Book 6 18. MERRY CHRISTMAS Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
merry christmas
the blizzard stopped at last after three
days of its ceaseless noise
the stillness rang in laura’s ears
paul hurried away to get a load of hay
and when he came back he put david in
the stable
the sun was still glittering on the snow
there was no cloud in the northwest
and laura wondered why he stopped
hauling hay
what’s wrong charles ma asked quietly
when paul
came in paul answered
gilbert made it to preston and back he’s
brought the mail
it was as if christmas had happened
unexpectedly
ma hoped for the church paper laura and
mary and carrie hope that reverend alden
had sent them something to read
sometimes he did grace was excited
because they were excited
it was hard to wait for paul to come
back from the post office
he was gone a long time as moss said it
did no good to be impatient
every man in town was at the post office
and paul must wait his turn
when at last he came his hands were full
ma reached eagerly for the church papers
and laura and carrie both tried to take
the bundle of youth’s companions
there were newspapers too here here
paul lev don’t mob a fella and that’s
not the whole of it
guess what i got a letter
oh paw did you get a letter laura cried
who is it from ma asked you’ve got the
advances caroline paul replied
and laura and carrie you’ve got the
youth’s companions
i’ve got the intro ocean and the pioneer
press
mary gets the letter mary’s face
shone she felt the letter’s size and
thickness
a big fat letter please read it ma
so ma opened the letter and read it
aloud
the letter was from reverend alden he
was sorry that he had not been able to
come back and help organize a church
last spring
but he had been sent farther north he
hoped to be with him when spring came
again
the children of the sunday school in
minnesota were sending a bundle of
youth’s companions to the girls
and would send another bundle next year
his church had shipped them a christmas
barrel and he hoped the clothing would
fit
as his own christmas gift and some
slight return for their hospitality to
him and to reverend stewart last winter
at silver lake
he had put in a christmas turkey he
wished them all a merry christmas
and a happy new year there was a little
silence when ma had finished reading
then she said we have this good letter
anyway
gilbert brought word that they’re
putting on a double work crew and two
snow plows at the tracy cut
part told them we may get the barrel by
christmas
it’s only a few days ma said a lot can
be done in a few days said paw
if this spell of clear weather holds out
no reason they can’t get the train
through
oh i hope the christmas barrel comes
kerry said
the hotels have shut down paw told ma
the news
they’ve been burning lumber and now
banker ruth has bought out the lumber
yard down to the last shingle
we couldn’t afford to burn lumber anyway
said ma
but charles we are almost out of coal
we’ll burn hay paw answered cheerfully
hey
ma said and laura asked how can we burn
hay
paw she thought of how quickly the
prairie fire swept through dry grass
flame licks through the light thin stems
and is gone before the frail ashes can
fall
how could a room be kept warm by a fire
so quickly burning out when even the
steady glow of hard coal could not keep
out the cold
we will have to contrive paul told her
we’ll manage it
needs must when the devil drives
likely the train will get through in
time ma said
paul put on his cap again and asmr to
make dinner a little late
he had time to haul another load of hay
if he hustled
he went out and ma said come girls put
the bundle of youth’s companions away
we must get out the washing while the
weather’s clear so we can
all that day laura and carrie and mary
looked forward to the youth’s companions
and often they spoke of them
but the bright day was short they
stirred and punched the clothes
boiling on the stove they lifted them on
the broom handle into the tub where ma
soaped and rubbed them laura rinsed them
gary stirred the bluing bag in the
second rinse water until it was blue
enough
lara made the boiled starch and when for
the last time
maul went out into the cold to hang the
freezing wash on the line
paw had come for dinner then they washed
the dishes
they scrubbed the floor and blacked the
stove and washed the inside of the
windowpanes
ma brought in the frozen dry clothes and
they sorted them and sprinkled them and
rolled them tightly ready for ironing
twilight had come it was too late to
read that day
and after supper there was no lamplight
because they must save the last of the
kerosene
work comes before pleasure ma always
said
she smiled her gentle smile for laura
and carrie and said now
my girls have helped me do a good day’s
work
and they were rewarded tomorrow we’ll
read a story
carrie said happily tomorrow we have to
do the ironing
laura reminded her yes and we should air
the bedding and give the upstairs a
thorough cleaning in this good weather
said ma
paul came in and heard them tomorrow i’m
going to work on the railroad he said
mr woodworth had word to put at work on
the tracks all the men he could get
the superintendent at the tracy cup was
driving the work there and shovel gangs
were shoveling eastward from huron
if muscle and willpower can do it we’ll
have a train through by christmas
paul declared that night he came back
