Book 9 2. The Second Year Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
it was a beautiful day
the 25th of august 1886
is voice trail silent the mark wouldn’t
make finishing the irishman’s lane to
herself
the rich man has his rice in the summer
and the poor man gets his
in the winter well then you’ve got
theirs in that
storm and in the summer too but she
mustn’t think about that yet
the thing to do is to get things
arranged in the new home and make it
cheerful to reality best the house
wasn’t so bad
the one new room was narrow 12 feet by
16
in that very moment facing the south
with a door and a window on a narrow
porch
closed at the west end by the old
there was a window on the east end of
the room the looking grass was hung
beside it in the south corner and the
pearly table stood under it
the head of the bed came close to the
window on the other side
and extended along the north wall the
kitchen stove was in the northwest
corner of the room and the kitchen
cupboard stood beside it
the kitchen dining table stood against
the west wall close to the south end
the carpet from the old bedroom was
across the east end of the room
and the arm chair and larry’s little
rocking chairs direct
close to each other between the windows
the sun
came in through the east window in the
mornings shone across the room
it was all very snug and pleasant
the room that had been the claim shanty
was convenient as a storage room
and the stock were comfortable in their
new barn
sheltered from the north and west by the
low hill and facing south
it would be warm in winter the whole
place
was new and fresh the wind waved the
tall grass and the snow
that stretched from the front of the
hill by the barn to the south into the
east line of the farm
the house was at the top of the lower
hill and there would always be
grasslands in front of it
the cattle man went to the north outside
from the house
laura was back she loved sweep of
unbroken clearing of the wild grasses
waving in the winds
to be sure the whole place was grassland
now
except for a small field two acres of
cultivated land were required by law
before pulling up on a homestead
but the glass to the north of the house
was upland blue stem
and not the tall smooth grass that grew
so weakly in low places
it was heating time and every day
counted in the amount of living to be
put up before winter
because of a hail storm they would be
the only crop this year
so as soon as breakfast was over on the
day after the morning
men may each skip and burn them to the
mowing machine
and begin left her morning’s work on
dawn and went with him to see the work
started
and then because the air was so fresh
and the new cupcakes so
clean and sweet she wandered over the
field picking the wild sunflower as an
indian paintbrush presently she went
slowly back to the house
and her unfinished tasks she didn’t want
to stay in the house
there would be so much of that after the
baby came and she felt much better out
before she
so
stepped up on each fork force was
pitched in
and so gradually rose with the load
until she was on the top
ready to ride the ball at the barn she
slid down the hay and demand these arms
down the ground
[Music]
a horse was itched at each walking one
on each side of a long windroll with hay
it pulled the planks sideways the long
teeth slipped under the hay
and it piled up in front of the plank
and was pushed along the ground
when it was enough for the load that was
where the stack was to be
tipped the plank it went over the top of
the cave which was left
in a pile several of these piles started
the stack
then as the horses came to it one went
on each side of the stack
the right went on up mammy followed it
and spilled the hay on top of the stack
and he went down the other end
barnum was good
would bring
[Music]
making it all neat and even then he
topped the stack with a load
family had mortgaged the homestead for
so now he could buy the cold for winter
and it was stored in the store
the taxes are 60 dollars there were no
taxes on the trade
because they had no title yet or paid
interest on the notes given from
machinery was played
it was managed to see in the spring and
delivering they hoped
until next month
[Music]
manly had sold 30 tons of four dollars
ton
and 120 was a year’s income from crops
wild geese were late coming from the
north and when they did
seem to no hurry to go on sales instead
they fed in the snows and flew from one
leg to the other
where the water was nearly counted with
them as they swung about
the sky was filled with their v-shaped
flocks and the air
rain to their corals for his gun
quickly he went out the door and
forgetting that the old gun
kicked he held it up before his face
sighted
and pulled the trigger laura followed
him just in time to see him
whirl around with his hand to his face
oh
did you hit him she asked yes but i
didn’t quite get what he answered as he
