Winter Days And Winter Nights Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

winter days and winter nights

the first snow came and the bitter cold

every morning paw took his gun and his

traps and was gone

all day in the big woods setting the

small traps for muskrats and mink

along the creeks the middle-sized traps

for foxes and wolves in the woods

he set out the big bear traps hoping to

get a fat bear before they all went into

their dens for the winter

one morning he came back took the horses

and sled

and hurried away again he had shot a

bear

laura and mary jumped up and down and

clapped their hands they were so glad

mary shouted i want the drumstick i want

the drumstick

mary did not know how big a bear’s

drumstick is

when paul came back he had both a bear

and a pig in the wagon

he had been going through the woods with

a big bear trap in his hands

and the gun on his shoulder when he

walked around a big pine tree

covered with snow and the bear was

behind the tree

the bear had just killed the pig and was

picking it up to eat it

paw said the bear was standing up on its

hind legs holding the pig in its paws

just as though they were hands

paw shot the bear and there was no way

of knowing where the pig came from

nor whose pig it was so i just brought

home the bacon

pau said there was plenty of fresh meat

to last for a long time

the days and the nights were so cold

that the pork in a box

and the bear meat hanging in the little

shed outside the back door was solidly

frozen

and did not thaw when ma wanted fresh

meat for dinner

pod took the axe and cut off a chunk of

frozen bear meat or pork

but the sausage balls or the salt pork

or the smoked hams in the venison ma

could get for herself from the shed or

the attic

the snow kept coming till it was drifted

and banked against the house

in the mornings the windowpanes were

covered with frost and beautiful

pictures of trees and flowers and

fairies ma said that jack frost came in

the night

and made the pictures while everyone was

asleep

laura thought that jack frost was a

little man

all snowy white wearing a glittering

white pointed cap

and soft white knee boots made of deer

skin

his coat was white and his mittens were

white

and he did not carry a gun on his back

but in his hands

he had shining sharp tools with which he

carved

the pictures laura and mary were allowed

to take maw’s thimble

and made pretty patterns of circles in

the frost on the glass

but they never spoiled the pictures that

jack frost had made in the night

when they put their mouths close to the

pain and blew their breath on it

the white frost melted and ran in drops

down the glass then they could see the

drifts of snow outdoors

and the great trees standing bare and

black

making thin blue shadows on the white

snow

laura and mary helped ma with the work

every morning there were the dishes to

wipe mary wiped more of them than laura

because she was bigger

but laura always wiped carefully her own

little cup and plate

by the time the dishes were all wiped

and set away

the trundle bed was aired then

standing one on each side laura and mary

straightened the covers

tucked them in well at the foot and the

sides plumped up the pillows

and put them in place then ma pushed the

trundle bed into its place

under the big bed after this was done

ma began the work that belonged to that

day

each day had its own proper work

my used to say wash on monday

iron on tuesday mend

on wednesday turn on thursday

clean on friday bake

on saturday rest on sunday

laura likes the churning in the baking

days best of

all the week in winter the cream was not

yellow as it was in summer

and butter churned from it was white and

not so pretty

ma liked everything on her table to be

pretty

so in the winter time she colored the

butter

after she’d put the cream in the tall

crock return and set it near the stove

to warm

she washed and scraped a long orange

colored carrot

then she grated it on the bottom of the

old leaky tin

pan that paw had punched full of nail

holes for her

ma rubbed the carrot across the

roughness until she had rubbed it all

through the holes

and when she lifted up the pan there was

a soft

juicy mound of grated carrot

she put this in a little pan of milk on

the stove

and when the milk was hot she poured

milk and carrot

into a cloth bag then she squeezed the

bright yellow milk into the churn

where it colored all the cream now the

butter

would be yellow laura and mary were

allowed to eat the carrot after the milk

had been squeezed out

mary thought she ought to have the

larger share because she was older

and lara said she should have it because

she was littler

