four o'clock
The house was to `` set with the sun ; '' and on the second day , by the time the sun 's rays shone squarely across the newly laid threshold , walls were raised , rafters laid , and door and window frames adjusted . The noon recess was a merry time . Lunches were eaten with greater relish , and cider and whisky circulated even more freely than on the previous day . Nevertheless , by four o'clock the work was completed , and the last helper had departed homeward . The cabin was , of course , not yet fit for occupancy ; the walls were not chinked , nor the hearthstone laid . Doors were still unhung and windows unglazed ; but as Abner stood alone that evening in his doorway , leaning on his ax and looking across his rich lands , his heart swelled with a feeling of proud proprietorship . He pictured how inviting this wilderness home would look when its interior walls should shine with a plentiful coat of whitewash , and when hop vines and morning-glories should cover the rough exterior , and convert doorways and window frames into bowers of beauty .