DANVIS FARM LIFE 75 



served, and these comfortably disposed of, the 

 jolly company disperse. 



One kind of "bee," as these gatherings for mu- 

 tual help are called, which has only lately gone 

 out with the oxen, who were the chief actors in it, 

 was the "drawing bee." A farmer, having cause 

 to change the site of a barn or other structure, 

 would, with the carpenter's help, usually in early 

 spring, but sometimes in the fall, get runners un- 

 der his building. These were long timbers of some- 

 thing more than the building's length, cut with 

 an upward slope at the forward end. Having 

 properly braced the inside of his barn, to with- 

 stand the rack of transportation, all his oxen- 

 owning neighbors were bidden to his aid. The 

 yokes of oxen were hitched in two "strings," one 

 to each runner, and, all being ready, were started 

 off at the word of command, amid a clamor of 

 "Whoa-hush!" "Whoa-haw!" and "Gee!" ad- 

 dressed to the Bucks, Broads, Stars, Brindles, and 

 Brights, who were the motive power, the creaking 

 of the racked frame and the shrill shouts of the 

 boys, without whose presence nothing of such 

 moment ever is, if it ever could be, done. 



The barn being safely set in its new place, the 

 bee ended in feasting and jollification. Now that 

 oxen have become so scarce it would need the 

 mustering of a whole county to provide the nec- 

 essary force. In the old times there were also 



