Book 9 2. The Second Year Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder

it was a beautiful day

the 25th of august 1886

is voice trail silent the mark wouldn’t

make finishing the irishman’s lane to

herself

the rich man has his rice in the summer

and the poor man gets his

in the winter well then you’ve got

theirs in that

storm and in the summer too but she

mustn’t think about that yet

the thing to do is to get things

arranged in the new home and make it

cheerful to reality best the house

wasn’t so bad

the one new room was narrow 12 feet by

16

in that very moment facing the south

with a door and a window on a narrow

porch

closed at the west end by the old

there was a window on the east end of

the room the looking grass was hung

beside it in the south corner and the

pearly table stood under it

the head of the bed came close to the

window on the other side

and extended along the north wall the

kitchen stove was in the northwest

corner of the room and the kitchen

cupboard stood beside it

the kitchen dining table stood against

the west wall close to the south end

the carpet from the old bedroom was

across the east end of the room

and the arm chair and larry’s little

rocking chairs direct

close to each other between the windows

the sun

came in through the east window in the

mornings shone across the room

it was all very snug and pleasant

the room that had been the claim shanty

was convenient as a storage room

and the stock were comfortable in their

new barn

sheltered from the north and west by the

low hill and facing south

it would be warm in winter the whole

place

was new and fresh the wind waved the

tall grass and the snow

that stretched from the front of the

hill by the barn to the south into the

east line of the farm

the house was at the top of the lower

hill and there would always be

grasslands in front of it

the cattle man went to the north outside

from the house

laura was back she loved sweep of

unbroken clearing of the wild grasses

waving in the winds

to be sure the whole place was grassland

now

except for a small field two acres of

cultivated land were required by law

before pulling up on a homestead

but the glass to the north of the house

was upland blue stem

and not the tall smooth grass that grew

so weakly in low places

it was heating time and every day

counted in the amount of living to be

put up before winter

because of a hail storm they would be

the only crop this year

so as soon as breakfast was over on the

day after the morning

men may each skip and burn them to the

mowing machine

and begin left her morning’s work on

dawn and went with him to see the work

started

and then because the air was so fresh

and the new cupcakes so

clean and sweet she wandered over the

field picking the wild sunflower as an

indian paintbrush presently she went

slowly back to the house

and her unfinished tasks she didn’t want

to stay in the house

there would be so much of that after the

baby came and she felt much better out

before she

so

stepped up on each fork force was

pitched in

and so gradually rose with the load

until she was on the top

ready to ride the ball at the barn she

slid down the hay and demand these arms

down the ground

[Music]

a horse was itched at each walking one

on each side of a long windroll with hay

it pulled the planks sideways the long

teeth slipped under the hay

and it piled up in front of the plank

and was pushed along the ground

when it was enough for the load that was

where the stack was to be

tipped the plank it went over the top of

the cave which was left

in a pile several of these piles started

the stack

then as the horses came to it one went

on each side of the stack

the right went on up mammy followed it

and spilled the hay on top of the stack

and he went down the other end

barnum was good

would bring

[Music]

making it all neat and even then he

topped the stack with a load

family had mortgaged the homestead for

so now he could buy the cold for winter

and it was stored in the store

the taxes are 60 dollars there were no

taxes on the trade

because they had no title yet or paid

interest on the notes given from

machinery was played

it was managed to see in the spring and

delivering they hoped

until next month

[Music]

manly had sold 30 tons of four dollars

ton

and 120 was a year’s income from crops

wild geese were late coming from the

north and when they did

seem to no hurry to go on sales instead

they fed in the snows and flew from one

leg to the other

where the water was nearly counted with

them as they swung about

the sky was filled with their v-shaped

flocks and the air

rain to their corals for his gun

quickly he went out the door and

forgetting that the old gun

kicked he held it up before his face

sighted

and pulled the trigger laura followed

him just in time to see him

whirl around with his hand to his face

oh

did you hit him she asked yes but i

didn’t quite get what he answered as he

wiped the blood from his nose

it was going to be an open winter the

geese knew there was nowhere to go south

the small field was

was soon in november

the snow came and covered the ground

making good sleigh

manly and water well bundled up and

covered with ropes but awesome for spay

rides on sunday afternoons

because

[Music]

