that wouldn't do for anything else, and started them off, while he kept
on at real work. I'm glad to have every healthy assurance of being in
the world when Sam comes to the harvesting of his friendly crops. It
will be a great occasion. If Edith's five rows of okra do not net or
gross--I forget which is the right term for it--I know she will wilt
away, and I dread Sue if her fifty tomato-plants go down before the
humble cutworm. Sue won't be humble. Miss Editha came out with us one
afternoon and sowed a row of ladies'-slippers and princess-feathers, and
it was funny to see old Dr. Chubb, who had driven the ten miles just for
the pleasure of seeing Sam (only, Sam said it was in hopes of seeing
me), digging and raking for her, while Colonel Menefee, in true military
style, commanded them both. Father came once and took Sam away down to a
field by himself, and from the look on both their faces I was afraid Sam
had again refused to borrow money to buy the mate to the mule he needed
so badly. Father was so mad he took off his coat, and he and Tolly split
wood enough for the big fireplace to last until midsummer. Sam says that
Pink sweat enough soap-grease to make him worth more than two and a half
cents, if it could have been collected. He didn't mean us to hear him
say it to Pink, but Edith got pale with shock, while daddy roared so
that old Buttercup came up the hill to see what was the matter. Julia
laughed, and so did I--when we got away from Edith.

It took six good days of such chorus work to get every odd job at The
Briers nicely finished up, and daddy and the mayor and Colonel Menefee
mended all the rail fences before they rested on the seventh.

Then on Monday morning came the log-raising for the poet's lodge, and
everybody assembled long before Sam had nicked the last log with his
great big adz. We all sat around on the rocks and ends of the logs and
discussed how to begin before Sam got ready to tell us the right way.