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