from work with a broad smile on his sun
red face
good news he called out the work train
will come through
sometime tomorrow the regular train will
come next
day after tomorrow probably oh good
goody goody laura and carrie exclaimed
together
and moss said that is good news indeed
what is wrong with your eyes charles his
eyes were red and puffed
he answered cheerfully shoveling snow in
the sunshine is hard on eyes
some of the men are snow blind fix me up
a little weak salt water will you
caroline
and i’ll bathe them after i do the
chores
when he had gone to the stable ma
dropped into a chair near mary
i’m afraid girls this will be a poor
christmas she said
but with these awful storms and trying
to keep warm we’ve had no time to plan
for it
maybe the christmas barrel carrie began
we mustn’t count on it said mary
we could wait for christmas till it
comes laura suggested
oh but and she picked up grace who was
listening wide-eyed
can’t santa claus come grace asked
and her lower lip began to tremble
laura hugged her and looked over her
golden head at ma
ma said firmly santa claus
always comes to good little girl’s grace
but girls she went on i have an
idea what do you think of saving my
church papers and your bundle of youth’s
companions to open
on christmas day after a moment
mary said i think it is a good idea it
will help us to learn
self-denial i don’t want to laura said
nobody does said mary but it’s good for
us
sometimes laura did not even want to be
good
but after another silent moment she said
well
if you and mary want to ma i will
it will give us something to look
forward to for christmas
what do you say about it carrie ma asked
and in a small voice
carrie said i will tuma
that’s my good girls ma approved them
she went on we can find a little
something in the stores for
and she glanced at grace but you older
girls know
paul hasn’t been able to get any work
for wages this year
we can’t spare money for presents but we
can have a happy christmas just the same
i’ll try to contrive something extra for
dinner and then we’ll all open our
papers and read them
and when it’s too dark to read pau will
play the fiddle
we haven’t much flower left ma lara said
the storekeepers are asking 25 cents a
pound for flowers so pause waiting for
the train ma replied
there’s nothing to make a pie anyway and
no butter or eggs for a cake and no more
sugar in town
but we’ll think of something for
christmas dinner
laura set thinking she was making a
little picture
frame of cross stitch and wools on thin
silver colored cardboard
up the sides and across the top she had
made a pattern of small blue flowers and
green leaves
now she was outlining the picture
opening in blue
while she put the tiny needle through
the perforations in the cardboard and
drew the fine
colored wool carefully after it she was
thinking how wistfully carrie had looked
at the beautiful thing
she decided to give it to carrie for
christmas
someday perhaps she could make another
for herself
how fortunate it was that she had
finished knitting the lace for her
petticoat
she would give that to mary and tomorrow
she would give the cardboard hair
receiver that she had already
embroidered to match the picture frame
mark could hang it on the corner of her
looking glass
and when she combed her hair she would
put the combings in it to use later
in the hair switch she was making but
what can we do for paw
she asked i declare i don’t know more
worried i can’t think of a thing
i’ve got some pennies carrie said
there’s my college money mary began but
ma said no mary we won’t touch that
i have 10 cents laura said thoughtfully
how many pennies have you carry i have
five
carrie told her we’d need 25 to get pau
a pair of suspenders laura said
he needs a new pair i have a dime
said ma so that is settled laura you and
carrie had better go and buy them as
soon as pau has gone to work tomorrow
morning
next day when their morning work was
done laura and carrie crossed the snowy
street to mr harthorn store
mr harthorn was there alone and the
shelves were bare
on both long walls there were only a few
pairs of men’s boots and women’s shoes
and some bolts of calico
the bean barrel was empty the cracker
barrel was empty
the little brine in the bottom of the
pork barrel had no pork in it
the long flat cod fish box held only a
little salt scattered on its bottom
the dried apple box and the dried
blackberry box
were empty i’m sold out of groceries
till the train gets here mr harthorn
said
i was expecting a bill of groceries when
the train stopped
some pretty handkerchiefs combs and
hairpins and two pairs of suspenders
were in the showcase
laura and carrie looked at the
suspenders they were plain
dull gray shall i do them up for you
mr harthorne asked laura did not like to
say no but she looked at carrie and saw
that carrie hoped she would
no thank you mr harthorn laura said we
will not take them now
out in the glittering cold again she
said to carrie
let’s go to loftus’s store and see if we
can’t find prettier ones
they bent their heads against the strong
cold wind and struggled along the icy
path on the store porches till they
reached the other dry goods and
groceries
that store was bare and echoing too
every barrel and box was empty and where
the canned goods had been there were
only two
flat cans of oysters i’m expecting a
stock of groceries when the train
