Little Author in the Big Woods (7 page)

Money was an even bigger issue than usual right now. Ma had heard of a college for the blind, and she wanted to send Mary there. But unless they could come up with the tuition, and money for room and board, it would not be possible. Ma had even hinted that she hoped Laura—who continued to be an excellent student—would become a schoolteacher when she turned sixteen. A teacher's salary would add considerably to the amount of money set aside for Mary's education. Laura did not want to be a teacher. The thought of it filled her with despair. But she was willing to do it if it meant Mary could have this opportunity.

Once again, Ma's love for learning led the way. Back in the nineteenth century, schooling was not common or even considered necessary for women. It was enough for them to learn the domestic arts needed to run their households and raise their children. Sewing, knitting, cooking, baking, and cleaning were thought to be more important than reading, writing, history, or math. So for Ma to insist on an education for
all
her girls, even a blind one, for whom expectations were far lower, showed that she was something out of the ordinary.

Among the many people who passed through the house that late winter and early spring was Reverend Alden from Walnut Grove. He had come to start new Congregational churches all along the railroad line. Ma recorded the first church service, which was conducted in the surveyor's house, as having taken place on February 29, 1880.

In March, Laura and Carrie walked into the town of De Smet. They did not see much—only a lot of sticks poking out of the ground. Ma explained that those sticks were marking the places where all the houses and shops would be built. Pa bought some land along the main street. There he built two wooden stores. One he sold, and the other he kept. But soon he realized town was a place to spend only the winter. He and the family were itching to get out onto the prairie, to settle on the land for which Pa had filed a claim in February.

He began building a shanty on it as soon as he could find the time. First he dug a shallow cellar, and above it he erected a wooden frame. Then he hung the frame quickly, with rough boards, and added a slanting roof. The shanty was very small, and it wasn't even finished when they moved in that spring. But Laura was glad to get back to the prairie.

The flowers opened in a riot of pink, blue, and yellow, and the fresh breeze felt good on Laura's face. The first night they slept there, Pa dreamed that a barber was cutting his hair. Sleepily, he put his fingers up to the spot and woke up at once when he realized he held a mouse in his hand! He threw it against the floor so hard that he killed it. In the morning, he found the shorn patch where the mouse had been busy. He wanted to get a cat, but cats were scarce on the prairie. In
Little Town on the Prairie
, Laura uses this anecdote—only, in her fictionalized account, the family got a kitten and their problems with mice were over.

There was plenty of work for Pa to do. He covered the rough frame of the shanty with black tar paper and filled in the holes in the walls to keep out the cold and rain. Then he dug a well and built a stable for the cow. When that was completed, he drove to Lake Henry and came back with a whole box of seedlings. Laura helped plant them. When they grew, they would provide shade and protection from the wind. Next there was the job of planting the garden. Pa used his plow to break up the thick prairie sod.

Laura was so busy helping plant the new garden that she didn't get back to town all summer. To her surprise, winter came early on the prairie: on October 15, a fierce blizzard tore through the area. The howling winds and snow lasted for three days. Pa was worried. Here it was only October and they had been hit with such terrible weather. The shanty was flimsy, with thin walls. How would they manage for the rest of the season?

Pa and Ma decided they would move into town for the winter. They loaded up the wagon and took everything to the building Pa had built on the corner of Main and Second streets. It was sturdy enough to withstand the elements, and they were able to settle in before November 1, when De Smet's first school started its session. There were fifteen students in all.

The blizzards continued to sweep across the prairie. Since little towns like De Smet depended on trains for deliveries of food, coal, and other supplies, a storm that dumped snow on the tracks caused delays that interrupted the flow of daily life. School had to be closed, and the railroad said it was shutting down service until spring. The food supply in De Smet dwindled. Pa told Ma and Laura that the last sack of flour in town sold for $50.00 and sugar was going for $1.00 a pound, which was much more than their usual cost. Since there was no coal, people burned wood instead. But Pa had a better plan: he and Laura twisted hay into ropes and burned that. It was not easy work. Laura's hands grew chapped, red, and covered with sharp cuts.

The winter of 1881 was known as the “hard winter” because there were so many blizzards—more than usual. Laura was 14, old enough to help Ma and Pa now. Staying warm and fed was a daily struggle. Laura tried to keep her own spirits up, as well as those of her sisters.

The snow did not let up until April, and the train did not resume service until May. Finally, the Ingalls family was able to return to the homestead they had left months before. Pa built two more rooms onto the shanty. And he planted wheat and corn in the hope of harvesting a good crop.

It was at some time during this year that Mary, Carrie, and Laura had their first photograph taken. Few people back then owned cameras; cameras were big, clumsy, and expensive. Instead, they dressed up in their best clothes and went to a professional photographer who would take a formal portrait.

Soon there was more talk of sending Mary to school. Reverend Alden knew all about the Iowa College for the Blind. He had a relative who taught there. The school offered high school – and college-level courses to blind students. It taught them the skills they needed to be independent and take care of themselves. During the summer of 1881, Ma and Pa began to make preparations for Mary's departure.

Laura was eager to help. Instead of spending the summer on her beloved prairie, she took a job in town, sewing at the dry goods store. She had never had to sit still for so long, and she hated it. Her shoulders and neck ached, she pricked her fingers with the needles, and her eyesight grew blurry. Still, she did the best she could and took pride in earning money for her family. By the end of the summer, she had made a whole $9.00 to contribute to Mary's school wardrobe. Ma wanted her to keep some of the money, so she bought a plume for her bonnet (60 cents), a thimble (10 cents), and four yards of calico cloth (36 cents).

In the fall, Ma and Pa got into the wagon with Mary. They were going to take Mary to school in Vinton, Iowa. Saying good-bye was hard. But Laura knew Mary had to go. She took her sisters and went back into the house. Although leaving Mary was hard for Ma and Pa, seeing the school comforted them. They liked everything about it: the big, redbrick building, the walkways where students could stroll, and the farm that bordered the campus. They were equally impressed by the courses: natural history, science, math, economics, music, and politics. And they appreciated the practical side of the curriculum that taught sewing, weaving, and beadwork. Mary would learn to make hammocks, and fly nets for horses. She would be able to support herself in the future.

It was lonely for Laura back in De Smet without Mary. She was so used to her company. She tried to take comfort in her younger sisters, and in her schoolwork, which was very important to her. She was 15 years old now. At 16, she would get her teaching certificate, and the pay she would earn would go a long way toward helping Mary.

Laura made friends with several of the girls at school: Mary Power, Minnie Johnson, and Ida Brown. But there was one girl she did not like—Genevieve Masters. Laura remembered her from Walnut Grove. Genevieve had been mean back then, and she was just as bad—or even worse—now.

Genevieve was not the only problem Laura had at school. The teacher, Miss Eliza Jane Wilder, was not able to keep the classroom under control. Then Genevieve began spreading nasty stories about Laura, and Miss Wilder believed them. Laura was worried. These stories might prevent her from getting her certificate.

But lucky for Laura, Miss Wilder did not stay long. She was replaced by Mr. Clewett, Mr. Seeley, and Professor Ven Owen. Under the guidance of these teachers, Laura excelled. She did especially well in history and writing. Even during the summer back at the homestead on the prairie, she kept up her schoolwork. She was determined to get that certificate so Mary could stay at college in Iowa. And when Laura was determined to do something, nothing could deter her from her goal.