Read Online The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Free Book Online
Authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder
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so badly, considering the season.
T h e twenty-fifth of August had come again, and this winter and summer were the second
year.
Little House 9 The First Four Years
THE THIRD YEAR
ith the coming of cool weather, Laura proposed moving the cook-stove back into the
bed-sitting room, and she could not understand why Manly put it off, until one day when he came from town with a
hardcoal heater.
It was a beautiful stove, the black iron nicely polished and all the nickel trimmings
shining brightly.
Manly explained how buying the stove would be a saving in the end. It would take so little
coal to keep it going that even though the price per ton was twelve dollars instead of the
soft-coal price of six, the cost would be less. Then there would be a steady, even heat night as well as day.
It would keep them from taking cold by being first warm then chilly, as with the
cook-stove. The nickel top of the new stove was movable and all the cooking except baking
could be done in it. On baking days a fire could be made in the summer kitchen.
Rose was creeping, or rather hitching herself, around on the floor these days, and the
floor must be kept warm for her.
Laura felt that they couldn't afford the beautiful new stove, but that was Manly's
business. She need not bother about itand he did suffer with the cold. It seemed as though
he could never get clothes warm enough. She was knitting him a whole long-sleeved
undershirt of fine, soft, Shetland wool yarn for a Christmas surprise.
It was difficult to keep it hidden from him and get it finished, but after Christmas she
could knit its mate easily.
Manly wore the new shirt when they drove in the cutter to eat Christmas dinner with the
home folks.
It was dark when they started for home again and it had begun to snow. Luckily it was not a blizzard but only a snowstorm and, of
course, a wind. Rose was warmly wrapped and sheltered in Laura's arms, with blankets and
robes wrapped around them both and Manly in his fur coat beside them.
The going was slow against the storm in the darkness and after some time Manly stopped the
horses. “I believe they're off the road. They don't like to face the wind,” he said.
He unwrapped himself from the robes, climbed out of the cutter, and looked closely at the
ground, trying to find the tracks of the road, but the snow had covered every sign of it.
But finally by scraping away the snow with his feet, he found the wheel tracks of the
road underneath and only a little to one side.
So Manly walked the rest of the way, keeping to the road by the faint signs of it that he
could find now and then, while all around in the darkness was falling snow and empty
open prairie.
They were thankful when they reached home and the warmth of the hard-coal base-burner. And
Manly said his new undershirt had proven its worth.
Though the weather was cold, there were no bad blizzards and the winter was slipping by
very pleasantly Laura's Cousin Peter had come up from the southern part of the state and
was working for the Whiteheads, neighbors who lived several miles to the north. He
often came to see them on Sunday.
To surprise Manly on his birthday Laura asked Peter and the Whiteheads to dinner, cook
ing and baking in the summer kitchen. It was a pleasant day and warm for winter and the
dinner was a great success.
But in spite of the warm day Laura caught a severe cold and had a touch of fever so that
she must stay in bed. Ma came over to see how she was and took Rose home with her for a
few days. Instead of getting better, the cold got worse and settled in Laura's throat. T h
e doctor when he came said it was not a cold at all but a bad case of diphtheria. Well, at least Rose was out of it and safe with Ma, if she had not taken it with her. But there were several anxious days, while Manly
cared for Laura, until the doctor reported that Rose had escaped the disease.
But
T h e twenty-fifth of August had come again, and this winter and summer were the second
year.
Little House 9 The First Four Years
THE THIRD YEAR
ith the coming of cool weather, Laura proposed moving the cook-stove back into the
bed-sitting room, and she could not understand why Manly put it off, until one day when he came from town with a
hardcoal heater.
It was a beautiful stove, the black iron nicely polished and all the nickel trimmings
shining brightly.
Manly explained how buying the stove would be a saving in the end. It would take so little
coal to keep it going that even though the price per ton was twelve dollars instead of the
soft-coal price of six, the cost would be less. Then there would be a steady, even heat night as well as day.
It would keep them from taking cold by being first warm then chilly, as with the
cook-stove. The nickel top of the new stove was movable and all the cooking except baking
could be done in it. On baking days a fire could be made in the summer kitchen.
Rose was creeping, or rather hitching herself, around on the floor these days, and the
floor must be kept warm for her.
Laura felt that they couldn't afford the beautiful new stove, but that was Manly's
business. She need not bother about itand he did suffer with the cold. It seemed as though
he could never get clothes warm enough. She was knitting him a whole long-sleeved
undershirt of fine, soft, Shetland wool yarn for a Christmas surprise.
It was difficult to keep it hidden from him and get it finished, but after Christmas she
could knit its mate easily.
Manly wore the new shirt when they drove in the cutter to eat Christmas dinner with the
home folks.
It was dark when they started for home again and it had begun to snow. Luckily it was not a blizzard but only a snowstorm and, of
course, a wind. Rose was warmly wrapped and sheltered in Laura's arms, with blankets and
robes wrapped around them both and Manly in his fur coat beside them.
The going was slow against the storm in the darkness and after some time Manly stopped the
horses. “I believe they're off the road. They don't like to face the wind,” he said.
He unwrapped himself from the robes, climbed out of the cutter, and looked closely at the
ground, trying to find the tracks of the road, but the snow had covered every sign of it.
But finally by scraping away the snow with his feet, he found the wheel tracks of the
road underneath and only a little to one side.
So Manly walked the rest of the way, keeping to the road by the faint signs of it that he
could find now and then, while all around in the darkness was falling snow and empty
open prairie.
They were thankful when they reached home and the warmth of the hard-coal base-burner. And
Manly said his new undershirt had proven its worth.
Though the weather was cold, there were no bad blizzards and the winter was slipping by
very pleasantly Laura's Cousin Peter had come up from the southern part of the state and
was working for the Whiteheads, neighbors who lived several miles to the north. He
often came to see them on Sunday.
To surprise Manly on his birthday Laura asked Peter and the Whiteheads to dinner, cook
ing and baking in the summer kitchen. It was a pleasant day and warm for winter and the
dinner was a great success.
But in spite of the warm day Laura caught a severe cold and had a touch of fever so that
she must stay in bed. Ma came over to see how she was and took Rose home with her for a
few days. Instead of getting better, the cold got worse and settled in Laura's throat. T h
e doctor when he came said it was not a cold at all but a bad case of diphtheria. Well, at least Rose was out of it and safe with Ma, if she had not taken it with her. But there were several anxious days, while Manly
cared for Laura, until the doctor reported that Rose had escaped the disease.
But
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