Laura was home. Home! What a wonderful word. What a wonderful feeling! Laura felt better already, knowing that she was home for good and did not have to return to the Brewster’s.
Everything was better, even the chores that she had disliked before she enjoyed today because she was home. When the Saturday jobs were done, Laura looked forward to a visit from Mary Power, for she knew that Mary would want to visit with her! Mary didn’t come though and Laura made up her mind to just go over to see Mary when she heard them.
Sleigh bells.
Not the rich sound of the sleigh bells that Prince and Lady wore, but sleigh bells all the same. And that’s when she saw them. All of her friends and even some that she didn’t know, riding up and down the streets in their cutters and sleighs. They had forgotten Laura. She settled down to her crocheting, all the while listening to the sleigh bells.
Even on Sunday, when Laura had been looking forward to seeing Ida at church, Ida was home sick with a cold. That afternoon, Laura once again heard the sleigh bells ringing and laughter floating on the wind (isn’t that a wonderful sound?). She was feeling very forgotten and could not stop herself from hearing the fun and thinking about being left out.
Laura could hardly bear it, when suddenly she heard the ringing of bells stop right at their door! She ran to open it and there stood Prince and Lady. And Almanzo…with an invitation to go sleigh riding.
And what follows is one of my favorite passages:
“I didn’t know your eyes were so blue,” Almanzo said.
“It’s my white hood,” Laura told him. “I always wore my dark one to Brewster’s.” She gave a gasp, and laughed aloud.
“What’s so funny?” Almanzo asked, smiling.
“It’s a joke on me,” Laura said. “I didn’t intend to go with you anymore but I forgot. Why did you come?”
“I thought maybe you’d change your mind after you watched the crowd go by,” Almanzo answered. Then they laughed together.
And so it begins. 
Laura was so happy that she had to sing (I love that too).