2018.06.24

It's Sunday.

Pa laid down the knife. He asked the girls in a dreadful voice if they even thought of turning Jack loose. Laura’s head bowed down and she whispered yes. Pa asked if she had thought of that after he had told her not to do that in a more dreadful voice. Laura couldn’t speak, but Mary choked yes. For a moment Pa was silent. He sighed a long sigh like Ma’s sigh after the Indians went away. He said in a terrible voice that after that they should remember to always do as they were told and not even think of disobeying him. Laura and Mary whispered yes. Pa asked if they knew what would have happened if they had turned Jack loose. They whispered no. Pa said that he would have bitten those Indians and then there would have been trouble, and that would have been bad trouble. They did not understand why. Laura asked if they would have killed Jack. Pa answered yes and that was not all. He asked them to remember that they should did as they were told, no matter what happened. Laura said yes and Mary said yes too. They were glad they had not turned Jack loose. Pa told them if they did as they were told and no harm would come to them.