer a week or more. Eph made the nests fer you this mawnin"--a whole row o" "em back o" the loom-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 of Tommy and Buddy, who at this moment came around the corner of the house, prancing and dancing, each astride a stick horse. "Whut! You hain"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 you don"t look sharp, nary a step do you go to the sugah-camp ter-morrow, an" nary a mouthful o" thet maple sugah sh.e.l.l you hev."
It was an unwritten law of the community that whenever a farm was opened up, a house should be immediately built upon it. In fact, a man was not considered to have positive possession of his land until a house of some description was erected thereon. So, although Dudley was to continue to live with the Rogerses at least for the spring and summer, as soon as the first plowing was done and the corn planted, he proceeded to build his house, the logs for which had already been cut; for Mason Rogers, in common with the other old settlers, held to the superst.i.tion that if the timber for a house was cut in the full moon of February, the future inmates of the house would never be molested by bedbugs--"An"," Mrs. Rogers had added when her husband was recommending this 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 the cracks o" the walls, you won"t be pestered with fleas, nuther."
It was another unwritten law of these early times that every ablebodied man should a.s.sist in a "house-raisin"." Therefore, one clear April morning about forty men and boys a.s.sembled with axes, mauls, and other rude tools, near the site of the proposed cabin. This site was a gently sloping, wooded prominence near the center of the farm. A pretty locality it was. Through the trees at the back there was a glimpse of Hinkson Creek, and across the newly plowed fields to the right and left could be seen the shadowy blue of some distant, low-lying hills. In front, several walnut, oak and elm trees had been left standing to preserve the wild beauty of the place.
The first day was spent in preparing materials and laying the foundation logs. The men laughed and jested and shouted merrily as they worked; and by noon the timbers were prepared, and the rock hauled for the two mammoth chimneys. Well it was that the hardest part of the work was already done, for some of the party, not content with the efficacy of hard cider, had brought whisky, and at the noon repast many of the men imbibed so freely that they were incapacitated for active service, and spent the afternoon lounging on log heaps, dozing off the effects of their potations or singing maudlin songs and making still more maudlin jests. However, the whisky of those days was pure, and though it did inebriate, its after effects were not so injurious, nor did it render its votaries so quarrelsome as does our so-called "pure Bourbon"
of to-day. By the next morning even the most intoxicated had slept off the effects of their indulgence, and all rea.s.sembled at sunrise for the "raisin"." Four "corner men" were chosen, whose business it was to notch 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 were laid and the chimneys being built.
The cabin was considered unusually commodious and elegant for a young householder. It was built of white oak logs and was forty feet long by eighteen wide. Moreover, it was a "double house;" that is, the two large rooms were separated by a pa.s.sageway. The puncheon flooring was planed into delightful smoothness, and the mantels were of beautifully grained walnut, prepared by Abner during winter evenings.
The house was to "set with the sun;" and on the second day, by the time the sun"s rays shone squarely across the newly laid threshold, walls were raised, rafters laid, and door and window frames adjusted. The noon recess was a merry time. Lunches were eaten with greater relish, and cider and whisky circulated even more freely than on the previous day. Nevertheless, by four o"clock the work was completed, and the last helper had departed homeward.
The cabin was, of course, not yet fit for occupancy; the walls were not c.h.i.n.ked, nor the hearthstone laid. Doors were still unhung and windows unglazed; but as Abner stood alone that evening in his doorway, leaning on his ax and looking across his rich lands, his heart swelled with a feeling of proud proprietorship. He pictured how inviting this wilderness home would look when its interior walls should shine with a plentiful coat of whitewash, and when hop vines and morning-glories should cover the rough exterior, and convert doorways and window frames into bowers of beauty.
"In a few years," he mused, "if I am as prosperous as I see reason to hope, this log cabin will be replaced by a mansion as commodious as any in Bourbon County. Flowers will bloom in my trim gardens; and my broad fields will whiten with a wealth of grain. A home that shall be a fit setting for the jewel of my love shall make her forget her former luxurious life in Virginia, as well as the toils and privations of the first days with me; and our children shall take their places with the highest in the land."