but ma said they must divide it evenly

it was very good

when the cream was ready moss scalded

the long wooden churn dash

put it in the churn and drop the wooden

churn cover

over it the churn cover had a little

round hole

in the middle and mom moved the dash up

and down

up and down through the hole she churned

for a long time

mary could sometimes churn while ma

rested

but the dash was too heavy for laura

at first the splashes of cream showed

thick and smooth around the little hole

after a long time they began to look

grainy

then ma turned more slowly and on the

dash

there began to appear tiny grains of

yellow butter

when ma took off the churn cover there

was the butter in a golden

lump drowning in the buttermilk

then ma took out the lump with a wooden

paddle

into a wooden bowl and she washed it

many times in cold water

turning it over and over and working it

with the paddle

until the water ran clear after that

she salted it now came the best

part of the churning ma molded the

butter

on the loose bottom of the wooden butter

mold was carved the picture of a

strawberry

with two strawberry leaves with the

paddle

ma packed the butter tightly into the

mold until it was

full then she turned it upside down over

a plate

and pushed on the handle of the loose

bottom

the little firm path of golden butter

came out

with the strawberry and its leaves

molded on the top

laura and mary watched breathless one

on each side of maul while the little

golden butter pads

each with its strawberry on the top

dropped onto the plate

as ma put all the butter through the

mold

then ma gave them each a drink of good

fresh

buttermilk on saturdays

when mom made the bread they each had a

little piece of dough

to make into a little loaf they might

have a bit of cookie dough too to make

little cookies

and once laura even made a pie in her

patty pan

after the day’s work was done ma

sometimes cut

paper dolls for them she cut the dolls

out of stiff white paper

and drew the faces with a pencil then

from bits of colored paper

she cut dresses and hats ribbons

and laces so that laura and mary could

dress their dolls

beautifully but the best time of all was

at night when paw came home

he would come in from his tramping

through the snowy woods with tiny

icicles hanging on the ends of his

mustaches

he would hang his gun on the wall over

the door

throw off his fur cap and coat and

mittens and call

where’s my little half pint of sweet

cider half drunk up

that was laura because she was so small

laura and mary would run to climb on his

knees and sit there while he warmed

himself by the fire

then he would put on his coat and cap

and mittens again and go out to do the

chores and bring in plenty of wood for

the fire

sometimes when paul had walked his trap

lines quickly because the traps were

empty

or when he got some games sooner than

usual

he would come home early then he would

have time to play with laura and mary

one game they loved was called mad dog

paw would run his fingers through his

thick brown hair

standing it all up on end then he

dropped on all fours and

growling he chased laura and mary all

around the room

trying to get them cornered where they

couldn’t get away

they were quick at dodging and running

but once he caught them against the wood

box behind the stove

they couldn’t get past paw and there was

no other way out

then paul growled so terribly

his hair was so wild and his eyes

so fierce that it all seemed real mary

was so frightened that she could not

move

but his paw came nearer laura screamed

and with a wild leap and a scramble she

went over the wood box dragging mary

with her

and at once there was no mad dog at all

there was only paws standing there with

his blue eyes shining looking at laura

well he said to her you’re only a little

half pint of cider half drunk up but by

jinx you’re as strong as a little french

horse

you shouldn’t frighten the children so

charles

ma said look how big their eyes are

paul looked and then he took down his

fiddle

he began to play and sing

oh yankee doodle went to town he wore

his striped trousers he swore he

couldn’t see the town there were so many

houses

laura and mary forgot all about the mad

dog

and there he saw some great big guns big

as a log a maple

and every time they turned him round it

took to yoke of cattle

and every time they fired him off it

took a horn a powder

it made a noise like father’s gun only a

nation louder

paul was keeping time with his foot and

laura clapped her hands to the music

when he sang

and thousand yankee doodly doo and house

and yankee doom go

and house and yankee doodly doo and

housing yankee doodle

[Music]

