On the Banks of Plum Creek

That winter, Pa traps muskrat, otter, and mink while the girls stay inside and study with Ma. They attend church every Sunday, and Laura struggles with feelings of anger toward Nellie. When Reverend Alden returns, she is so taken by his soft blue eyes and gentle compliments that she almost finds forgiveness for Nellie.

One evening in the middle of the week, Ma says they are going into town for a surprise and has Mary and Laura take baths to prepare. As they are in the wagon headed to town, they hear two clear notes sound, and Pa tells Laura it’s the new churchbell.

Though the rest of the town is dark, the church is full of light. In the front of the church is a tree covered with green paper, looped with popcorn, and hung with sacks of candy and colorful packages. Ma tells them that it’s a Christmas tree. After the sermon, presents are handed out to each of the congregants. The Ingalls are delighted to receive winter wear and candy and other gifts. Then suddenly, Mrs. Tower holds out a fur cape and muff to Laura, which Laura had her eye on, and Laura hugs them close in disbelief. Reverend Alden asks Laura if she likes her furs, and then says the way her eyes are shining says enough. As they are preparing to return home, Laura wishes Nellie Merry Christmas.

One day, Pa says that a chinook is blowing, which is a warm wind from the north-west. It melts the snow, and soon rains follow, filling Plum Creek. Then, it is spring again.

When summer arrives, Mary and Laura stay home to help Ma rather than return to school because Pa has to leave for work again. The grasshoppers begin hatching and eating everything in sight and the summer gets extremely hot again.

One day they look outside and see the grasshoppers walking west shoulder-to-shoulder without hopping or flying. The next three days the grasshoppers continue walking west, climbing the house and the stable. Then, on the fourth day, they begin flying away. Once more they form a cloud and disappear into the west.

After the grasshoppers leave, life becomes more peaceful. Rain falls and flora grows back around Plum Creek. It’s too late to sow wheat, but Pa sows turnips for Ma and the girls to eat. Then, Pa leaves again, but Laura feels more certain of his return this time.

One morning, Laura sees a low cloud in the west, and a strong wind begins to blow from that direction. As it moves closer they can see a flickering brightness under the cloud and Laura calls it a “wheel of fire” (271). The wheels of fire, which are tumbleweeds that have been set ablaze, begin rolling across the prairie, spreading fire to the grass. Ma uses a mop and bucket to try to beat out the fires.

Mr. Nelson shows up and directs the girls to bring wet gunny sacks and beat out the fires. The rest of the fire stops at the firebreak, the creek. Eventually, it dies out. Ma thanks Mr. Nelson, recognizing that it was only with his help that they saved their place from burning down.

After the fire, the weather turns cold, and they begin to dig up their root vegetables. They are grateful they have enough turnips and potatoes to last them through the winter. Mary brings out her slate and makes 22 marks to count down the days until Pa’s return. Each day, she erases one mark.

When she reaches the final week, they hear a whistling at the door, and Pa returns a week earlier than expected. He says he will hurry to get wood restocked, since he feels the wind is heralding an upcoming blizzard. He tells them of another family in Minnesota whose children froze to death during such a storm.

Pa prepares for winter by spending all day chopping wood. On one mild day, he and Ma go into town for supplies while the girls watch Carrie at home. They play for a while, but then notice a cloud covering the sun. It begins to get darker, and the air is chilled. Laura insists that they fill the woodbox before the storm arrives, even though Mary wants to stay inside as Ma instructed, and they run back and forth to stack the wood inside the house, despite the biting snow. Just then, Ma and Pa arrive back home, running from the storm.

The next day the storm is even worse. Pa uses rope to guide himself from the house to the stable and back. The Ingalls pass that day and the next indoors, Pa telling stories and playing the fiddle to keep his girls entertained.

On the fourth day, the wind calms down but the world is covered in snow. The next day, Pa goes into town for supplies. The winter begins to pass in a repetitive fashion, with blizzard after blizzard. Mary and Laura work on their quilts. They take advantage of the sunny days to do laundry and chop wood. They don’t go to church lest they get caught in a storm, but they have their own Sunday school at home.

One day, Pa announces he’s going into town for tobacco and news. Ma worries that he’ll get caught in a storm, but since one just ended, Pa thinks he’ll be okay. Still, he agrees to stay in town if a storm blows in.

While he’s gone, Ma works on mending, and Laura admires their clean and beautiful home. Laura notices that the sun has turned an unusual color. The girls bring in more wood from the woodpile and suddenly the storm blows in with thick snow.

Thinking that Pa has stayed in town, Ma bundles up to do the chores in the stable. Finally, Ma returns and warms herself. She puts a lamp in the window, and they eat supper. As they are all sitting quietly after dinner Ma suggests they play a game and soon they are laughing. A big ball of fire then rolls down the stovepipe. Two more balls follow, but they disappear on their own. Ma says it is the strangest thing she’s ever seen.

Finally, the girls go to sleep, though Laura is still worried about Pa. When Laura wakes up in the middle of the night, she sees Ma sitting in her chair, her eyes still open, and the lamp still burning in the window.

The next morning the storm is even worse. Once more, Ma completes the chores wearing Pa’s boots and jumper. When she comes back inside, her skirt is frozen with ice. Then, she refills the woodbox.

As Laura and Mary try to do their lessons, Laura lets a tear fall. When she looks to see if Mary has noticed, Mary also seems about to cry. Ma suggests they have a day of play instead, and they pass the evening playing games and making drawings.

The storm continues to rage the next day. Ma completes the chores again. The girls try to study, though they struggle. The gray light fades and it’s once more night. Ma asks if they want to play a game after supper, but the girls only want to go to bed. Under the covers, Laura is cold and begins to cry, frightened by the storm and worried about Pa.

The next morning the cold is worse. Ma instructs the girls to stay close to the stove, wrapped in their shawls. After Ma does the chores, the sun comes out.

Laura makes a peephole in the frost and stares out the window. She sees a snowy, furry animal coming toward the house—which turns out to be Pa! He’s almost frozen and incredibly hungry. He sits by the fire and eats warm broth. He tells them that, in town, the folks told him that a snowy winter means there won’t be any grasshoppers next year. In town, Pa purchased a buffalo coat, which ultimately saved his life. As he was returning home, he saw the cloud and thought he could beat it home, but when he was halfway the storm struck and he couldn’t see in any direction. Lost, he kept walking so he wouldn’t freeze.

Suddenly, the snow gave out underneath him and he went straight down about 10 feet. He crawled back against the bank for shelter. The blizzard blocked up the hole, but he was still able to breathe and move. He ate some oyster crackers and candy he was bringing home for Christmas. Then, he slept until the blizzard ceased and he could dig his way out. He saved one gift left for them for Christmas: a tin of oysters, still frozen solid.

That night there is another blizzard, but the Ingalls are just happy Pa is home. Pa plays the fiddle as Ma cooks supper and the girls assist her with preparations. Laura is very happy thinking of how next year things will be better. She is grateful that Pa ate the Christmas candy and made it home safe.