place.”
Pa had to admit that he did. But he said, “On the other hand, all this costs money and that's scarcer than hen's teeth. The railroad's the only place a man can get a dollar for a day's work and it's not hiring anybody. And the only hunting left around here is jackrabbits. Oregon's the place to be nowadays. The country out there'll be settled up, too, pretty soon.”
“Yes, but now is the time for the girls to be getting some schooling,” Ma said firmly.
CAP GARLAND
Laura did not sleep very well. All night, it seemed, she knew that the town was close around her and that she must go to school in the morning. She was heavy with dread when she woke and heard steps going by in the street below and strange men speaking. The town was waking up too; the storekeepers were opening their stores.
The walls of the house kept strangers outside. But Laura and Carrie were heavyhearted because they must go out of the house and meet strangers. And Mary was sad because she could not go to school.
“Now Laura and Carrie, there's no cause to worry,”
Ma said. “I ' m sure you can keep up with your classes.”
The y looked at Ma in surprise. She had taught them so well at home that they knew they could keep up with their classes. The y were not worried about that. But they only said, “Yes, Ma.”
The y hurried to wash the dishes and make their bed and hurriedly Laura swept their bedroom floor.
Then they dressed carefully in their woolen winter dresses and nervously combed their hair and braided it. The y tied on their Sunday hair-ribbons. With the steel buttonhook they buttoned their shoes.
“Hurry up, girls!” Ma called. “It's past eight o'clock.”
At that moment, Carrie nervously jerked one of her shoe-buttons off. It fell and rolled and vanished down a crack of the floor.
“Oh, it's gone!” Carrie gasped. She was desperate.
She could not go where strangers would see that gap in the row of black buttons that buttoned up her shoe.
“We must take a button off one of Mary's shoes,”
Laura said.
But Ma had heard the button fall, downstairs. She found it and sewed it on again, and buttoned the shoe for Carrie.
At last they were ready. “You look very nice,” Ma said, smiling. The y put on their coats and hoods and took their schoolbooks. The y said good-by to Ma and Mary and they went out into Main Street.
The stores were all open. Mr. Fuller and Mr.
Bradley had finished sweeping out; they stood holding their brooms and looking at the morning. Carrie took hold of Laura's hand. It helped Laura, to know that Carrie was even more scared than she was.
Bravely they crossed wide Main Street and walked steadily on along Second Street. The sun was shining brightly. A tangle of dead weeds and grasses made shadows beside the wheel-tracks. Their own long shadows went before them, over many footprints in the paths. It seemed a long, long way to the schoolhouse that stood on the open prairie with no other buildings near.
In front of the schoolhouse strange boys were playing ball, and two strange girls stood on the platform before the entry door.
Laura and Carrie came nearer and nearer. Laura's throat was so choked that she could hardly breathe.
One of the strange girls was tall and dark. Her smooth, black hair was twisted into a heavy knot at the back of her head. Her dress of indigo blue woolen was longer than Laura's brown one.
Then suddenly Laura saw one of the boys spring into the air and catch the ball. He was tall and quick and he moved as beautifully as a cat. His yellow hair was sun-bleached almost white and his eyes were blue. They saw Laura and opened wide. Then a flashing grin lighted up his whole face and he threw the ball to her.
She saw the ball curving down through the air, coming swiftly. Before she could think, she had made a running leap and caught it.
A great shout went up from the other boys. “Hey, Cap!” they shouted. “Girls don't play ball!”
“I didn't think she'd catch it,”
Pa had to admit that he did. But he said, “On the other hand, all this costs money and that's scarcer than hen's teeth. The railroad's the only place a man can get a dollar for a day's work and it's not hiring anybody. And the only hunting left around here is jackrabbits. Oregon's the place to be nowadays. The country out there'll be settled up, too, pretty soon.”
“Yes, but now is the time for the girls to be getting some schooling,” Ma said firmly.
CAP GARLAND
Laura did not sleep very well. All night, it seemed, she knew that the town was close around her and that she must go to school in the morning. She was heavy with dread when she woke and heard steps going by in the street below and strange men speaking. The town was waking up too; the storekeepers were opening their stores.
The walls of the house kept strangers outside. But Laura and Carrie were heavyhearted because they must go out of the house and meet strangers. And Mary was sad because she could not go to school.
“Now Laura and Carrie, there's no cause to worry,”
Ma said. “I ' m sure you can keep up with your classes.”
The y looked at Ma in surprise. She had taught them so well at home that they knew they could keep up with their classes. The y were not worried about that. But they only said, “Yes, Ma.”
The y hurried to wash the dishes and make their bed and hurriedly Laura swept their bedroom floor.
Then they dressed carefully in their woolen winter dresses and nervously combed their hair and braided it. The y tied on their Sunday hair-ribbons. With the steel buttonhook they buttoned their shoes.
“Hurry up, girls!” Ma called. “It's past eight o'clock.”
At that moment, Carrie nervously jerked one of her shoe-buttons off. It fell and rolled and vanished down a crack of the floor.
“Oh, it's gone!” Carrie gasped. She was desperate.
She could not go where strangers would see that gap in the row of black buttons that buttoned up her shoe.
“We must take a button off one of Mary's shoes,”
Laura said.
But Ma had heard the button fall, downstairs. She found it and sewed it on again, and buttoned the shoe for Carrie.
At last they were ready. “You look very nice,” Ma said, smiling. The y put on their coats and hoods and took their schoolbooks. The y said good-by to Ma and Mary and they went out into Main Street.
The stores were all open. Mr. Fuller and Mr.
Bradley had finished sweeping out; they stood holding their brooms and looking at the morning. Carrie took hold of Laura's hand. It helped Laura, to know that Carrie was even more scared than she was.
Bravely they crossed wide Main Street and walked steadily on along Second Street. The sun was shining brightly. A tangle of dead weeds and grasses made shadows beside the wheel-tracks. Their own long shadows went before them, over many footprints in the paths. It seemed a long, long way to the schoolhouse that stood on the open prairie with no other buildings near.
In front of the schoolhouse strange boys were playing ball, and two strange girls stood on the platform before the entry door.
Laura and Carrie came nearer and nearer. Laura's throat was so choked that she could hardly breathe.
One of the strange girls was tall and dark. Her smooth, black hair was twisted into a heavy knot at the back of her head. Her dress of indigo blue woolen was longer than Laura's brown one.
Then suddenly Laura saw one of the boys spring into the air and catch the ball. He was tall and quick and he moved as beautifully as a cat. His yellow hair was sun-bleached almost white and his eyes were blue. They saw Laura and opened wide. Then a flashing grin lighted up his whole face and he threw the ball to her.
She saw the ball curving down through the air, coming swiftly. Before she could think, she had made a running leap and caught it.
A great shout went up from the other boys. “Hey, Cap!” they shouted. “Girls don't play ball!”
“I didn't think she'd catch it,”
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