four o'clock in the morning
And here , upon that wild March night of screaming wind and sleet , and with only Aunt Cornelia as doctor and nurse , Huldy 's child was born . And now a new order of things began . Sammy 's energies appeared to be devoted to the thwarting of Pap Overholt 's care and benefits . There should be no cow brought to the cabin ; and so Pap John , who was getting on in years now , and had long since given up hard , active work , hastened from his bed at four o'clock in the morning , milked a cow , and carried the pail of fresh milk to Huldy and the baby , furtively , apologetically . The food , the raiment , everything had to be smuggled into the house little by little , explained , apologized for . The land on The Bench was rich alluvial soil . Sammy , in his first burst of independence , ploughed it -LRB- borrowing mule and plough from a neighbor -- the one neighbor ever known to be on ill terms with Pap Overholt -RRB- , and planted it to corn .