all alone in the wild big woods and the

snow

and the cold the little log house was

warm and snug

and cozy paw and ma and mary

and laura and baby carrie were

comfortable and happy there

especially at night then the fire was

shining

on the hearth the cold and the dark and

the wild beasts were all shut out

and jack the brendell bulldog and black

susan the cat

lay blinking at the flames in the

fireplace

ma sat in her rocking chair sowing by

the light of the lamp on the table

the lamp was bright and shiny there was

salt in the bottom of its glass bowl

with the kerosene to keep the kerosene

from exploding

and there were bits of red flannel among

the salt

to make it pretty it was pretty

lara loved to look at the lamp with its

glass chimney so clean

and sparkling its yellow flame burning

so steadily

and its bowl of clear kerosene colored

red by the bits of flannel

she loved to look at the fire in the

fireplace

flickering and changing all the time

burning yellow and red and sometimes

green

above the logs and hovering blue over

the golden

and ruby coals and then

paw told stories when laura and mary

begged him for a story he would take

them on his knees

and tickle their faces with his long

whiskers

until they laughed aloud his eyes were

blue

and merry one night paul looked at black

susan

stretching herself before the fire and

running her claws out and in

and he said do you know that a panther

is a cat

a great big wild cat

no said laura well it

is said paw just imagine black susan

bigger than jack and fiercer than jack

when he growls

then she would be just like a panther

he settled laura and mary more

comfortably on his knees and he said

i’ll tell you about grandpa and the

panther

your grandpa laura asked no

laura your grandpa my father

oh laura said and she wriggled closer

against paul’s arm

she knew her grandpa he lived far away

in the big woods in a big log

house paul began

the story of grandpa and the panther

your grandpa went to town one day and

was late starting home

it was dark when he came riding his

horse through the big woods

so dark that he could hardly see the

road and when he heard a panther scream

he was frightened for he had no gun

how does a panther scream laura asked

like a woman said paul like this

then he screamed so that laura and mary

shivered with terror ma

jumped in her chair and said mercy

charles

but laura and mary loved to be scared

like that

the horse with grandpa on him ran fast

for it was frightened too

but it could not get away from the

panther the panther followed through the

dark woods

it was a hungry panther and it came as

fast as a horse could run

it screamed now on this side of the road

now on the other side

and it was always close behind grandpa

leaned forward in the saddle and urged

the horse to run

faster the horse was running as fast as

it could possibly run

and still the panther screamed close

behind

then grandpa caught a glimpse of it as

it leaped from treetop to treetop

almost overhead it was a huge

black panther leaping through the air

like black susan leaping on a mouse

it was many many times bigger than black

susan

it was so big that if it leaped on

grandpa it could kill him with its

enormous slashing claws and its

long sharp teeth

grandpa on his horse was running away

from it just as a mouse runs from a cat

the panther did not scream anymore

grandpa

did not see it anymore but he knew that

it was coming

leaping after him in the dark woods

behind him the horse ran

with all its might at last the horse ran

up to grandpa’s house

grandpa saw the panthers springing

grandpa

jumped off the horse against the door he

burst through the door

and slammed it behind him the panther

landed on the horse’s back

just where grandpa had been the horse

screamed

terribly and ran he was running away

into the big woods with the panther

riding on his back and

ripping his back with its claws but

grandpa grabbed his gun from the wall

and got to the window

just in time to shoot the panther dead

grandpa said he would never again

go into the big woods without his gun

when pot told this story laura and mary

shivered and snuggled closer to him they

were

safe and snug on his knees with his

strong arms around them

they liked to be there before the warm

fire with black susan

purring on the hearth and good dog jack

stretched out beside her

when they heard a wolf howl jack’s head

lifted

and the hairs rose stiff along his back

but laura and mary listened to that

lonely sound in the dark and the cold of

the big woods

and they were not afraid they were cozy

and comfortable in their little house

made of logs

with the snow drifted around it and the

wind

crying because it could not get in by

the fire

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