Little Author in the Big Woods Read Online Free Page B
Author: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Prairie
1879â1882
Dakota Territory
Not long after Mary had gone blind, a surprise visitor drove up to the house. Laura did not recognize her, but she turned out to be Aunt Ladocia, Paâs sister. Aunt Docia had come from Wisconsin. Her husband worked for the railroad, and they were heading west. She offered Pa a job managing one of the company stores owned by the railroad. Pa said yes immediately, but Ma made him promise that once they moved to the Dakota Territory, they would finally stay put.
Pa sold the farm and left with Docia. Laura and her sisters stayed behind with Ma. With Pa gone, Laura helped in every way she could. She did chores, packed their belongings, and took Mary for long walks. Soon it was time to leave. They would take a railroad trip to Tracy, Minnesotaâa first for the girls. The train ride was so exciting. Laura loved every little thing about it. She faithfully described it all to Mary so that Mary could âseeâ it along with her.
Pa met them at the train station in Tracy, which was in the Dakota Territory. Heâd been working all summer long, selling goods to the railroad workers from the company store and keeping track of their hours too. But now the railroad men had finished their work and would be moving on. Pa would go with them. Once again, the whole family joined a wagon train heading west. They traveled about 40 miles until they reached the new railroad camp. It was built on the edge of a lake, and when Ma saw the moonlight glimmering on the water, she called it Silver Lake. That was not its real name, but it stuck in Lauraâs mind, and she used it to title her book By the Shores of Silver Lake many years later.
Ma, Pa, and the girls settled into a log shanty, which was a crude wooden shack set apart from the bunkhouses where the workers lived. Ma didnât trust the railroad workers, men who broke up the prairie sod and leveled the uneven places to get the land ready for laying the tracks. She told Laura and her sisters to stay away from them.
Laura wanted to be good and obey, but she was fascinated by the monumental work of building the railroad. One day, Pa took her out to see how it was done. She was so curious, she could have watched all day. But when she went home to tell Mary about it, Mary did not seem very interested.
Mostly, Laura tried to mind Ma and stay away from the workers. It was not all that hard because there was so much to do at home. As summer turned to fall, the railroad work on nearby Silver Lake was just about done. The men were packing up and getting ready to go east for the winter. In the spring, the new tracks would be laid down. Ma and Pa thought they, too, might head east. But then Pa got an offer from one of the surveyors. He wanted Pa to stay on to guard the equipment and supplies. Pa would get a salary, and the family could live in the surveyorâs house for the winter.
The house, larger than any house they had lived in before, had two stories, several rooms, and glass windows. The doors had china knobs. Best of all, it was bursting with food: barrels of flour, cornmeal, and salt pork, as well as salted fish, dried apples, potatoes, beans, and boxes of soda crackers. There were even treats like pickles and jarred peaches. No one would go hungry in this house.
They settled in for the winter. Ma and the girls did their sewing and knitting while Pa went out hunting and looking for a homestead. At night he played the fiddle, or someone read aloud so Mary could enjoy the stories too. One night Pa came home and said heâd found the homestead he wanted. It was just a mile from the town of De Smet, so the girls would be able to go to school. As soon as he could get to the office, he would file a claim. This meant that Pa would apply to the government to keep the land heâd chosen. The government would give him the land for free if he agreed to build a home, farm the land, and remain there for at least five
1879â1882
Dakota Territory
Not long after Mary had gone blind, a surprise visitor drove up to the house. Laura did not recognize her, but she turned out to be Aunt Ladocia, Paâs sister. Aunt Docia had come from Wisconsin. Her husband worked for the railroad, and they were heading west. She offered Pa a job managing one of the company stores owned by the railroad. Pa said yes immediately, but Ma made him promise that once they moved to the Dakota Territory, they would finally stay put.
Pa sold the farm and left with Docia. Laura and her sisters stayed behind with Ma. With Pa gone, Laura helped in every way she could. She did chores, packed their belongings, and took Mary for long walks. Soon it was time to leave. They would take a railroad trip to Tracy, Minnesotaâa first for the girls. The train ride was so exciting. Laura loved every little thing about it. She faithfully described it all to Mary so that Mary could âseeâ it along with her.
Pa met them at the train station in Tracy, which was in the Dakota Territory. Heâd been working all summer long, selling goods to the railroad workers from the company store and keeping track of their hours too. But now the railroad men had finished their work and would be moving on. Pa would go with them. Once again, the whole family joined a wagon train heading west. They traveled about 40 miles until they reached the new railroad camp. It was built on the edge of a lake, and when Ma saw the moonlight glimmering on the water, she called it Silver Lake. That was not its real name, but it stuck in Lauraâs mind, and she used it to title her book By the Shores of Silver Lake many years later.
Ma, Pa, and the girls settled into a log shanty, which was a crude wooden shack set apart from the bunkhouses where the workers lived. Ma didnât trust the railroad workers, men who broke up the prairie sod and leveled the uneven places to get the land ready for laying the tracks. She told Laura and her sisters to stay away from them.
Laura wanted to be good and obey, but she was fascinated by the monumental work of building the railroad. One day, Pa took her out to see how it was done. She was so curious, she could have watched all day. But when she went home to tell Mary about it, Mary did not seem very interested.
Mostly, Laura tried to mind Ma and stay away from the workers. It was not all that hard because there was so much to do at home. As summer turned to fall, the railroad work on nearby Silver Lake was just about done. The men were packing up and getting ready to go east for the winter. In the spring, the new tracks would be laid down. Ma and Pa thought they, too, might head east. But then Pa got an offer from one of the surveyors. He wanted Pa to stay on to guard the equipment and supplies. Pa would get a salary, and the family could live in the surveyorâs house for the winter.
The house, larger than any house they had lived in before, had two stories, several rooms, and glass windows. The doors had china knobs. Best of all, it was bursting with food: barrels of flour, cornmeal, and salt pork, as well as salted fish, dried apples, potatoes, beans, and boxes of soda crackers. There were even treats like pickles and jarred peaches. No one would go hungry in this house.
They settled in for the winter. Ma and the girls did their sewing and knitting while Pa went out hunting and looking for a homestead. At night he played the fiddle, or someone read aloud so Mary could enjoy the stories too. One night Pa came home and said heâd found the homestead he wanted. It was just a mile from the town of De Smet, so the girls would be able to go to school. As soon as he could get to the office, he would file a claim. This meant that Pa would apply to the government to keep the land heâd chosen. The government would give him the land for free if he agreed to build a home, farm the land, and remain there for at least five
Readers choose
Raymond Federman, George Chambers
Maureen Lee
Kenneth Mark Hoover
Marysol James
Alia Yunis
Kate Johnson
Cat Johnson
Pamela Ann
Richard Flunker
Hortense Calisher