full melody of the red thrush
_[FN: Turdus melodus, or wood-thrush.]_; the rushing sound of the
passenger-pigeon, as flocks of these birds darted above their heads,
sometimes pausing to rest on the dry limb of some withered oak, or
darting down to feed upon the scarlet berries of the spicy winter-green,
the acorns that still lay upon the now uncovered ground, or the berries
of hawthorn and dogwood that still hung on the bare bushes. The pines
were now putting on their rich, mossy, green spring dresses; the skies
were deep blue; nature, weary of her long state of inaction, seemed
waking into life and light.

On the Plains the snow soon disappears, for the sun and air has access
to the earth much easier than in the close, dense forest; and Hector and
Louis were soon able to move about with axe in hand, to cut the logs for
the addition to the house which they proposed making. They also set to
work as soon as the frost was out of the ground, to prepare their little
field for the Indian corn. This kept them quite busy. Catharine attended
to the house, and Indiana went out fishing and hunting, bringing in
plenty of small game and fish every day. After they had piled and burned
up the loose boughs and trunks that encumbered the space which they had
marked out, they proceeded to enclose it with a "brush fence", which
was done by felling the trees that stood in the line of the field, and
letting them fall so as to form the bottom log of the fence, which
they then made of sufficient height by piling up arms of trees and
brush-wood. Perhaps in this matter they were too particular, as there
was no fear of "breachy cattle," or any cattle, intruding on the crop;
but Hector maintained that deer and bears were as much to be guarded
against as oxen and cows.

The little enclosure was made secure from any such depredators, and was
as clean as hands could make it, and the two cousins were sitting on a
log, contentedly surveying their work, and talking of the time when the
grain was to be put in. It was about the beginning of the second week
in May, as near as they could guess from the bursting of the forest buds
and the blooming of such of the flowers as they were acquainted with.
Hector's eyes had followed the flight of a large eagle that now, turning
from the lake, soared away majestically towards the east or Oak-hills.
But soon his eye was attracted to another object. The loftiest part of
the ridge was enveloped in smoke. At first he