comes tomorrow mr loftus told them it
won’t get here any too soon either
in his showcase was a pair of blue
suspenders with small
red flowers beautifully machine woven
along them
and bright brass buckles laura had never
seen such pretty suspenders they were
just right for paw
how much are they she asked almost sure
that they would cost too much
but the price was 25 cents
lara gave mr loftus her own two five
cent pieces
carrie’s five pennies and maw’s thin
silver ten cent piece
she took the slim package and the wind
blew her and carrie
breathlessly home at bedtime that night
no one spoke of hanging up stockings
grace was too young to know about
hanging stockings on christmas eve and
no one else
expected a present but they had never
been so eager for christmas day
because the tracks were clear now and
the train would come tomorrow
lara’s first thought in the morning was
the train
is coming today the window was not
frosted
the sky was clear the snowy prairie was
turning rosy in early sunshine
the train would surely come and joyfully
laura thought about her christmas
surprises
she slid out of bed without waking mary
and quickly pulled on her dress in the
cold
she opened the box where she kept her
own things she took out the roll of
knitted lace already wrapped carefully
in tissue paper
then she found the prettiest card she
had ever been given in sunday school and
she took the little embroidered picture
frame
and the cardboard hair receiver with
these in her hands
she hurried tiptoe downstairs ma looked
up in surprise
the table was set and ma was putting on
each plate
a little package wrapped in red and
white striped paper
merry christmas ma laura whispered
oh what are they christmas presents
mar whispered whatever have you got
there
laura only smiled she put her packages
at mars plate and mary’s
then she slipped the sunday school card
into the embroidered frame
for carrie she whispered she and ma
looked at it it was beautiful
then ma found a piece of tissue paper to
wrap it in
carrie and grace and mary were already
clambering down the stairs calling merry
christmas
merry christmas ooh carrie squealed
i thought we were waiting for christmas
till the christmas barrel came on the
train oh
look look what is it mary asked
there are presents at every plate on the
table carrie told her
no no grace mustn’t touch ma said we
will all wait for paw
so grace ran around the table looking
but not touching
paw came with the milk and moss strained
it then paw stepped into the lean-to and
came back grinning broadly
he handed ma the two cans of oysters
from
loftus’s store charles ma said
make us an oyster soup for christmas
dinner caroline
paul told her i got some milk from ellen
not much
and it’s the last she’s as good as dry
but maybe you can make it do i’ll thin
it out with water said ma we’ll have
oyster soup for christmas dinner
then paul saw the table laura and carrie
laughed aloud shouting merry christmas
merry christmas paw
and laura told mary pass surprised
her for santa claus pausing out the old
fella made it in if the train didn’t
they all sat down at their places and ma
gently held back grace’s hands
paw opens his first grace she said
paul picked up his package now what can
this be
and who gave it to me he untied the
string
unfolded the paper and held up the new
red flowered suspenders
he exclaimed now how am i ever going to
wear my coat
these are too fine to cover up he looked
around at all the faces
all of you did this he said well i’ll be
proud to wear them
not yet grace ma said mary is next
mary unwrapped the yards of fine knitted
lace
she fingered it lovingly and her face
was shining with delight
i’ll save it to wear when i go to
college she said
it’s another thing to help me to go it
will be so pretty on a white petticoat
carrie was looking at her present the
picture was of the good shepherd in his
blue and white robes holding in his arms
a snow
white lamb the silvery cardboard
embroidered in blue flowers made a
perfect
frame for it oh how lovely
how lovely carrie whispered
ma said the hair receiver was just what
she had been needing
then grace tore the paper from her gift
and gave a
gurgle of joy two little flat wood men
stood on a platform between two flat red
posts
their hands held onto two strings
twisted tightly together
above their heads they wore peaked red
caps and blue coats with gold buttons
their trousers were red and green
stripes
their boots were black with turned up
toes
ma gently pressed the bottoms of the
posts inward
one of the men somersaulted up and the
other swung into his place
then the first came down while the
second went up and they nodded their
heads and jerked their arms and
swung their legs dancing and
somersaulting
oh look oh look grace shouted
she could never have enough of watching
the funny little men dancing
the small striped packages at each place
held christmas candy
wherever did you get candy paw laura
wondered
i got it some time ago it was the last
bit of sugar in town said paw
some folks said they’d use it for sugar
but i made sure of our christmas candy
oh what a
lovely christmas carries side laura
thought so too
whatever happened they could always have
a merry christmas
and the sun was shining the sky was blue
the railroad tracks were clear
and the train was coming the train had
come through the tracy cut that morning
sometime that day they would hear its
whistle
