Book 4 2. THE HOUSE IN THE GROUND Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder

the house in the ground

early in the morning paw helped mr

hansen move the wagon bows and cover

onto mr hansen’s wagon

then they brought everything out of the

dugout house up the bank

and they packed it in the covered wagon

mr hansen offered to help move the

things from paws wagon into the dugout

but ma said no charles we’ll move in

when you come back

so paul hitched pat and patty to mr

hanson’s wagon

he tied bunny behind it and he rode away

to town with mr hansen

laura watched pat and patty and bunny

going away

her eyes smarted and her throat ached

pat and patty arched their necks and

their manes and tails rippled in the

wind

they went away gaily not knowing that

they were never coming back

the creek was singing to itself down

among the willows

and the soft wind bent the grasses over

the top of the bank

the sun was shining and all around the

wagon was clean

wide space to be explored the first

thing was to untie jack from the wagon

wheel

mr hansen’s two dogs had gone away and

jack could run about as he pleased

he was so glad that he jumped up against

laura to lick her face and made her sit

down hard

then he ran down the path and laura ran

after him

ma picked up carrie and said come mary

let’s go look at the dugout

jack got to the door first it was open

he looked in and then he waited for

laura

all around that door green vines were

growing out of the grassy bank and they

were full of flowers

red and blue and purple and rosy pink

and

white and striped flowers all had their

throats

wide open as if they were singing glory

to the morning

they were mourning glory flowers

laura went under those singing flowers

into the dugout

it was one room all white

the earth walls had been smoothed and

whitewashed

the earth floor was smooth and hard

when ma and mary stood in the doorway

the light went dim

there was a small greased paper window

beside the door

but the wall was so thick that the light

from the window

stayed near the window that front wall

was built of sod

mr hansen had dug out his house

and then he had cut long strips of

prairie sod

and laid them on top of one another to

make the front wall

it was a good thick wall with not one

crack in it

no cold could get through that wall ma

was pleased

she said it’s small but it’s clean and

pleasant

then she looked up at the ceiling and

said look girls

the ceiling was made of hay willow bows

had been laid across

and their branches woven together but

here and there the hay that had been

spread on them

showed through well ma said

they all went up the path and stood on

the roof of that house

no one could have guessed it was a roof

grass grew on it

and waved in the wind just like all the

grasses along the creek bank

goodness said ma anybody could walk over

this house and never know it’s here

but laura spied something she bent over

and parted the grasses with her hands

and then she cried

i found the stove pipe hole look mary

look

ma and mary stopped to look and carrie

leaned out from ma’s arm and looked

and jack came pushing to look they could

look right down

into the whitewashed room under the

grass

they looked at it till ma said we’ll

brush out the place before park comes

back

mary and laura you bring the water pails

mary carried the large pail and laura

the small one

and they went down the path again jack

ran ahead and took his place by the door

ma found a willow twig broom in a corner

and she brushed the walls carefully

mary watched carrie to keep her from

falling down into the creek

and laura took the little pail and went

for water

she hoppity-skipped down the stair steps

to the end of a little bridge across the

creek

the bridge was one wide plank its other

end was under a willow tree

the tall willows fluttered slender

leaves up against the sky

and little willows grew around them in

clumps

they shaded all the ground and it was

cool and bare

the path went across it to a little

spring

where cold clear water fell into a tiny

pool

and then ran trickling to the creek

laura filled the little pail and went

back across the sunny footbridge and up

the steps

she went back and forth fetching water

in the little pail and

pouring it into the big pail set on a

bench inside the doorway

then she helped ma bring down from the

wagon everything they could carry

they had moved nearly everything into

the dugout when paul came rattling down

the path

he was carrying a little tin stove and

two pieces of stovepipe

he said setting them down i’m glad i had

to carry them only three miles

think of it caroline towns only three

miles away just

a nice walk well

hanson’s on his way west and the place

is ours

how do you like it caroline i like it

said ma but i don’t know what to do

about the beds i don’t want to put them

on the floor

what’s the matter with that paw asked

her we’ve been sleeping on the ground

that’s different ma said i don’t like to

sleep on the floor

in a house well that’s soon fixed

said paw i’ll cut some willow bows to

spread the beds on for tonight

tomorrow i’ll find some straight willow

poles and make a couple of bedsteads

he took his axe and went whistling up

the path over the top of the house and

down the slope beyond it to the creek

there lay a tiny valley where willows

grew

thick all along beside the water

laura ran at his heels let me help

paw she panted i can carry some

why so you can said paw looking down at

her with his eyes twinkling

there’s nothing like help when a man has

a big job to do

paul often said he did not know how he

could manage without laura

she had helped him make the door for the

log house in indian territory

now she helped him carry the leafy

willow bells and spread them in the

dugout

then she went with them to the stable

all four walls of the stable were built

of sods

and the roof was willow bells and hay

with sods laid over it

the roof was so low that paw’s head

touched it when he stood up straight

there was a manger of willow poles and

two oxen were tied there one was a huge

gray ox with short horns and gentle eyes

the other was smaller with fierce

longhorns and

wild eyes he was bright red brown all

over

hello bright paw said to him

and how are you pete old fellow he asked

the big ox slapping him gently

stand back out of the way laura he said

till we see how these cattle act

we’ve got to take them to water he put

ropes around their horns

and led them out of the stable they

followed him slowly down the slope to a

level

path that went through green rushes to

the flat edge of the creek

laura slowly tagged after them their

legs were clumsy and their big

feet split in the middle their noses

were broad and slimy

laura stayed outside the stable while

pau tied them to the manger

she walked with them toward the dugout

paw

she asked in a little voice did pat

and patty truly want to go out west

yes laura pau told her ah paw

she said and there was a tremble in her

voice

i don’t think i like cattle much

paw took her hand and comforted it in

his big one

he said we must do the best we can laura

and not grumble what must be done

is best done cheerfully and someday

we will have horses again when paw

she asked him and he said when we raise

our first crop of

wheat then they went into the dugout

ma was cheerful mary and carey were

already washed and combed

and everything was neat the beds were

made on the willow bells

and supper was ready

after supper they all sat on the path

before the door

paw and ma had boxes to sit on

carrie cuddled sleepily in ma’s lap and

mary and laura sat

on the hard path their legs hanging over

its sharp

edge jack turned around three times

and lay down with his head against

laura’s knee

they all sat quiet looking across plum

creek and the willows

watching the sun sink far away in the

west

far away over the prairie lands

at last ma drew a long breath

it’s all so tame and peaceful she said

there will be no wolves or indians

howling tonight

i haven’t felt so safe and at rest since

i don’t know when

paul’s slow voice answered we’re safe

enough all right

nothing can happen here the peaceful

colors went all around the rim of the

sky

the willows breathed and the water

talked to itself

in the dusk the land was dark

gray the sky was light gray

and stars prickled through it

it’s bedtime moss said and here’s

something new anyway

we’ve never slept in a dugout before

she was laughing and paul left softly

with her

laura lay in bed and listened to the

water talking and the willows

whispering she would rather sleep

outdoors even if she heard wolves than

be so safe in this house dug under the

ground