From that October day when Abby Patterson had raised her veil in the old church and revealed the features of the beautiful girl who had entranced his boyish fancy at the a.s.sembly ball four years before, a veil seemed lifted from his own vision. Love had dawned, and in its light life was invested with a deeper and more beautiful significance.
"What if she is a few years older than I?" he would ask himself. "Is she not above me in everything else as well? So that, if she accepts my love, it will be through no worthiness of mine."
CHAPTER VIII.
LOVE"S YOUNG DREAM
"Like ships that sailed for sunny isles, But never came to sh.o.r.e."--_Hervey._
All through the early spring Abner toiled with the might of a hopeful heart--love lightening every task and enduing him with the strength of two. His farm was soon enclosed, and divided into fields and woodland stretches by neat rail fences. Planting-time was over. The young corn was rank and tall, and its luxuriant green foliage almost hid the brown ridges and furrows.
One day in May Abner stood at the threshold of his unfinished cabin, and gazed with unseeing eyes over fields and woods and growing corn.
Alas for visions of domestic joy! The day before, he had asked Abby to be his wife. So gentle, so sad, and withal so tender, had been her manner, that at first he had refused to accept her decision. "Believe me, dear friend," she then said, "there is no answer possible save the one I have given. Though I honor you above any one else I have known during my life in Kentucky, I have no love to give you. Besides, I am too old, too grave, too disposed to melancholy, to make you happy. You need a younger, stronger, more joyous nature than mine. At present you can not understand this; some day you will, and then you will see that a far more suitable mate--a girl self-reliant, buoyant, and with a wealth of love in her pure, warm heart--is waiting for you. Ah! you are blind, blind, that you do not see how Happiness is holding out her hand to you."
A dim, shadowy wonder as to whom she could mean flitted an instant across the young man"s mind; but he was too eager, too absorbed, to entertain the thought, and renewed his pleading. Then Abby, after looking at him a moment in wistful silence, rose from her chair, and, standing before him, laid her hands upon his shoulders, and, looking earnestly into his face, said: "Abner, I have no love to give you; for long ago all the love of which my heart is capable was given to another. He is dead now; but I am as much his as though he stood here before me to-night. As I loved him at the first, I love him now, and must love him to the end. For some, and I hope it will be so for you, love reblossoms into new beauty and vigor; but not for me. My heart can have no second springtime."
Abner Dudley was of too manly a nature to grow morbid--no healthy-minded, strong-bodied man does that--but for a long, dark season he went about his work with a cherished sadness in his soul. The spring was gone from his step, the light from his eyes, and he was so quiet, so little like his former cheery self, that Mason Rogers, noticing his depression and attributing it to overwork, urged him to take a "rest spaill."
"Tain"t wuck whut"s ailin" you, Abner," said Mrs. Rogers. "Thet nevah.
hurt n.o.body yit. It"s stayin" so much in them damp woods. You"re gittin" peaky ez a sick kitten, an" saller ez a punkin; you"ll be down with fevers an" agers nex". You need dosin" on boneset an"
life-evehlastin", an" I"ll brew you a cupful this very night. Drink it bilin" hot, then soak yer feet in hot watah with a lot o" mustard pounded up in it; then go to bed an" sweat it out, an" you"ll be all right by mawnin". Thar"s nothin" lak a good sweat to drive fevers an"
agers outen the systum."
Abner thanked his kindly hostess, but could not help laughing secretly at her diagnosis and prescription. "Truly," thought he, "it"s but a step from sentiment to bathos. "Fevers an" agers" instead of disappointed love! Boneset tea and a mustard foot-bath for a broken heart! I really must pull myself together."
This perfect unconsciousness of the simple household was helpful to the young man. Furthermore, his work necessitated his living much out of doors, and this helped him still more; for none but those who have the unseeing eye and the unappreciative heart for the beauty of woods and fields, summer sunshine, glinting stream, and joyous bird notes, can long be wholly without benefit from nature"s ministry. Thus Abner had within reach two mighty remedies for sadness--the balm of nature"s beauty, and the bracing tonic of hard work.