Book 2 17. PA GOES TO TOWN Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
park goes to town
before dawn paul went away
when laura and mary woke he was gone
and everything was empty and lonely it
was not as though paul had only gone
hunting he was going to town
and he would not be back for four long
days
bunny had been shot in the stable so she
couldn’t follow her mother
the trip was too long for a cult bunny
winnied lonesomely laura and mary stayed
in the house with ma
outdoors was too large and empty to play
in when paul was away
jack was uneasy too and watchful
at noon laura went with ma to water
bunny and to move the cow’s picket pin
to fresh grass
the cow was quite gentle now she
followed where ma led
and she would even let mom milk her at
milking time ma was putting on her
bonnet
when suddenly all jack’s hair stood up
stiff on his neck and back and he rushed
out of the house
they heard a yell and a scramble and a
shout
call off your dog call off your dog
mr edwards was on top of the wood pile
and jack was climbing up after him
he’s got me trade mr edwards said
backing along the top of the wood pile
ma could hardly make jack come away
jack grinned savagely and his eyes were
red
he had to let mr edwards come down from
the wood pile but he watched him every
minute
ma said i declare he seems to know that
mr ingles isn’t here
mr edwards said that dogs knew more than
most folks gave him credit for
on his way to town that morning paul had
stopped at mr edward’s house and asked
him to come over every day to see that
everything was
all right and mr edwards was such a good
neighbor
that he had come at chore time to do the
chores for ma
but jack had made up his mind not to let
anyone but ma
go near the cow or bunny while paul was
gone
he had to be shot in the house while mr
edwards did the chores
when mr edwards went away he said to ma
keep that dog in the house tonight and
you’ll be safe enough
the dark crept slowly all around the
house
the wind cried mournfully an owl said
a wolf howled and jack growled low in
his throat
mary and laura sat close to ma in the
fire light
they knew they were safe in the house
because jack was there
and ma had pulled the latch string in
next day was empty like the first
jack paced around the stable and around
the house
then around the stable and back to the
house he would not pay any attention to
laura
that afternoon mrs scott came to visit
with ma
while they visited laura and mary sat
politely
as still as mice mrs scott admired the
new rocking chair
the more she rocked in it the more she
enjoyed it
and she said how neat and comfortable
and pretty the house was
she said she hoped to goodness they
would have no trouble with indians
mr scott had heard rumors of trouble she
said
land knows they’d never do anything with
this country themselves
all they do is roam around over it like
wild animals
treaties are no treaties the land
belongs to folks that’ll farm it
that’s only common sense and justice
she did not know why the government made
treaties with indians
the only good indian was a dead indian
the very thought of indians made her
blood run cold
she said i can’t forget the minnesota
massacre
my paw and my brothers went out with the
rest of the settlers
and stopped them only 15 miles west of
us
i’ve heard pau tell often enough how
they mom made a sharp sound in her
throat and mrs scott
stopped whatever a massacre was
it was something the grown-ups would not
talk about when little girls were
listening
after mrs scott had gone laura asked ma
what a massacre was
ma said she could not explain that now
it was something that laura would
understand when she was older
mr edwards came to do the chores again
that evening
and again jack treat him on the wood
pile mom had to drag him off
she told mr edwards she couldn’t think
what had got into that dog
maybe it was the wind that upset him
the wind had a strange wild howl in it
and it went through laura’s clothes as
if the cloth weren’t there
her teeth and mary’s teeth chattered
while they carried many armfuls of wood
into the house
that night they thought of paw in
independence
if nothing had delayed him he would be
camping there now
near the houses and the people tomorrow
he would be in the store
buying things then if he could get an
early start
he could come part way home and camp on
the prairie tomorrow night
and the next night he might come home
in the morning the wind was blowing
fiercely and it was so cold that ma
kept the door shut laura and mary stayed
by the fire
and listened to the wind screaming
around the house and
howling in the chimney that afternoon
they wondered if paul was leaving
independence and coming toward them
against that wind
then when it was dark they wondered
where he was camping
the wind was bitterly cold it came even
into the snug house and made their back
shiver while their faces
roasted in the heat of the fire
somewhere on the big
dark lonesome prairie paw was camping in
that wind
the next day was very long they could
not expect paw in the morning
but they were waiting till they could
expect him
in the afternoon they began to watch the
creek road
jack was watching it too he whined to go
out and he went all around the stable in
the house stopping to look toward the
creek bottoms and show his teeth
the wind almost blew him off his feet
when he came in he would not lie down he
walked about and worried
the hair rose on his neck and flattened
and rose again
he tried to look out of the window and
then whined at the door
but when ma opened it he changed his
mind and would not go out
jack’s afraid of something mary said
jack’s not afraid of anything ever laura
contradicted
laura laura ma said it isn’t nice to
contradict
in a minute jack decided to go out he
went to see that the cow and calf and
bunny were safe in the stable
and laura wanted to tell mary i told you
so
she didn’t but she wanted to at shore
time
mark kept jack in the house so he could
not treat mr edwards on the wood pile
paw had not come yet the wind blew mr
edwards in through the door
he was breathless and stiff with cold
he warmed himself by the fire before he
did the chores
and when he had done them he sat down to
warm himself again
he told ma that indians were camping in
the shelter of the bluffs
he had seen the smoke from their fires
when he crossed the bottoms
he asked ma if she had a gun
mars said she had paused pistol and mr
edward
