Book 4 1. THE DOOR IN THE GROUND Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
[Music]
harper audio presents
on the banks of plum creek written by
laura
ingalls wilder and performed by cherry
jones
the door in the ground the dim wagon
track went no farther on the prairie
and paw stop the horses when the wagon
wheel stopped turning
jack dropped down in the shade between
them his belly sank on the grass and his
front leg stretched out
his nose fitted into furry hollow all of
him rested except his ears
all day long for many many days jack had
been trotting under the wagon
he had trotted all the way from the
little log house in indian territory
across kansas across missouri
across iowa and a long way into
minnesota
he had learned to take his rest whenever
the wagon stopped
in the wagon laura jumped up and so did
mary
their legs were tired of not moving
this must be the place paw said it’s
half a mile up the creek from nelson’s
we’ve come a good half mile and there’s
the creek
laura could not see a creek she saw a
grassy bank
and beyond it a line of willow treetops
waving in the gentle wind
everywhere else the prairie grasses were
rippling far away to the sky’s straight
edge
seems to be some kind of stable over
there said paul looking around the edge
of the canvas wagon cover
but where’s the house laura jumped
inside her skin
a man was standing beside the horses
no one had been in sight anywhere but
suddenly
that man was there his hair was pale
yellow
his round face was as red as an indians
and his eyes were so pale that they
looked like a mistake
jack growled be still jack
said paw he asked the man are you mr
hanson
yeah the man said paul spoke slowly and
loudly
i heard you want to go west you trade
your place
the man looked slowly at the wagon he
looked at the mustangs pat and patty
after a while he said again y’all
paul got out of the wagon and ma said
you can climb out and run around girls
i know you’re tired sitting still jack
got up when laura climbed down the wagon
wheel but he had to stay under the wagon
until paw said he might go
he looked out at laura while she ran
along a little path that was there
the path went across short sunny grass
to the edge of the bank
down below it was the creek rippling and
glistening in the sunshine the willow
trees grew up beyond the creek
over the edge of the bank the path
turned and went slanting down
close against the grassy bank that rose
up like a wall
laura went down it cautiously the bank
rose up beside her until she could not
see the wagon
there was only the high sky above her
and down below her the water was talking
to itself
laura went a step farther than one more
step
the path stopped at a wider flat place
where it turned
and dropped down to the creek in stair
steps
then laura saw the door
the door stood straight up in the grassy
bank
where the path turned it was like a
house door
but whatever was behind it was under the
ground
the door was shut in front of it lay
two big dogs with ugly faces
they saw laura and slowly rose up
laura ran very fast up the path to the
safe wagon
mary was standing there and laura
whispered to her
there’s a door in the ground and two big
dogs
she looked behind her the two dogs were
coming
jack’s deep growl rolled from under the
wagon
he showed those dogs his fierce teeth
those your dogs paw said to mr hansen
mr hansen turned and spoke words that
laura could not understand
but the dogs understood one behind the
other
they slunk over the edge of that bank
down out of sight
pau and mr hansen walked slowly away
toward the stable
the stable was small and it was not made
of logs
grass grew on its walls and its roof was
covered with growing grasses blowing in
the wind
laura and mary stayed near the wagon
where jack was
they looked at the prairie grasses
swaying and bending and yellow flowers
nodding birds rose and flew and sank
into the grasses
the sky curved very high and its rim
came neatly down to the far away edge of
the round earth
when pawn mr hansen came back they heard
paul say
all right hanson we’ll go to town
tomorrow and fix up the papers
tonight we’ll camp here yeah yeah
mr hansen agreed paul boosted
mary and laura into the wagon and drove
out on the prairie
he told ma that he had traded pet and
paddy for mr hanson’s land
he had traded bunny the mule colt and
the wagon cover for mr hanson’s crops
and his oxen he unhitched pat and patty
and he led them to the creek to drink he
put them on their picket lines and
helped mom make camp for the night
laura was quiet she did not want to play
and she was not hungry when they all sat
eating supper by the campfire
the last night out said paw tomorrow
will be
settled again the house is in the creek
bank caroline
oh charles said ma a dugout
we’ve never had to live in a dugout yet
i think you’ll find a very clean
partholder
norwegians norwegians are clean people
it will be snug for winter and that’s
not far away
yes it will be nice to be settled before
snow flies
ma agreed it’s only till i harvest the
first wheat crop
said paw then you’ll have a fine house
and i’ll have horses and maybe even a
buggy
this is great wheat country caroline
rich
level land with not a tree or a rock to
contend with
i can’t make out why hanson sewed such a
small field
it must have been a dry season or
hanson’s no farmer
his wheat is so thin and light
beyond the fire light patton patty and
bunny were eating grass
they bit it off with sharp pulling
crunches and then
stood chewing it and looking through the
dark at the low stars shining
they switched their tails peacefully
they did not know they had been traded
laura was a big girl seven years old
she was too big to cry but she could not
help asking
paw did you have to give him pet and
patty
did you paw paw’s arm drew her close to
him in a cuddly hug
why little half pint paw said
pat and patty like to travel they’re
little indian ponies laura
and plowing’s too hard work for them
they will be
much happier traveling out west you
wouldn’t want to keep them here breaking
their hearts on a plow
pat and patty will go on traveling and
with those big oxen i can break up a
great big field and have it ready for
wheat next spring
a good crop of wheat will bring us more
money than we’ve ever had laura
then we’ll have horses and new dresses
and
everything you can want laura did not
say anything
she felt better with pau’s arm around
her
but she did not want anything except to
keep
pet and paddy and bunny the long-eared
colt