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They had barely saved the potatoes That very night the ground froze

“A ood as a mile,” Mother said, but Father shook his head

“Too close to suitwill be snow We’ll have to hustle to get the beans and corn under cover”

He put the hay-rack on the wagon, and Royal and Almanzo helped him haul the beans They pulled up the bean-stakes and laid theon, beans and all They worked carefully, for a jar would shake the beans out of the dry pods and waste them

When they had piled all the beans on the South-Barn Floor, they hauled in the shocks of corn The crops had been so good that even Father’s great barn-roofs would not shelter all the harvest Several loads of corn-shocks had to be put in the barnyard, and Fathercattle

All the harvest was in, now Cellar and attic and the barns were stuffed to bursting Plenty of food, and plenty of feed for all the stock, was stored away for the winter

Everyone could stop working for a while, and have a good time at the County Fair

Chapter 21

County Fair

Early in the frostythey all set out for the Fair All of them were dressed up in their Sunday clothes except Mother

She wore her second-best and took an apron, for she was going to help with the church dinner

Under the back buggy-seat was the box of jellies and pickles and preserves that Eliza Jane and Alice hadher ork eone the day before

It was too big to go in the buggy Almanzo had polished it carefully, Father had lifted it into the wagon and rolled it onto a soft pile of hay, and they had taken it to the Fair Grounds and given it to Mr Paddock Mr Paddock was in charge of such things

Thisto the Fair, and in Malone the croere thicker than they had been on Independence Day All around the Fair Grounds were acres of wagons and buggies, and people were clustered like flies Flags were flying and the band was playing

Mother and Royal and the girls got out of the buggy at the Fair Grounds, but Almanzo rode on with Father to the church sheds, and helped unhitch the horses The sheds were full, and all along the sidewalks strea to the Fair, while buggies dashed up and down the streets in clouds of dust