The large stone fireplace filled more than half the wall, which visitors would see to their right on entering the cabin. All the cooking was done there, mostly on two swiveled hooks that could be easily swung inward near the flame or out into the room over the hearth. There were four spikes on each side of the hearth, which Ethan had imbedded into the mortar between rocks, on which iron utensils could be suspended. There was a bellows, a flatiron, a gridiron, tongs, a frying pan, an iron skillet, a pot, a coffeepot, a basin, and two pewter candle makers. A board for baking bread leaned against the wall, scoured clean, and a shelf extended along the wall on each side of the fireplace. One held a dozen books, arranged neatly in four piles of three each, with a large family Bible on top of one pile. Epsey thought it was sacrilegious for the Holy Scriptures to be placed under another volume. There was a long-unused lamp on this same shelf, which had burned sperm oil when they had first bought it in North Carolina. A few heavy white cups, bowls, and plates were on the other shelf.

A churn, made of wood, sat on the floor near the fireplace. This was a cylinder that held about two gallons of milk, mounted on a cradle so that it could be turned end over end with a hand crank. Ethan had also brought his shaving horse and a few woodworking tools into the cabin so he could work more comfortably during the cold days of winter. His cobbler’s bench was a permanent fixture in the room, sometimes used as a seat when he was not making or repairing shoes.

The Pratts’ home had changed very little since it was first built and furnished, when he and his wife considered it to be just a temporary shelter and expected soon to have a larger home, one with floors of split logs, glass windows, a broad front porch, and another room just for sleeping, with this original building to be used for storage or a shelter for their animals.

•  •  •

Shortly after dawn, Ethan carried some bread and meat from the hearth to the table, with a glass of milk, but he had not begun eating before he heard the sloshing of a horse’s hooves entering his yard. The trail ended at his house, so Ethan always knew that his home was the destination of anyone who came here. He blew out the small flame on the table and, as silently as possible so as not to waken Epsey and Henry, he reached for his long coat and slipped it on. Except for the flickering fire, the cabin was still dark inside, which was how he now preferred it.