Cora got the children settled in bed and then went out to get the animals put up for the night. Her pa had tied their cow up behind the jalopy and brought her with them to Donna’s, saying the kids and Donna needed the milk more than their family did. So, Cora did the evening milking and took it to the spring house, after taking out some for Donna. When she got up to the house, Donna had laid the baby down in her crib and was putting away the food Earl and his kids had brought to them.

Cora fussed at Donna to rest, while she was recovering her strength and gave her a glass of milk to drink. Donna said, “This warm milk tastes like ice cream from the drugstore soda fountain in town! Thank-you and your family Cora for coming to my rescue! We wouldn’t have made it without you all!”

“Oh Donna, tweren’t nuthin. You would have done the same fur us!” Cora answered. She got the rest of the food put away, cleaned up the dishes and asked if Donna needed anything else.

“I’m fine. How are you going to get home? It;s a fur piece to walk and it is getting late.” Donna Ann asked.

“I’m stayin’ with you fur 3 days till my Pa and brothers come back. I want to cook and clean fur you and help you get yore strength back,” Cora said.

Donna started softly crying, “You all is the best neighbors a body could have!

Pa and the boys got to their spot shortly before dark and not having time to work on the new cabin, gathered wood for a fire to keep away the critters. They would sleep around the fire tonight, on the ground, after making their dinner on the fire. “It couldn’t be helped boys, bein late. Donna and them kids was more important than our comfort.” They prayed together for the night, for the ones at home, for Donna and Cora and for their own protection and fell sound asleep.

Earl woke the next morning, saying “Lucy, no! Ouch! Don’t bite my fingers!” Opening his eyes he saw a little chipmunk run off! He chuckled and told the kids as they woke up to be sure and wash their hands out here every time they ate and explained how he had woken up to a chipmunk nibbling on his fingers!

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Carl had bacon sizzling on the fire before long and had made up some biscuits and coffee. “Nothing tastes as good as breakfast over a campfire,” Earl said and they all agreed.

They divided up into two teams, one building the cabin and the other dragging the still fixins up the hill. John had taken their food and tied it up in a big bag and hauled it up about 20 feet off of the ground with a long rope, sose they didn’t have no food robbers takin it. The bears were eatin for the winter right now and he didn’t want to contribute the boys food for the next few days to any bears.

“John and Carl, let’s go over the plans for a simple, strong cabin. I reckon you can get the walls and door up before tonight. I wuz thinkin to put four stakes about six feet high on the ground on each side, two on each end and place the logs in betwixt these, servin as holders fur the logs. Then if’n you can fit the logs up to the top of the stakes, all the way around, we can fill in the cracks later with mud and such and build a roof. I think that will be right fine! A door on wooden hinges would be great if you can get to that tonight. We will be on the ground again tonight, but I will feel a lot safer with the 4 walls up around us.” Earl explained.

“ Timmy, let’s start draggin the supplies up the mountain. I figure we need 4 to 6 trips to get it all up there. It’s a little inconvenient, because it is so out of the way, but we gotta do it to keep far enough out of the way of the revenooers sight. This cabin will be the first place fur them to stop if’n one of them comes up the mountain and hopefully they won’t go no further and just figure thar’s a new homestead. Well Timmy let’s get goin. These supplies ain’t goin to carry themselves! Carl, if’n you have any kind of trouble, fire yore shotgun 3 times; blam, blam, blam, just like that, ok?” Earl said.

“Sure Pa. Let’s get goin, John. You shore got a lot of the logs last time you wuz here, John! We got a good headstart! Why don’t we start with the stakes, sose we can start puttin those logs where they go and clear off some of this land sose we got somewhere to put the next batch of logs, ok?” Carl said to John as the other team started their long trek.

Back at Donna’s, Cora had gotten up and made breakfast and had the kids fed before Donna opened her eyes. She wuz sweepin the kitchen when Donna walked in. “Good morning, Donna; how did you sleep?” Cora asked.

“Purty good! Have you seen my young-uns?” she asked Cora.

“They are playin outside; they done ate,” Cora explained. “Ma says you need to rest up and get yore strength while I am here. I milked the cow and put most of the milk in the spring house this morning. Them kids drank milk like it wuz goin out of style this mornin!”

“I imagine they did. They ain’t had none since my husband passed. It is so nice to have you here, Cora!” Donna said. She sat down to nurse the baby.