Book 4 31. SURPRISE Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
surprise that was another mild winter
without much snow
it was still grasshopper weather but
chill winds blew
the sky was gray and the best place for
little girls was in the cozy house
paul was gone outdoors all day he hauled
logs and chopped them into wood for the
stove
he followed frozen plum creek far
upstream where nobody lived
and set traps along the banks for
muskrat and otter and mink
every morning laura and mary studied
their books and worked sums on the slate
every afternoon ma heard their lessons
she said they were good little scholars
and she was sure that when they went to
school again
they would find they had kept up with
their classes
every sunday they went to sunday school
laura saw nellie olsen showing off her
fur cape
she remembered what nellie had said
about paw and she
burned hot inside she knew that hot
feeling was wicked
she knew she must forgive nellie or she
would never be an angel
she thought hard about the pictures of
beautiful angels in the big paper
covered bible at home
but they wore long white nightgowns not
one of them wore a fur
cape one happy sunday was the sunday
when the reverend alden
came from eastern minnesota to preach in
this western church
he preached for a long time while laura
looked at his soft blue eyes and
watched his beard wagging she hoped he
would speak to her after church and he
did
here are my little country girls mary
and laura
he said he remembered their names
laura was wearing her new dress that day
the skirt was long enough
and the sleeves were long too they made
her coat sleeves look shorter than ever
but the red braid on the cuffs was
pretty
what a pretty new dress laura
the reverend alden said laura
almost forgave nelly olsen that day
then came sundays when the reverend
alden
stayed at his own far church and in
sunday school
nellie olson turned up her nose at lara
and
flounced her shoulders under the fur
cape
hot wickedness boiled up in laura again
one afternoon ma said there would be no
lessons
because they must all get ready to go to
town that night
laura and mary were astonished but we
never go to town at night mary said
there must always be a first time said
ma
but why must there be ma laura asked
why are we going to town at night it’s a
surprise
said ma now no more questions we must
all take baths
and be our very nicest
in the middle of the week ma brought in
the wash tub
and heated water for mary’s bath then
again
for laura’s bath and again for carries
there had never been such scrubbing and
scampering
such a changing to fresh drawers and
petticoats
such brushing of shoes and braiding of
hair and tying on of hair ribbons
there had never been such a wondering
supper was early after supper
paul bathed in the bedroom laura and
mary put on their new dresses
they knew better than to ask any more
questions but they wondered and
whispered together
the wagon box was full of clean hay
paw put mary and laura in it and wrapped
blankets around them
he climbed to the seat beside ma and
drove away toward town
the stars were small and frosty in the
dark sky
the horse’s feet clippity-clopped and
the wagon rattled over the hard ground
paw heard something else he said pulling
up the reins
sam and david stopped there was nothing
but
vast dark coldness and stillness pricked
by the stars
then the stillness blossomed into the
loveliest
sound two clear notes sounded
and sounded again and again
no one moved only sam and david tinkled
their bits together and breathed
those two notes went on full and loud
soft and low they seemed to be the stars
singing
too soon mom murmured we’d better be
getting on charles
and the wagon rattled on still through
its rattling
laura could hear those swaying notes
oh paw what is it she asked and paul
said it’s the new church bell laura
it was for this that paw had worn his
old patched boots
the town seemed asleep the stores were
dark as paw drove passed them
then laura exclaimed oh look at the
church
how pretty the church is
the church was full of light light
spilled out of
all its windows and ran out into the
darkness from the door when it opened to
let someone
in laura almost jumped out from under
the blankets before she remembered that
she must never stand up in the wagon
when the horses were going
paul drove to the church steps and
helped them all out
he told them to go in but they waited in
the cold until he had covered sam and
david with their blankets
then he came and they all went into the
church together
laura’s mouth fell open and her eyes
stretched to look at what she saw
she held mary’s hand tightly and they
followed ma and paw
they sat down then laura could look with
all her might
standing in front of the crowded benches
was a tree
laura decided it must be a tree she
could see its trunk and branches
but she had never before seen such a
tree
where leaves would be in summer there
were clusters and streamers of thin
green paper thick among them
hung little sacks made of pink mosquito
bar
laura was almost sure she could see
candy in them
from the branches hung packages wrapped
in colored paper
red packages and pink packages and
yellow packages
all tied with colored string silk
scarves were draped among them
red mittens hung by the cord that would
go around your neck and keep them from
being lost if you were wearing them
a pair of new shoes hung by their heels
from a branch
lavish strings of white popcorn were
looped all over this
under the tree and leaning against it
were all kinds of things
laura saw a crinkly bright washboard
a wooden tub a churn and dasher
a sled made of new boards a shovel
a long-handled pitchfork
laura was too excited to speak she
squeezed mary’s hand tighter
and tighter and she looked up at ma
wanting so much to know what this was
ma smiled down at her and answered this
is a christmas tree girls
do you think it’s pretty they could not
answer