wiped the blood from his nose
it was going to be an open winter the
geese knew there was nowhere to go south
the small field was
was soon in november
the snow came and covered the ground
making good sleigh
manly and water well bundled up and
covered with ropes but awesome for spay
rides on sunday afternoons
because
[Music]
came the sun was shining on the morning
of the 5th of december
but it looked stormy in the north better
play outdoors all you can today if it
may be too stormy tomorrow manly set
so soon after breakfast when i hit
shipped to the slab
took the day’s first ride down the hill
but she stayed on only a little while
and again after the dinner work was done
she said i live by the stove in a little
walking chair which worried mainly
keep as quiet as you can until we come
it was
window snowing hard watched him drive
down the road with the team trying their
best
she thought that the base would have won
them the prize of the fourth of july
races
and she walked the floor or sat by the
store until manly came back
up now as long as i can but soon she
made no objections and i only vaguely
know when manly drove away again to
fetch plenty from mars from town
mrs power was a friendly jolly irish
woman
the first while i knew her being there
was hearing by saying
sure she’ll be all right for it’s now
she’s 19 you say
the very age of mine but we better have
the doctor our parents
[Music]
[Music]
stand
[Music]
and she saw a tall man drop this snowy
overcoat by the door and come toward her
in the web light
she vaguely felt a cloth touch her face
and smelled it cleaned over
and she drifted away into a blessed
darkness where there was no pain
when laura opened her eyes the lamp was
still
shining brightly onto the road and mom
was bending over her with a doctor
standing beside her
and in the bed beside her was a little
rose was such a good baby
so strong and healthy that roasted only
a few days
then hattie
with the sweep of the empty prairie all
around it
there was not a house near enough for
neighbors but a mile away across the
school
a few buildings on the edge of town were
in sight
a hundred precious dollars have done for
doctor bills and medicine
can help through the summer and winter
so far but after all
the rose in december was much rarer than
a rose in june
and must be paid for accordingly
christmas was at hand and rose was a
grand present
then the day before christmas manly
hauled a load of painted town and
brought back
the most beautiful clock it stood nearly
two feet high from its solid walnut base
to the carved leaf at its very top
the glass door that covered the face was
breathed with a guilt vine on which four
built birds floated
and the pendulum that swung two and four
behind them was the color of gold too
the clock had such a pleasant cheerful
voice as it slipped
and when it struck the hours its tone
was clear and sweet
laura loved it at once
the old brown nickel alarm clocked
and it would be a christmas present for
all three of them
[Music]
was a happy time even though it was a
stormy day
and they stayed quietly at home after
the christmas storm the weather was
clear and sunny but cold
25 and 30 below zero on some days
but one day seemed unusually warm and
laurie had been at home so long
she wanted to go for a sleigh ride to
see mom
could they take the baby out safely they
were sure they could
some blankets were put to warming by the
stove
lightly covering her face and tucked
tightly in among the blankets
the way they went the horses stepping
quickly in the sleigh bell singing
narrowly
several times laura put her hand in
among the blankets and touched rosie’s
face to be sure that she was warm
but there was air beneath the lake it
seemed only a few minutes until they
drove up to the old home place and went
quickly into the house where ma
and paul both scolded them well
[Music]
anxious
for some time and then one day that was
really warm
they drove to four miles to see if their
good
lived by themselves on their farm but
had no children
and could hardly make trust enough
when at last the visit was over mr post
was standing by the buggy to see him
start
he started to speak then hesitated and
finally said
in a clear voice if you folks will let
me take the baby into kelly for her to
keep
you may take the best horse out of my
stable
as he stood still when he had left him
and he misses boast waving in the house
knowing she was sure what mr ghost was
going to propose to them
the rest of the winter passed quickly
there were no more storms and the
weather was warm for the season
april came and all the foreign seeding
was begun
on the 12th of april manly went down to
the barn to catch up for the afternoon’s
work
when he went into the barn the sun was
shining warmly and he had no thought of
storm
when the horses were combed and brushed
and harnessed just as he was starting to
take them out
there was a crash as of something
