man ought to
be."

CHAPTER XVI

REVIVIFYING FIRES

It was butchering day at Silas Chamberlain's and Liza Ann had the
household astir early. Luther Hansen was master of ceremonies in the
backyard, and relieved Silas of the heavy lifting. It was a day for
visiting and neighbourly activity as well as hard work. Hugh Noland had
been sent to Silas the week before by Doctor Morgan, and assisted in
rolling the pork barrel from the cellar door to a convenient post near the
out-of-door fire, where they sunk the bottom of it into the frozen earth
and carefully tilted it to the proper angle for scalding purposes.

"It's fifteen years since I've been at 'a killing,' and I feel as if I
were ten years old again," Noland said as he watched the hard earth give
way under the mattock Luther wielded.

"Go hunt a straw in that case, and I'll see that you get the bladder.
Shall I save you the pig's tail?" Luther said as he settled the barrel
into the cavity.

They swung the great iron kettle over the pile of kindling and corncobs
laid ready for lighting, and then carried water to fill it.

As the last bucket was emptied into the kettle, Luther turned and swung
his cap at John Hunter and Jake, who were passing in the bobsled.

"Hunters," he explained. "Have you met them yet?"

"No," replied Noland. "Who are they? He drives a good team."

"Nearest neighbours on th' west over there," Luther said, pointing to the
roofs of the Hunter place, plainly to be seen over the rise of land
between. "They're th' folks for you t' know--th' only ones with
book-learnin' around here. Goin' t' stay with th' Chamberlains long?"

"No," replied the other, with a look of reticence; "that is, only for a
time. He don't hire much, he tells me. I'm just helping him till he gets
his fencing tightened up and this work done. Why?"

"Well, I was just a thinkin' that that's th' place for you. Hunter hires a
lot of work done, and--and you'd like each other. You're th' same kind of
folks. I wonder how he come t' be takin' 'is man along t' town with 'im?
Th' was a trunk in th' back of the sled too, but that may 'a' been for
Mrs. Hunter. That was 'is mother with 'im."

There was not much time to speculate about future work, there was much to
be done in the present, and before noon five limp bodies had been dragged
from the pens to the scalding barrel, plunged into the steaming water,
turned, twisted, turned again, and after being churned back and forth