and see it stopping by the depot
at noon ma was making the oyster soup
laura was setting the table carrie and
grace were playing with a jumping jack
ma tasted the soup and set the kettle
back on the stove
the oysters are ready she said and
stooping she looked at the slices
of bread toasting in the oven and the
bread is toasted
whatever is paul doing he’s bringing in
hay
said laura pa open the door
behind him the lean-to was almost full
of slough hay
he asked is the oyster soup ready
i’m taking it up ma replied i’m glad the
train is coming this is the last of the
coal
then she looked a paw and asked what is
wrong charles
paul said slowly there is a cloud in the
northwest
oh not another blizzard mark cried
i’m afraid so paul answered but it
needn’t spoil our dinner
he drew his chair up to the table i’ve
packed plenty of hay into the stable and
filled the lean to
now for our oyster soup
the sun kept on shining while they ate
the hot soup was good even though the
milk was mostly
water paw crumbled the toast into his
soup plate
this toasted bread is every bit as good
as crackers he told ma
i don’t know but better laura enjoyed
the good soup
but she could not stop thinking of that
dark cloud coming up
she could not stop listening for the
wind that she knew would soon come
it came with a shriek the windows
rattled and the house
shook she must be a daisy paw said
he went to the window but he could not
see out snow came on the wind from the
sky
snow rose from the hard drifts as the
wind cut them away
it all met in the whirling air and
swirled madly
the sky the sunshine the town were gone
lost in that blinding dance of snow
the house was alone again laura thought
the train can’t come now come girls mo
said we’ll get these dishes out of the
way and then we’ll open our papers and
have a cozy afternoon
is there coal enough more laura asked
paul looked at the fire
it will last till supper time he said
and then will burn hay
frost was freezing up the window panes
and the room was cold near the walls
near the stove the light was too dim for
reading
when the dishes were washed and put away
moss set the lamp on the red checked
tablecloth
and lighted it there was only a little
kerosene in the bowl where the wick
coiled but it gave a warm and cheery
light
laura opened the bundle of youth’s
companions and she and carrie looked
eagerly at the wealth of
stories printed on the smooth white
paper
you girls choose a story ma said and i
will read it out loud so we can all
enjoy it together
so close together between the stove and
the bright table they listened to mars
reading the story in her soft clear
voice
the story took them all far away from
the stormy cold and dark
when she had finished that one ma read a
second
and a third that was enough for one day
they must save some for another time
aren’t you glad we saved those wonderful
stories for christmas day mary sighed
happily
and they were the whole afternoon had
gone so quickly
already it was chore time when paul came
back from the stable
he stayed sometime in the lean-to and
came in at last with his arms full of
sticks
here is your breakfast fuel caroline he
said laying his arm full down by
the stove good hard sticks of hay
i guess they will burn all right sticks
of hay
laura exclaimed that’s right laura
paul spread his hands in the warmth
above the stove
i’m glad that haze in the lean-to i
couldn’t carry it in through the wind
that’s blowing now
unless i brought it in one bale at a
time in my teeth
the hay was in sticks paw had somehow
twisted and knotted it tightly till each
stick was almost as hard as wood
sticks of hay ma left what won’t you
think of
next trust you charles to find a way
you were good at that yourself paul
smiled at her
for supper there were hot boiled
potatoes and a slice of bread apiece
with salt that was the last baking of
bread
but there were still beans in the sack
and a few turnips
there was still hot tea with sugar and
grace had her cup of
cambric tea made with hot water because
there was no more milk
while they were eating the lamp began to
flicker
with all its might the flame pulled
itself up
drawing the last drop of kerosene up the
wick
then it fainted down and desperately
tried again
ma leaned over and blew it out the dark
came
in loud with the roar and the shrieking
of the storm
the fire is dying anyway so we may as
well go to bed
moss said gently christmas day
was over laura lay in bed
and listened to the winds blowing louder
and
louder they sounded like the pack of
wolves
howling around the little house on the
prairie long ago when she was small
and paul had carried her in his arms
and there was the deeper howl of the
great buffalo wolf that she and carrie
had met on the bank of silver lake
she started trembling when she heard the
scream of the panther in the creek bed
in indian territory
but she knew it was only the wind now
she heard the indian war hoops when the
indians were dancing their war dances
all through the horrible nights by the
verdigris river
the war hoops died away and she heard
crowds of people muttering
then shrieking and fleeing screaming
away from
fierce yells chasing them but she knew
she heard only the voices of the
blizzard winds she pulled the bed covers
over her head
and covered her ears tightly to shut out
the sounds
but still she heard them
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