they nodded while they kept on looking
at that wonderful tree
they were hardly even surprised to know
that this was christmas
though they had not expected christmas
yet because there was not enough snow
just then laura saw the most wonderful
thing of
all from a far branch of that tree hung
a little fur cape and a muff to match
the reverend alden was there he preached
about christmas
but laura was looking at that tree and
she could not hear what he said
everyone stood up to sing and laura
stood up
but she could not sing not a sound would
come out of her throat
in the whole world there couldn’t be a
store so
wonderful to look at as that tree
after the singing mr tower and mr beedle
began
taking things off it and reading out
names
mrs tower and miss beadle brought those
things down past the benches
and gave them to the person whose name
was on them
everything on that tree was a christmas
present for somebody
when laura knew that the lamps and
people
and voices and even the tree began to
whirl
they whirled faster noisier and more
excited
someone gave her a pink mosquito bar bag
it did have candy in it
and a big popcorn ball mary had one
too so did carrie every girl and boy had
one
then mary had a pair of blue mittens
then laura had a red pair ma opened a
big
package and there was a warm big brown
and red plaid shawl for her
paw got a woolly muffler then carrie had
a rag doll
with a china head she screamed for joy
through the laughing and talking and
rustling of papers
mr beatle and mr tower went on shouting
names
the little fur cape and muff still hung
on the tree
and laura wanted them she wanted to look
at them as long as she could
she wanted to know who got them they
could not be for nelly olsen who already
had a fur cape
laura did not expect anything more but
to marry came a pretty little booklet
with bible pictures in it
from mrs tower mr tower was taking the
little fur cape and the muff from the
tree
he read a name but laura could not hear
it through all the joyful noise
she lost sight of the cape and muff
among all the people
they were gone now then to carry came a
cunning little brown spotted white chyna
dog
but carrie’s arms and her eyes were full
of her doll
so lara held and stroked and laughed
over the sleek little dog
merry christmas laura miss beadle said
and in laura’s hand she put a beautiful
little box
it was made of snow white gleaming china
on its top stood a wee gold colored
teapot
and a gold colored tiny cup in a gold
colored saucer
the top of the box lifted off inside
was a nice place to keep a breast pen if
someday laura had a breast pen
ma said it was a jewel box
there had never been such a christmas as
this
it was such a large rich christmas the
whole
church full of christmas there was so
many lamps
so many people so much noise and
laughter
and so many happiness is in it
laura felt full and bursting as if that
whole big rich christmas were inside her
and her mittens and her beautiful jewel
box
with the wee gold cup and saucer and
teapot
and her candy and her popcorn ball
and suddenly someone said these are for
you
laura mrs tower stood smiling
holding out the little fur cape and muff
for me laura said
for me then everything else vanished
well with both arms she hugged the soft
furs to her
she hugged them tighter and tighter
trying to believe they were
really hers that silky soft little brown
fur
cape and the muff all around her
christmas went on but laura knew only
the softness of those furs
people were going home carrie was
standing on the bench while ma
fastened her coat and hide her hood more
snuggly ma was saying
thank you so much for the show brother
alden
it is just what i needed paul said
and thank you for the muffler it will
feel good when i come to town in the
cold the reverend alden sat down on the
bench and asked
and does mary’s coat fit
laura had not noticed mary’s coat until
then
mary had on a new dark blue coat
it was long and its sleeves came down to
mary’s wrists
mary buttoned it up and it fitted
and how does this little girl like her
furs
the reverend alden smiled he drew laura
between his knees
he laid the fur cape around her
shoulders and fastened it at the throat
he put the cord of the muff around her
neck and her hands went inside the silky
muff
there the reverend alden said now my
little country girls will be warm when
they come to sunday school
what do you say laura ma asked but the
reverend alden said
there’s no need the way her eyes are
shining is enough
laura could not speak the golden brown
fur cuddled her neck and softly hugged
her shoulders
down her front it hid the threadbare
fastenings of her coat
the muff came far up her wrists and hid
the shortness of her coat sleeves
she’s a little brown bird with red
trimmings the reverend alton said
then laura laughed it was true
her hair and her coat her dress and the
wonderful furs were brown
her hood and mittens and the braid on
her dress were red
i’ll tell my church people back east
about our little brown bird
said the reverend alden you see when i
told them about our church out here
they said they must send a box for the
christmas tree
they all gave things they had the little
girls who sent your furs in mary’s coat
needed larger ones thank you sir
said laura and please sir
tell them thank you too for when she
could speak
her manners were as nice as mary’s
then they all said good night and merry
christmas to the reverend alden
mary was so beautiful in her christmas
coat
carrie was so pretty on paw’s arm
paw and ma were smiling so happily
and laura was all gladness
mr and mrs olsen were going home too
mr olsen’s arms were full of things and
so were nellie’s and willie’s
no wickedness boiled up in laura now she
only felt
a little bit of mean gladness
merry christmas nelly laura said
nelly stared while laura walked quietly
on
with her hands snuggled deep in the soft
muff
her cape was prettier than nellie’s and
nellie
had no muff