said i reckon they’ll stay close in camp
a night like this
yes ma said mr edwards said he could
make himself right comfortable with hay
in the stable and he would spend the
night there if ma
said so ma thanked him nicely but said
she would not put him to that trouble
they would be safe enough with jack
i am expecting mr ingles any minute now
she told him
so mr edwards put on his coat and cap
and muffler and mittens and picked up
his gun
he said he didn’t guess that anything
would bother her anyway
no ma said when she shut the door behind
him
she pulled the latch string in though
darkness had not yet come
laura and mary could see the creek road
plainly
and they watched it until the dark hid
it
then ma closed and barred the wooden
window shutter
paw had not come
they ate supper they washed the dishes
and swept the hearth
and still he had not come out in the
dark where he was
the wind shrieked and wailed and howled
it rattled the door latch and shook the
shutters
it screamed down the chimney and the
fire roared and flared
all the time laura and mary strained
their ears to hear the sound of wagon
wheels
they knew maul was listening too though
she was rocking and singing carrie to
sleep
carrie fell asleep and ma went on gently
rocking
at last she undressed carrie and put her
to bed
laura and mary looked at each other they
didn’t want to go to bed
bedtime girls ma said then laura begged
to be allowed to sit up till paul came
and mary backed her up till ma
said they might for a long long time
they sat up
mary yawned then laura yawned then they
both yawned
but they kept their eyes wide open
laura’s eyes saw things grow very large
and then very small
and sometimes she saw two mary’s and
sometimes she couldn’t see at all
but she was going to sit up to parking
suddenly a fearful crash scared her and
ma
picked her up she’d fallen off the bench
smack on the floor
she tried to tell ma that she wasn’t
sleepy enough to have to go to bed
but an enormous yawn almost split her
head into
in the middle of the night she sat
straight up
maul was sitting still in the rocking
chair by the fire
the door latch rattled the shutter shook
the wind was howling mary’s eyes were
open
and jack walked up and down then laura
heard again
a wild howl that rose and fell
and rose again lie down laura and go to
sleep
mo said gently what’s that howling
laura asked the wind is howling
said ma now mind me laura
laura lay down but her eyes would not
shut
she knew that paul was out in the dark
where that terrible howling was
the wild men were in the bluffs along
the creek bottoms
and paw would have to cross the creek
bottoms in the dark
jack growled then mob began to sway
gently in the comfortable rocking chair
fire light ran up and down up and down
the barrel of paws pistol in her lap
and ma sang softly and sweetly
there is a happy land
far far away
where saints in glory stand
bright bright as day
o to hear the angels sing
glory to the lord our king
laura didn’t know that she had gone to
sleep she thought that the shining
angels began to sing with ma
and she lay listening to their heavenly
singing until suddenly her eyes opened
and she saw paw standing by the fire
she jumped out of bed shouting oh paw
paw paws boots were
caked with frozen mud his nose was red
with cold
his hair wildly stood up on his head
he was so cold that coldness came
through laura’s nightgown when she
reached him
wait he said he wrapped laura
in ma’s big shawl and then he hugged her
everything was all right the house was
cozy with fire
light there was the warm brown smell of
coffee
ma was smiling and paul was there
the shawl was so large that mary wrapped
the other end of it around her
paul pulled off his stiff boots and
warmed his stiff cold hands
then he sat on the bench and he took
mary on one knee
and laura on the other and he hugged
them against him all snuggled in the
shawl
their bare toes toasted in the heat from
the fire
oh paw side i thought i
never would get here ma rummaged among
the stores he had brought and
spooned brown sugar into a tin cup
paw had brought sugar from independence
your coffee will be ready in a minute
charles she said
it rained between here in independence
going pau
told them and coming back the mud froze
between the spokes till the wheels were
nearly solid
i had to get out and knock it loose so
the horses could pull the wagon
and seemed like we’d know more than
started when i had to get out and do it
again
it was all i could do to keep pet and
patty coming against that wind
they’re so worn out they can hardly
stagger i never saw such a wind it cuts
like a knife
the wind had begun while he was in town
people there told him he had better wait
until it blew itself out but he wanted
to get home
it beats me he said why they call a
south wind a norther
and how a wind from the south can be so
tarnation cold
i never saw anything like it down here
in this country the north end of a south
wind is the coldest wind i ever heard of
he drank his coffee and wiped his
mustache with his handkerchief
and said ah that hits the spot caroline
now i’m beginning to thaw out
then his eyes twinkled at ma and he told
her to open the square package on the
table
be careful he said don’t drop it
ma stopped unwrapping it and said oh
charles
you didn’t open it paul said
in that square package there were eight
small squares
of window glass they would have glass
windows in their house
not one of the squares was broken paw
had brought them safely all the way home
moss shook her head and said he
shouldn’t have spent so much
but her whole face was smiling and paul
laughed with joy
they were all so pleased all winter long
they could look out of the windows as
much as they liked and the sunshine
could come in
paul said he thought that ma and mary
and laura would like
glass windows better than any other
present
and he was right they did
but the windows were not all he had
brought them
there was a little paper sack full of
pure white sugar
ma opened it and mary and laura looked
at the sparkling whiteness of that
beautiful sugar
and they each had a taste of it from a
spoon
then ma tied it carefully up they would
have white sugar when company came
best of all paul was safely home again
laura and mary went back to sleep very
comfortable
all over everything was all right when
paul was there
and now he had nails and cornmeal
and fat pork and salt and everything
he would not have to go to town again
for a long time
you