seven
o'clock in the morning
The mother thanked him , and said that fortunately she was not in need of any help , as her husband was well and able to provide her with all she needed . Without giving the conversation in detail , it may be said that Sam Harper learned a lesson , during his brief stay in that humble cabin , which will go with him through life : it was a lesson of cheerfulness and contentment , to which he often refers , and which makes him thankful that he was led to turn aside from his sport even for a short while . The husband of the woman worked for a farmer who lived fully four miles away , on the northern edge of the woods , and who paid only scant wages . The employee walked the four miles out so as to reach the farm by seven o'clock in the morning , and he did not leave until six in the evening . He did this summer and winter , through storm and sunshine , and was happy . He lived in the lonely log cabin , because his employer owned it and gave him the rent free . It had been erected by some wood-choppers several years before , and was left by them when through with their contract , so that it was nothing to any one who did not occupy it .