Book 3 2. WINTER EVENING Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
winter evening the air was
still as ice and the twigs were snapping
in the cold
a gray light came from the snow but
shadows were gathering in the woods
it was dusk when almanzo trudged up the
last long slope to the farmhouse
he hurried behind royal who hurried
behind mr
course alice walked fast behind eliza
jane in the other sled track
they kept their mouths covered from the
cold and did not say anything
the roof of the tall red-painted house
was
rounded with snow and from all the eaves
hung a fringe of great icicles
the front of the house was dark but a
sled track
went to the big barns and a path had
been shoveled to the side
door and candlelight shone in the
kitchen windows
almanzo did not go into the house he
gave the dinner pail to alice
and he went to the barns with royal
there were three long enormous barns
around three
sides of the square barnyard altogether
they were the finest barns in all that
country
almanzo went first into the horse barn
it faced the house and it was 100 feet
long
the horse’s row of box stalls was in the
middle
at one end was the calf shed and beyond
it the snug
hen house at the other end was the buggy
house
it was so large that two buggies and the
sleigh could be driven into it with
plenty of room to unhitch the horses
the horses went from it into their
stalls without going out again
into the cold the big barn
began at the west end of the horse barn
and made the west side of the barnyard
in the big barn’s middle was the big
barn floor
great doors opened onto it from the
meadows to let loaded hay wagons in
on one side was the great hay bay
50 feet long and 20 feet wide crammed
full of hay to the peak of the roof far
overhead
beyond the big barn floor were 14 stalls
for the cows and oxen
beyond them was the machine shed and
beyond
it was the tool shed there you turned
the corner into the south barn
in it was the feed room then the hog
pins
then the calf pins then the south barn
floor
that was the threshing floor it was even
larger than the big barn floor
and the fanning mill stood there beyond
the south barn floor
was a shed for the young cattle and
beyond it
was the sheepfold that was all of the
south barn
a tight board fence 12 feet high stood
along the east side of the barnyard
the three huge barns and the fence
walled in the snug yard winds howled
and snow beat against them but could not
get in
no matter how stormy the winter there
was hardly ever more than
two feet of snow in the sheltered
barnyard
when almanzo went into these great barns
he always went through the horse barn’s
little door
he loved horses there they stood in
their roomy box stalls
clean and sleek and gleaming brown with
long black manes and tails the wise
sedate workhorses placidly munched hay
the three-year-olds put their noses
together across the bars
they seemed to whisper together then
softly their nostrils whooshed along one
another’s necks
one pretended to bite and they squealed
and whirled and kicked in play
the old horses turned their heads and
looked like grandmothers at the young
ones
but the colts ran about excited on their
gangling legs and stared and wondered
they all knew almanzo their ears pricked
up
and their eyes shone softly when they
saw him
the three-year-olds came eagerly and
thrust their heads out to nuzzle at him
their noses prickled with a few stiff
hairs
were soft as velvet and on their
foreheads the short
fine hair was silky smooth
their necks arched proudly firm
and round and the black manes fell over
them like a heavy fringe
you could run your hand along those firm
curved necks in the warmth under the
mane
but almanzo hardly dared to do it
he was not allowed to touch the
beautiful three-year-olds
he could not go into their stalls not
even to clean them
father would not let him handle the
young horses or the colts
father didn’t trust him yet because
colts and young
unbroken horses are very easily spoiled
a boy who didn’t know any better might
scare a young horse
or tease it or even strike it and that
would ruin it
it would learn to bite and kick and hate
people
and then it would never be a good horse
almanzo did know better he wouldn’t ever
scare or hurt one of those beautiful
colts
he would always be quiet and gentle and
patient
he wouldn’t startle a cult or shout at
it
not even if it stepped on his foot but
father wouldn’t believe this so almanzo
could only look
longingly at the eager three-year-olds
he
just touched their velvety noses and
then he went quickly away from them
and put on his barn frock over his good
school clothes
father had already watered all the stock
and he was beginning to give them their
grain
royal and almanzo took pitchforks and
went from stall to stall
cleaning out the soiled hay underfoot
and spreading fresh hay from the manger