came the sun was shining on the morning

of the 5th of december

but it looked stormy in the north better

play outdoors all you can today if it

may be too stormy tomorrow manly set

so soon after breakfast when i hit

shipped to the slab

took the day’s first ride down the hill

but she stayed on only a little while

and again after the dinner work was done

she said i live by the stove in a little

walking chair which worried mainly

keep as quiet as you can until we come

it was

window snowing hard watched him drive

down the road with the team trying their

best

she thought that the base would have won

them the prize of the fourth of july

races

and she walked the floor or sat by the

store until manly came back

up now as long as i can but soon she

made no objections and i only vaguely

know when manly drove away again to

fetch plenty from mars from town

mrs power was a friendly jolly irish

woman

the first while i knew her being there

was hearing by saying

sure she’ll be all right for it’s now

she’s 19 you say

the very age of mine but we better have

the doctor our parents

[Music]

[Music]

stand

[Music]

and she saw a tall man drop this snowy

overcoat by the door and come toward her

in the web light

she vaguely felt a cloth touch her face

and smelled it cleaned over

and she drifted away into a blessed

darkness where there was no pain

when laura opened her eyes the lamp was

still

shining brightly onto the road and mom

was bending over her with a doctor

standing beside her

and in the bed beside her was a little

rose was such a good baby

so strong and healthy that roasted only

a few days

then hattie

with the sweep of the empty prairie all

around it

there was not a house near enough for

neighbors but a mile away across the

school

a few buildings on the edge of town were

in sight

a hundred precious dollars have done for

doctor bills and medicine

can help through the summer and winter

so far but after all

the rose in december was much rarer than

a rose in june

and must be paid for accordingly

christmas was at hand and rose was a

grand present

then the day before christmas manly

hauled a load of painted town and

brought back

the most beautiful clock it stood nearly

two feet high from its solid walnut base

to the carved leaf at its very top

the glass door that covered the face was

breathed with a guilt vine on which four

built birds floated

and the pendulum that swung two and four

behind them was the color of gold too

the clock had such a pleasant cheerful

voice as it slipped

and when it struck the hours its tone

was clear and sweet

laura loved it at once

the old brown nickel alarm clocked

and it would be a christmas present for

all three of them

[Music]

was a happy time even though it was a

stormy day

and they stayed quietly at home after

the christmas storm the weather was

clear and sunny but cold

25 and 30 below zero on some days

but one day seemed unusually warm and

laurie had been at home so long

she wanted to go for a sleigh ride to

see mom

could they take the baby out safely they

were sure they could

some blankets were put to warming by the

stove

lightly covering her face and tucked

tightly in among the blankets

the way they went the horses stepping

quickly in the sleigh bell singing

narrowly

several times laura put her hand in

among the blankets and touched rosie’s

face to be sure that she was warm

but there was air beneath the lake it

seemed only a few minutes until they

drove up to the old home place and went

quickly into the house where ma

and paul both scolded them well

[Music]

