eight o'clock
The black fool seemed to be happy . He had not only grinned and laughed , but he went away whistling and singing . In three hours the quilts were finished and the men had gathered for the corn-shucking . Before eight o'clock the last ear was shucked , and a long white pile of clean husked corn lay glistening in the moonlight where the dark pyramid had stood at sunset . With a shout the men rose , stretched their legs and washed their hands in the troughs filled with water , provided for the occasion . They sat down to supper at four long tables placed in the kitchen and work room , where the quilts had been stretched . Never had the Boy seen such a feast -- barbecued shoat , turkeys , ducks , chickens , venison , bear meat , sweet potatoes , wild honey , corn dodgers , wheat biscuit , stickies and pound cake -- pound cake until you could n't eat another mouthful and still they brought more !