Chapter IX. 

Joe went to bed that night with a promise to himself to rise early next morning, for he had been invited to take part in a "raising," which term meant that a new cabin was to be erected, and such task was ever an event in the lives of the settlers. 

The following morning Joe rose early, dressing himself in a complete buckskin suit, for which he had exchanged his good garments of cloth. Never before had he felt so comfortable. He wanted to hop, skip and jump. The soft, undressed buckskin was as warm and smooth as silk-plush; the weight so light, the moccasins so well-fitting and springy, that he had to put himself under considerable restraint to keep from capering about like a frolicsome colt. 

The possession of this buckskin outfit, and the rifle and accouterments which went with the bargain, marked the last stage in Joe's surrender to the border fever. The silent, shaded glens, the mystery of the woods, the breath of this wild, free life claimed him from this moment entirely and forever. 

He met the others, however, with a serene face, showing no trace of the emotion which welled up strongly from his heart. Nell glanced shyly at him; Kate playfully voiced her admiration; Jim met him with a brotherly ridicule which bespoke his affection as well as his amusement; but Colonel Zane, having once yielded to the same burning, riotous craving for freedom which now stirred in the boy's heart, understood, and felt warmly drawn toward the lad. He said nothing, though as he watched Joe his eyes were grave and kind. In his long frontier life, where many a day measured the life and fire of ordinary years, he had seen lad after lad go down before this forest fever. It was well, he thought, because the freedom of the soil depended on these wild, light-footed boys; yet it always made him sad. How many youths, his brother among them, lay under the fragrant pine-needle carpet of the forest, in their last earthly sleep!  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What took place?
2. What occurred?
3. 
Q2:
1. What does a "raising," mean?
2. What is the definition of a "raising,"?
3. 
Q3:
1. What is the setting of the story?
2. Where does the story happen?
3. 
Q4:
1. Who woke up?
2. Who got out of bed?
3. 
Q5:
1. What was Joe wearing?
2. What did Joe have on?
3. 
Q6:
1. How did Joe procure his buckskin suit?
2. What was the provenance of Joe's buckskin suit?
3. 
Q7:
1. Was Joe's suit comfortable?
2. Did Joe feel good in his buckskin suit?
3. 
Q8:
1. What is the number of ladies in the passage?
2. How many women does the passage contain?
3. 
Q9:
1. Who was the lady in the story?
2. What woman appeared in the passage?
3. 
Q10:
1. Did the story take place on a prairie?
2. Were the characters in the story on a prairie?
3. 
Q11:
1. What was the nature of the terrain?
2. What was the land like?
3. 
Q12:
1. Who took a nap in the forest?
2. Who slept in the woods?
3. 
