Read Online By The Shores Of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Pa?” Laura asked. “How do you know Big Jerry—?”
“Never mind, Flutterbudget!” Pa stopped her cheerfully. “Big Jerry's all right. He won't be coming into camp tonight. I wouldn't be surprised though, if he rode in this morning on his white horse. Now go to bed. Let's get what sleep we can before sunrise.”
Then Pa's great laugh rang out like bells. “There'll be a sleepy bunch of men working on the grade today!”
While Laura was undressing behind the curtain and Pa was taking off his boots on the other side of it, she heard him say in a low voice to Ma, “ The best of it is, Caroline, there'll never be a horse stolen from Silver Lake camp.”
Sure enough, early that morning Laura saw Big Jerry riding by the shanty on his white horse. He hailed Pa at the store and Pa waved to him; then Big Jerry and the white horse galloped on and away toward where the men were working.
There never was a horse stolen from Silver Lake camp.
THE WONDERFUL AFTERNOON
Early every morning while Laura washed the breakfast dishes, she could look through the open door and see the men leaving the boarding shanty and going to the thatched stable for their horses. Then there was a rattling of harness and a confusion of talking and shouts, and the men and teams went out to the job leaving quietness behind them.
All the days went by, one like another. On Mondays Laura helped Ma do the washing and bring in the clean-scented clothes that dried quickly in the wind and sunshine. On Tuesdays she sprinkled them and helped Ma iron them. On Wednesdays she did her task of mending and sewing though she did not like to. Mary was learning to sew without seeing; her sensitive fingers could hem nicely, and she could sew quilt-patches if the colors were matched for her.
At noon the camp was noisy again with all the teams and the men coming in to dinner. Then Pa came from the store, and they all ate in the little shanty with the wind blowing against it and the wide prairie outside the door. Softly colored in all shades from dark brown to russet and tan, the prairie rolled in gentle swells to the far edge of the sky. The winds were blowing colder at night, more and more wild birds were flying southward, and Pa said that winter would not be long in coming. But Laura did not think about winter.
She wanted to know where the men were working and how they made a railroad grade. Every morning they went out, and at noon and at night they came back, but all that she saw of working was a smudge of dust that came up from the tawny prairie in the west.
She wanted to see the men building the railroad.
Aunt Docia moved into the camp one day, and she brought two cows. She said, “I brought our milk on the hoof, Charles. It's the only way to get any, out here where there aren't any farmers.”
One of the cows was for Pa. She was a pretty, bright-red cow named Ellen. Pa untied her from the back of Aunt Docia's wagon, and handed the halter rope to Laura. “Here, Laura,” he said. “You're old enough to take care of her. Take her out where the grass is good, and be sure to drive down the picket pin good and firm.”
Laura and Lena picketed the cows not far apart in good grass. Every morning and every evening they met to take care of the cows. They led them to drink from the lake, and moved the picket pins to fresh grass, and then they did the milking, and while they milked they sang.
Lena knew many new songs and Laura learned them quickly. Together, while the milk streamed into the bright tin pails, they sang:
"A life on the ocean wave A home on the rolling deep The pollywogs wag their tails And the tears roll down their cheeks."
Sometimes Lena sang softly, and so did Laura.
"Oh, I wouldn't marry a farmer, He's always in the dirt I'd rather marry a railroad man Who wears a striped shirt."
But Laura liked the waltz songs best. She loved the Broom song, though they had to sing “broom” so many times to make the tune swing.
"Buy a broo-oom, buy a broom,
“Never mind, Flutterbudget!” Pa stopped her cheerfully. “Big Jerry's all right. He won't be coming into camp tonight. I wouldn't be surprised though, if he rode in this morning on his white horse. Now go to bed. Let's get what sleep we can before sunrise.”
Then Pa's great laugh rang out like bells. “There'll be a sleepy bunch of men working on the grade today!”
While Laura was undressing behind the curtain and Pa was taking off his boots on the other side of it, she heard him say in a low voice to Ma, “ The best of it is, Caroline, there'll never be a horse stolen from Silver Lake camp.”
Sure enough, early that morning Laura saw Big Jerry riding by the shanty on his white horse. He hailed Pa at the store and Pa waved to him; then Big Jerry and the white horse galloped on and away toward where the men were working.
There never was a horse stolen from Silver Lake camp.
THE WONDERFUL AFTERNOON
Early every morning while Laura washed the breakfast dishes, she could look through the open door and see the men leaving the boarding shanty and going to the thatched stable for their horses. Then there was a rattling of harness and a confusion of talking and shouts, and the men and teams went out to the job leaving quietness behind them.
All the days went by, one like another. On Mondays Laura helped Ma do the washing and bring in the clean-scented clothes that dried quickly in the wind and sunshine. On Tuesdays she sprinkled them and helped Ma iron them. On Wednesdays she did her task of mending and sewing though she did not like to. Mary was learning to sew without seeing; her sensitive fingers could hem nicely, and she could sew quilt-patches if the colors were matched for her.
At noon the camp was noisy again with all the teams and the men coming in to dinner. Then Pa came from the store, and they all ate in the little shanty with the wind blowing against it and the wide prairie outside the door. Softly colored in all shades from dark brown to russet and tan, the prairie rolled in gentle swells to the far edge of the sky. The winds were blowing colder at night, more and more wild birds were flying southward, and Pa said that winter would not be long in coming. But Laura did not think about winter.
She wanted to know where the men were working and how they made a railroad grade. Every morning they went out, and at noon and at night they came back, but all that she saw of working was a smudge of dust that came up from the tawny prairie in the west.
She wanted to see the men building the railroad.
Aunt Docia moved into the camp one day, and she brought two cows. She said, “I brought our milk on the hoof, Charles. It's the only way to get any, out here where there aren't any farmers.”
One of the cows was for Pa. She was a pretty, bright-red cow named Ellen. Pa untied her from the back of Aunt Docia's wagon, and handed the halter rope to Laura. “Here, Laura,” he said. “You're old enough to take care of her. Take her out where the grass is good, and be sure to drive down the picket pin good and firm.”
Laura and Lena picketed the cows not far apart in good grass. Every morning and every evening they met to take care of the cows. They led them to drink from the lake, and moved the picket pins to fresh grass, and then they did the milking, and while they milked they sang.
Lena knew many new songs and Laura learned them quickly. Together, while the milk streamed into the bright tin pails, they sang:
"A life on the ocean wave A home on the rolling deep The pollywogs wag their tails And the tears roll down their cheeks."
Sometimes Lena sang softly, and so did Laura.
"Oh, I wouldn't marry a farmer, He's always in the dirt I'd rather marry a railroad man Who wears a striped shirt."
But Laura liked the waltz songs best. She loved the Broom song, though they had to sing “broom” so many times to make the tune swing.
"Buy a broo-oom, buy a broom,
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