noon
As for Reuben 's honest phiz , it was a sight to behold in its perfect satisfaction . Even the negro driver of the heavy wagon let his horses take their time as he raised his ear to catch some very delicate trill in a bird 's song , or turned his head to inhale the perfume from some bank of flowers . Onward they journeyed at their leisure through all that glad morning landscape . At noon they stopped at a clearing around a cool spring in the woods , and while the negro fed and watered the horses , they rested and refreshed themselves with a substantial luncheon , and then strolled about through the shades until `` Sam '' had eaten his dinner , re-packed the hamper , and put the horses to the wagons again . And then they all returned to their seats and recommenced their journey . On and on they journeyed through the afternoon ; deeper and deeper they descended into the forest as the sun declined in the west . When it was on the edge of the horizon , striking long golden lines through the interstices of the woods , Hannah grew rather anxious , and she spoke up : `` It seems to me , Reuben , that we have come ten miles since we saw a house or a farm . ''