Laura was enjoying school.

And it does sound like Laura is really enjoying school. She has good friends in Ida, Mary Power, and Minnie. She feels comfortable enough to play games with the little boys, when they ask, and not worry that the others think she’s too rough or a tomboy.

She’s not even concerned about Nellie Oleson turning up her nose at them and scheming to become teacher’s pet and maybe even getting a ride behind those fine-looking Morgan horses. After all, Laura doesn’t need to be teacher’s pet to be head of the class.

Laura studied every evening till bedtime and that is when she missed Mary (away at college) most, so used to going over lessons together. She was comforted by the thought that, far away in Iowa, Mary was studying also. Laura was more determined to become a teacher so that Mary could stay in college.

Back to those Morgan horses. They are beautiful. So much so that Laura doesn’t even notice their handsome owner raise his hat to Laura, Ida, Mary Power, and Minnie as they are walking one day during their noon hour. She does notice the new buggy that they’re pulling. Those horses, they’re just like poetry. Laura wonders if she’s as horrid as Nellie thinking that maybe if Miss Wilder likes her she might just get a ride behind those horses.

As soon as they walk back into the schoolhouse, one thing becomes painfully clear. Nellie Oleson and Miss Wilder have been talking about Laura. And not in a good way. Nellie makes sure that Laura knows about it too.

“You needn’t think you’re so much, Laura Ingalls!” Nellie said. “Miss Wilder says your father has nothing much to say about this school, even if he is on the school board.”

After getting over her shock, Laura was furious! How dare Nellie say anything against Pa.

She said, “It’s too bad your folks are nothing but country folks, Nellie. If you lived in town, then maybe your father could be on the school board and have something to say about this school.”

Miss Wilder came in then. Nellie had been ready to slap Laura and Laura was already telling herself that she must not slap Nellie before it could even happen.

Laura sat down. She was still angry. Ida gave her clenched fist a little squeeze that said it all.

Good for you! You served her right!

Guest post by Barb Boustead

In sharp contrast to the start of the Long Winter, the Ingalls family is preparing itself for the worst that winter can bring by harvesting and moving to town before any blizzards can catch them in the thin-walled claim shanty.  The family collects staple crops – turnips, potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, tomatoes, and… ground cherries and husk tomatoes?  Yep, I had to Google those, too.  I had always had a pretty specific picture in my mind about what those fruits looked like when reading the books from my childhood onward, and I was pleasantly surprised that the real fruit resembles the one in my mind.  The ground cherry is in the same family as the tomatillo and is related to the Cape gooseberry, and the fruits most commonly are used in preserves (as Ma used them), pies, or other desserts.  In fact, the “husk tomatoes” described by Laura are indeed commonly known today as tomatillos.  Tomatillos can range in color from yellow-green to reddish or purple when ripe, as Laura described, and are used in the same ways as classic red tomatoes.  I have tasted jarred tomatoes, though I have to admit that I am curious about how “tomato preserves” would taste.  Are they sweet?  How did they eat the preserves?

Ground cherry in its husk and on its plant

Purple tomatillo (husk tomato)

Pa and Laura both agree that the winter does not “feel” the same as the Long Winter, but it does not stop them from preparing for another winter like it.  Pa moves abundant hay and straw to town, so that he will not be forced to risk being caught out in a blizzard to haul hay from the claim.  The home in town must have seemed like it was bursting with food in comparison to the previous winter.

One weekday night, Laura is helping Ma pack clothing and stumbles upon a beautiful book of poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (who was a living poet in 1881, by the way!).  She is drawn in by the beautiful, gold-embossed book and begins to read the first poem, “The Lotos-Eaters” (for what it’s worth, a “lotus-eater” is a person who gives in to pleasure-seeking).  Midway through the eighth line, she stops abruptly, realizing that she has stumbled upon a Christmas gift for herself.  In a stunning demonstration of willpower, she places the book back into the drawer without even finishing that line, guarding her guilty secret from Ma.  Nancy Cleaveland has a great description of the possible actual book on her Pioneer Girl website at http://www.pioneergirl.com/index.htm?tennyson.htm&Bot_Frame, and the poem in its entirety can be found on several internet sites if one is inclined to spoil the surprise and read the whole poem!