to make
clean beds for the cows and the oxen
and the calves and the sheep
they did not have to make beds for the
hogs because hogs make their own beds
and keep them clean in the south barn
almanzo’s own two little calves were in
one stall
they came crowding each other at the
bars when they saw him
both calves were red and one had a white
spot on his forehead
almanzo had named him star the other was
a bright red all over
and almanzo called him bright
star and bright were young calves not
yet a year old
their little horns had only begun to
grow hard in the soft hair by their ears
almanzo scratched around the little
horns because calves like that
they pushed their moist blunt noses
between the bars
and licked with their rough tongues
almanzo took two carrots from the cow’s
feed box
and snapped little pieces off them and
fed the pieces one by one
to star and bright then he took his
pitchfork again
and climbed into the haymo’s overhead
it was dark there only a little light
came from the pierced ten sides of the
lantern hung in the alleyway below
royal and almanzo were not allowed to
take a lantern into the heymos for fear
of fire
but in a moment they could see in the
dusk
they worked fast pitching hay into the
mangers below
almanzo could hear the crunching of all
the animals eating
the heymos were warm with the warmth of
all the stock below
and the hay smelled dusty sweet
there was a smell too of the horses and
cows
and a woolly smell of the sheep and
before the boys finished filling the
mangers
there was the good smell of warm milk
foaming into father’s milk pail
almanzo took his own little milking
stool and a pail
and sat in blossom stall to milk her
his hands were not yet strong enough to
milk a hard milker
but he could milk blossom and bossy they
were good old cows who gave down their
milk easily
and hardly ever switched a stinging tail
into his eyes
or upset the pail with a hind foot
he sat with the pail between his feet
and milked steadily
left right swish swish the streams of
milk slanted into the pail
while the cows licked up their grain and
crunched their carrots
the barn cats curved their bodies
against the corners of the stall
loudly purring they were sleek and
fat from eating mice every barn cat had
large ears
and a long tail sure signs of a good
mauser
day and night they patrolled the barns
keeping mice and rats from the feed bins
and at milking time they lapped up pans
of warm milk
when almanzo had finished milking he
filled the pans for the cats
his father went into blossom’s stall
with his own pail and stool
and sat down to strip the last richest
drops of milk
from blossom’s udder but almanzo had got
it all
then father went into bossy stall he
came out at once and said
you’re a good milker son almanzo just
turned around and
kicked at the straw on the floor he was
too
pleased to say anything now he could
milk cows by himself
father needn’t strip them after him
pretty soon
he would be milking the hardest milkers
almanzo’s father had pleasant blue eyes
that twinkled
he was a big man with a long soft brown
beard
and soft brown hair his frock of brown
wool
hung to the tops of his tall boots the
two fronts of it were crossed on his
broad chest and belted snug around his
waist
then the skirt of it hung down over his
trousers of good brown full cloth
father was an important man he had a
good farm
he drove the best horses in that country
his word was as good as his bond and
every year he put
money in the bank when father drove into
malone
all the town’s people spoke to him
respectfully
royal came up with his milk pail and the
lantern
he said in a low voice father
big bill richie came to school today
the holes in the ten lantern freckled
everything with little lights and
shadows
almanzo could see the father look solemn
he stroked his beard
and slowly shook his head almanzo waited
anxiously but father only took the
lantern and made a last round of the
barns to see that everything was snug
for the night
then they went to the house the cold
was cruel the night was black and still
and the stars were tiny sparkles in the
sky
almanzo was glad to get into the big
kitchen
warm with fire and candlelight he was
very hungry soft water
from the rain barrel was warming on the
stove
first father then royal then almanzo
took his turn at the wash basin on the
bench by the door
almanzo wiped on the linen roller towel
then standing before the little mirror
on the wall
he parted his wet hair and combed it
smoothly down
the kitchen was full of hoop skirts
balancing and swirling
eliza jane and alice were hurrying to
dish up supper
the salty brown smell of frying ham made
almanzo’s stomach
gnaw inside him he stopped just a minute
in the pantry door
mother was straining the milk at the far
end of the long pantry
her back was toward him the shelves on
both sides were loaded with good things
