2018.07.10

It's Tuesday.

When they couldn’t find any more, it was almost sunset. Laura had a handful of beads, and so did Mary. Pa tied them carefully in his handkerchief, Laura’s beads in one corner and Mary’s in another corner. He put the handkerchief in his pocket, and they started home. The sun was low behind their backs when they came out of the hollow. Home was small and very far away. And Pa did not have his gun. Pa walked so swiftly that Laura could hardly keep up. She trotted as fast as she could, but the sun sank faster. Home seemed farther and farther away. The prairie seemed larger, and a wind ran over it, whispering something frightening. All the grasses shook as if they were scared. Then Pa turned around and his blue eyes twinkled at Laura. He asked her if she was getting tired because it was a long way for little legs. He picked her up, big girl that she was, and he settled her safe against his shoulder. He took Mary by the hand, and so they all came home together. Supper was cooking on the fire, Ma was setting the table, and Baby Carrie played with little pieces of wood on the floor. Pa tossed the handkerchief to Ma. He told her that he was later than he had meant, and asked her to look what the girls had found. He took the milk-bucket and went quickly to bring Pet and Patty from their picket-lines and to milk the cow. Ma united the handkerchief and exclaimed at what she found. The beads were even prettier than they had been in the Indian camp. Laura stirred her beads with her finger and watched them sparkle and shine. She said these were hers. Then Mary said that Carrie could have hers. Ma waited to hear what Laura would say. Laura didn’t want to say anything. She wanted to keep those pretty beads. Her chest felt all hot inside, and she wished with all her might that Mary wouldn’t be such a good little girl. But she couldn’t let Mary be better than she was. So she said slowly that Carrie could have hers too. Ma said that they were her unselfish, good little girls. She poured Mary’s beads into Mary’s hands, and Laura’s into Laura’s hands, and she said that she would give them a thread to string them on. The beads would make a pretty necklace for Carrie to wear around her neck.