anxious

for some time and then one day that was

really warm

they drove to four miles to see if their

good

lived by themselves on their farm but

had no children

and could hardly make trust enough

when at last the visit was over mr post

was standing by the buggy to see him

start

he started to speak then hesitated and

finally said

in a clear voice if you folks will let

me take the baby into kelly for her to

keep

you may take the best horse out of my

stable

as he stood still when he had left him

and he misses boast waving in the house

knowing she was sure what mr ghost was

going to propose to them

the rest of the winter passed quickly

there were no more storms and the

weather was warm for the season

april came and all the foreign seeding

was begun

on the 12th of april manly went down to

the barn to catch up for the afternoon’s

work

when he went into the barn the sun was

shining warmly and he had no thought of

storm

when the horses were combed and brushed

and harnessed just as he was starting to

take them out

there was a crash as of something

smashing against the whole side of the

barn

and he heard the shriek of the wind and

looking out he could see

nothing but whirling snow a blizzard in

april

why it was time for spring’s work manly

could hardly believe his eyes he rubbed

them and looked again

and he unharnessed the team and went to

the house it was quite a little way to

go

and nothing whatever could be seen

except the whirling snow

but there were things scattered along

the path the cutter the wagon

taking his direction from the right each

stood as he came to it

he went on to the next and came safely

to the porch and the house

laura was anxiously trying to see from

the window to the bar and hoping for a

glimpse of

it coming but she couldn’t see him until

the door opened

it was the worst storm of the winter and

lasted two days

with no slacking of the wind which held

steadily to its high

wild shriek but all was snug at the

house

the stopper safe and warm in the barn

had following the line of slabs and

wagon

and they managed to get safety to them

and back once a day to give them water

and through the dangers

but on the morning of the third day the

sun rose bright

and the wind came only in low gusts it

looked a wintry world

a good many people had been caught in

the storm and two travelers nearby

lost their lives while mr barwise

two miles south of town two strangers

have come walking from town

they stopped and inquired the way to mr

matthews saying they were friends of his

from illinois

mr bowers pointed out mr manitou’s

counselor

and the strangers went on their way soon

the storm struck

and mr bowers went from the field to his

buildings and shelter

the day the storm was over mr byros saw

mr matthews passing on his way to town

and inquired about his friends from

illinois

mr matthews had not seen them so the two

went searching for them

the two strange men were found in a

haystack that stood by itself from the

open prairie

considerably off the course they surely

followed

they had pulled hay out of the stack and

lighted it to make a fire

they evidently had given up the idea of

keeping warm by an open fire in the wind

and

when it crawled into the hole in the

haystack

there they had frozen to death if they

had kept walking

they could have wiped out the storm that

lasted only two days

or if they had been properly dressed

they were not a frozen inside the

haystack

but their clothes were thin for

springtime in illinois

and not for a western blizzard

the snow was soon gone again and spring

really came

with the singing of metal marks and the

sweetness of violets and new grass as

all the prairie turned a beautiful soft

green

the lord put rose in a closed basket

with her tiny sunburned under head

one day he went away and never came back

and his fate was never known with a

friendly stray saint bernard

a huge black dog had come to the house

and been adopted in shep’s place the

saint bernard seemed to think his

special job was to watch over rose

and wherever she was there he would be

crawled around her

or sitting up close against her the cook

stove was moved to the store

leaving the other room cooler for the

hot weather and in the summertime

there could be no horseback riding

safely with a baby

but laura did not miss it so much

because man may flash into dry bricks

leaving just enough room for laura’s

feet at the end with the driver’s seat

when the work was done after dinner

laura would each farm to the road cart

and with rose and her pink sun bonnet

sitting in the box would drive away

wherever she cared to go

sometimes she went to town but more

often to see her law and the girls

at first wall was afraid to give rose

travel that way

but soon she became used to it although

barnum was a fast driver

he was as gentle as a kitten and the

clock on its two

wheels was light and safe rose could not

fall out of the box

and laura was a good driver she never

had a moment’s unease was falling next

to the road cart

and manly didn’t care go off and she

went just so she came home in time to

get supper

with house work garden work caring for

and driving with rose the sun was soon

passed and it was hanging time again

now rose slapped the shelter of a

windrow of hay and watched where laura

drove step on the bull rake

laura and manly both like to stay on the

sunny hay field and maybe rose

done the yield of grain was not nearly

so much as it should have been

the season had been too dry and the

price of wheat was lower

only 50 cents a bushel still

there was money enough to pay all the

interest in some of the smaller notes

that was for the mowing machine and

horse rate and for the selfie plan

and the first payment was made on the

orchestra

there was still the wagon note and the

500 is

[Music]

they were nice large two-year-olds and

they would sell for twelve dollars each

twenty four dollars would help my

groceries they hadn’t done so badly

considering the season

the 26th of august can come again and

this winter and summer