to eat
big yellow cheeses were stacked there
and large brown cakes of maple sugar
and there were crusty loaves of fresh
baked bread
and four large cakes and one whole shelf
full of pies one of the pies was cut
and a little piece of crust was
temptingly broken off
it would never be missed almanzo
hadn’t even moved yet but eliza jane
cried out
almanzo you stop that mother
mother didn’t turn around she said
leave that be almanzo you’ll spoil your
supper
that was so senseless that it made
almanzo mad
one little bite couldn’t spoil a supper
he was starving
and they wouldn’t let him eat anything
until they had put it on the table
there wasn’t any sense in it but of
course he could not say this to mother
he had to obey her without a word
he stuck out his tongue at eliza jane
she couldn’t do anything
her hands were full then he went quickly
into the dining room
the lamp light was dazzling by the
square
heating stove sat into the wall father
was talking politics to mr course
father’s face was toward the supper
table and almanzo dared not touch
anything on it
there were slabs of tempting cheese
there was a plate of
quivering head cheese there were glass
dishes of
jams and jellies and preserves and a
tall
pitcher of milk and a steaming pan of
baked beans
with a crisp bit of fat pork in the
crumbling brown crust
almanzo looked at them all and something
twisted in his middle
he swallowed and went slowly away
the dining room was pretty
there were green stripes and rows of
tiny red flowers on the chocolate brown
wallpaper
and mother had woven the red carpet to
match
she had dyed the rags green and
chocolate brown
and woven them in stripes with a tiny
stripe of red and white rags twisted
together between them
the tall corner cupboards were full of
fascinating things
seashells and petrified wood
and curious rocks and books
and over the center table hung an air
castle
alice had made it of clean yellow wheat
straws
set together aerially with bits of
bright colored cloth at the corners
it swayed and quivered in the slightest
breath of air
and the lamp light ran gleaming along
the golden straw
but to almanzo the most beautiful sight
was his mother bringing in the big
willow wear platter full of sizzling ham
mother was short and plump and pretty
her eyes were blue and her brown hair
was like a bird’s smooth wings
a row of little red buttons ran down the
front of her dress of wine-colored wool
from her flat white linen collar to the
white apron tied around her waist
her big sleeves hung like large red
bells at either end of the blue platter
she came through the doorway with a
little pause and a tug
because her hoop skirts were wider than
the door
the smell of the ham was almost more
than almanzo could bear
mother set the platter on the table she
looked to see that everything was ready
and the table
properly set she took off her apron
and hung it in the kitchen she waited
until father had finished what he was
saying to mr course
but at last she said james
supper is ready it seemed a long time
before they were all in their places
father said at the head of the table
mother at the foot
then they must all bow their heads while
father asked god to bless the food
after that there was a little pause
before father unfolded his napkin
and tucked it in the neck band of his
frock
he began to fill the plates first he
filled mr coarse’s plate
then mothers then royals and eliza james
and alice’s
then at last he filled almanzo’s plate
thank you almanzo said those were the
only words he was allowed to speak at
table
children must be seen and not heard
father and mother and mr course could
talk but royal
and eliza jane and alice and almanzo
must not say a word almanzo ate the
sweet mellow baked beans
he ate the bit of salt pork that melted
like cream in his
mouth he ate mealy boiled potatoes with
brown ham gravy
he ate the ham he bit deep into velvety
bread
spread with sleek butter and he ate the
crisp golden crust
he demolished a tall heap of pale mashed
turnips
and a hill of stewed yellow pumpkin
then he sighed and tucked his napkin
deeper into the neckband of his red
waist
and he ate plum preserves and strawberry
jam
and grape jelly and spiced watermelon
rind pickles
he felt very comfortable inside
slowly he ate a large piece of pumpkin
pie
he heard father say to mr course
the hard scrabble boys came to school
today royal tells me
yes mr cory said
i hear they’re saying they’ll throw you
out mr course said
i guess they’ll be trying it father blew
on the tea and a saucer
he tasted it then drained the saucer and
poured a little more tea into it
they have driven out two teachers he
said
last year they hurt jonas lane so bad he
died of it later
i know mr coors said
jonas lane and i went to school together
he was my friend father did not say any
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