smashing against the whole side of the
barn
and he heard the shriek of the wind and
looking out he could see
nothing but whirling snow a blizzard in
april
why it was time for spring’s work manly
could hardly believe his eyes he rubbed
them and looked again
and he unharnessed the team and went to
the house it was quite a little way to
go
and nothing whatever could be seen
except the whirling snow
but there were things scattered along
the path the cutter the wagon
taking his direction from the right each
stood as he came to it
he went on to the next and came safely
to the porch and the house
laura was anxiously trying to see from
the window to the bar and hoping for a
glimpse of
it coming but she couldn’t see him until
the door opened
it was the worst storm of the winter and
lasted two days
with no slacking of the wind which held
steadily to its high
wild shriek but all was snug at the
house
the stopper safe and warm in the barn
had following the line of slabs and
wagon
and they managed to get safety to them
and back once a day to give them water
and through the dangers
but on the morning of the third day the
sun rose bright
and the wind came only in low gusts it
looked a wintry world
a good many people had been caught in
the storm and two travelers nearby
lost their lives while mr barwise
two miles south of town two strangers
have come walking from town
they stopped and inquired the way to mr
matthews saying they were friends of his
from illinois
mr bowers pointed out mr manitou’s
counselor
and the strangers went on their way soon
the storm struck
and mr bowers went from the field to his
buildings and shelter
the day the storm was over mr byros saw
mr matthews passing on his way to town
and inquired about his friends from
illinois
mr matthews had not seen them so the two
went searching for them
the two strange men were found in a
haystack that stood by itself from the
open prairie
considerably off the course they surely
followed
they had pulled hay out of the stack and
lighted it to make a fire
they evidently had given up the idea of
keeping warm by an open fire in the wind
and
when it crawled into the hole in the
haystack
there they had frozen to death if they
had kept walking
they could have wiped out the storm that
lasted only two days
or if they had been properly dressed
they were not a frozen inside the
haystack
but their clothes were thin for
springtime in illinois
and not for a western blizzard
the snow was soon gone again and spring
really came
with the singing of metal marks and the
sweetness of violets and new grass as
all the prairie turned a beautiful soft
green
the lord put rose in a closed basket
with her tiny sunburned under head
one day he went away and never came back
and his fate was never known with a
friendly stray saint bernard
a huge black dog had come to the house
and been adopted in shep’s place the
saint bernard seemed to think his
special job was to watch over rose
and wherever she was there he would be
crawled around her
or sitting up close against her the cook
stove was moved to the store
leaving the other room cooler for the
hot weather and in the summertime
there could be no horseback riding
safely with a baby
but laura did not miss it so much
because man may flash into dry bricks
leaving just enough room for laura’s
feet at the end with the driver’s seat
when the work was done after dinner
laura would each farm to the road cart
and with rose and her pink sun bonnet
sitting in the box would drive away
wherever she cared to go
sometimes she went to town but more
often to see her law and the girls
at first wall was afraid to give rose
travel that way
but soon she became used to it although
barnum was a fast driver
he was as gentle as a kitten and the
clock on its two
wheels was light and safe rose could not
fall out of the box
and laura was a good driver she never
had a moment’s unease was falling next
to the road cart
and manly didn’t care go off and she
went just so she came home in time to
get supper
with house work garden work caring for
and driving with rose the sun was soon
passed and it was hanging time again
now rose slapped the shelter of a
windrow of hay and watched where laura
drove step on the bull rake
laura and manly both like to stay on the
sunny hay field and maybe rose
done the yield of grain was not nearly
so much as it should have been
the season had been too dry and the
price of wheat was lower
only 50 cents a bushel still
there was money enough to pay all the
interest in some of the smaller notes
that was for the mowing machine and
horse rate and for the selfie plan
and the first payment was made on the
orchestra
there was still the wagon note and the
500 is
[Music]
they were nice large two-year-olds and
they would sell for twelve dollars each
twenty four dollars would help my
groceries they hadn’t done so badly
considering the season
the 26th of august can come again and
this winter and summer