, "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 assist in a "house-raisin'." Therefore, one clear April
morning about forty men and boys assembled 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 reassembled 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 passageway. The puncheon flooring was
planed into delightful smoothness, a