Ma makes the winter home feel cozy, though Laura feels Mary’s absence in her empty rocking chair.  Laura notes that the whole town, not just the Ingalls family, has hunkered down for the worst that winter can bring.  The lumberyard has stocked up on fuel, and the merchants have stocked up on food and goods.  The town would not be stretched to its limits by another hard winter, and the family feels safe and secure.  After all the description of a relative abundance of food and rich presents, Laura ends the chapter with a note of concern:  Carrie has not been healthy, especially since the Hard Winter.  She is thin and weak, tires easily, and has frequent headaches.  The move, and the shorter walk to school, will be good for Carrie’s health.

Guest post by Amanda Morris

Now that the family has realized its dream of sending Mary off to college for the blind, it is also time for Laura and Carrie to go back to school. The chapter opens with the girls heading to town for the First Day of School. I find it interesting that in this chapter, Laura capitalizes “First Day” multiple times. In all of the books, whenever Laura goes back to school after a break, she is nervous about returning – who she will meet, how she will do in her studies. It is remarkable that someone so gifted had the same insecurities that any young girl has upon returning to school.

There’s a new teacher in town – Miss Wilder, the oldest sister of the Wilder boy. The chapter starts off so promising. Laura is reunited with her friends from her time at school at the start of the Long Winter. Miss Wilder is pretty, stylish and friendly and agrees to allow the big girls to keep the best seats in the schoolhouse throughout the term. We are also introduced to Ida Wright, the adopted daughter of Reverend Brown. Apparently, despite being adopted by the Browns, she still goes by her birth parents’ family name. I wonder if this was the custom back then, or just a biographical detail that Laura included. Ida seems sweet, and Laura offers to share a seat with her.

And then…. (we need some ominous special effects here – thunder claps, perhaps)… someone arrives late for the First Day. Ladies and gentlemen, Nellie Oleson returns! She is still prim and prissy, and still looking down her nose at people. She wastes no time causing trouble, putting Miss Wilder in the awkward position of reneging on her promise to allow Mary Power and Minnie Johnson to keep their seat. Nellie ends up with the best seat in the class all to herself. We get the sense this does not endear Miss Wilder to Laura. But at least Laura gets the satisfaction of learning that Nellie is living out on a claim, and in a satisfying role reversal, she will be the country girl while, during the winter, Laura will be a town girl!

Awkward moment: Miss Wilder’s opening remarks to the school. She gives a sugary speech, smiling all the time, to the point where the boys in the class are squirming in discomfort. She doesn’t say anything inherently bad, but again, we just get the sense from Laura’s reaction that, despite the promising beginning, something is a bit off about all of this. During recess, Nellie makes herself the center of attention, bragging about coming from New York state and dismissing her time in Minnesota near Plum Creek as a brief stopover.

When the girls get home, Laura is conspicuously quiet about the day. Pa senses that she is unsettled about something and asks how school went. She tells about Nellie, and Miss Wilder’s broken promises. Ma admonishes her not to criticize her teacher, which I remember thinking as a child was nonsense. I complained about my teachers all the time.

I also remember Pa’s response very well. “So the Olesons came from New York State, did they? That’s not so much to brag about.” And Laura remembers that Pa was from New York! I grew up in New York, and I remember reading that response and laughing because that had been exactly my thought when I read Nellie’s comment! I love New York and all, but when I read the Little House books I could not imagine anything nicer than living on the rolling prairies. The idea of bragging about being from somewhere else was inconceivable to me.

The chapter ends with one of Pa’s songs and Laura channeling the strength to be good, no matter how hateful Nellie Oleson is.

This is a great chapter because even without the benefit of hindsight, you can see the stage is being set for something to go awry in this school. There is nothing concrete to dislike about Miss Wilder at this point, although there are definite clouds forming on the horizon. Laura’s talent as a writer really comes through here. Despite being left with a mostly positive ending, indicating her determination to be good and get an education, the visual is one of Laura summoning her strength. And by ending on that note, Laura implies that she will need it!