Page 6 (1/2)

Suddenly Royal was gone, the candle was not there, and Mother was calling from the foot of the stairs:

“Almanzo! What’s the matter? Be you sick? It’s five o’clock!”

He crawled out, shivering He pulled on his trousers and waist, and ran downstairs to button up by the kitchen stove Father and Royal had gone to the barns Alht seee and still, and the stars sparkled like frost in the black sky

When the chores were done and he came back with Father and Royal to the warood it s blue platter, keeping hot on the stove’s hearth, was full of pluravy

Almanzo washed as quickly as he could, and co thefor breakfast

There was oatar There were fried potatoes, and the golden buckwheat cakes, as e

s and gravy or with butter and maple syrup There were preserves and jahnuts But best of all Almanzo liked the spicy apple pie, with its thick, rich juice and its crues of the pie

Then, with his cap’s warm ear-muffs over his ears, and his muffler wrapped up to his nose, and the dinner-pail in hisroad to another day at school

He did not want to go He did not want to be there when the big boys thrashed Mr Corse But he had to go to school because he was almost nine years old

Chapter 4

Surprise

Every day at noon the wood-haulers came down Hardscrabble Hill, and the boys hitched their sleds to the bobsleds’ runners and rode away down the road But they went only a little way, and ca Bill Ritchie and his friends didn’t care how soon Mr Corse tried to punish them

One day they were gone until after recess When they carinned impudently at Mr Corse He waited until they were in their seats Then he stood up, pale, and he said:

“If this occurs again, I shall punish you”

Everybody kneould happen next day When Royal and Alht, they told Father Alht even one of those big boys, and they would all jump on him at once