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