Little House on the Prairie ｜ 6 Prairie Living Challenges That Led to Valuable Lessons

Well, family, it does make a man proud. I couldn't do it without you. She must be up in her treehouse. I told her to be in by supper time. I'll get her. Come on, Bandit. Tell her to hurry. I still don't understand about the dogs. That's kind of a hard one to get a hold of. But I wager you that all them dogs was once good family pets just like your mother. Then why'd they do what they did? Well, because their masters just got tired of them. You know how I told you that it's wrong to take a wild animal and make a pet out of it? Well, it's just as bad, maybe worse, to take a pet and turn it into a wild animal. But how? By not caring, stop loving them, stop feeding them, stop taking care of them, then turn them loose to fend for themselves. Soaked to the skin. Got pretty cold out there, I'll tell you. This coffee's gonna taste good. The storm's about over. The weed's gone. There's nothing to be solemn about. I guess you might say that we're back where we started. It means just one harvest. Now, what's one harvest in a man's life, huh? It's nothing. Oh. I didn't know Pog could fly a kite. Me either, Mary. Never ceases to amaze me the ways man can find to hurt hisself. Climbing trees. Wonder you didn't break your neck. Couldn't hurt any worse than this does. All right. Now into bed. Easy. Painful, huh? Just a wee bit, Doc. Well, that's to be expected with four broken ribs. But you'll mend fast. You'll be up and moving around in a week, ten days. Yeah. The rest will do you good. I spent a week in bed. I got a lot of work to do. You do what the doc tells you. I will talk to O'Neil. The grain stacking can wait. It's not just stacking the grain. I got plowing to do. I got work in the barn. It'll have to wait. I'll check back in a couple of days, Mrs. English. Thank you, Doctor. I'll see you out. You stay in bed. Girls, don't let the cornbread burn. You're looking better. Can I ask you a favor? I don't want you to go out and do any plowing anymore. We've already talked that out. I talked, but you didn't listen. The field has to be harrowed before it can be planted. Now God isn't going to do it. Cornbread's done, Ma. Come in, dear. That isn't sacrilegious. You said it. If God understands farmers, he understands farmers' wives. Thank you. We knew we had to find you, and we did. To do is set their mind to something and then do it. You're all right. We found you. Will you stop crying? I want to ask you something. How'd you like to be the flower girl at my wedding? If that is, it's all right with you, Adam. It is just great with me. Mr. Hanson? Charles, we've got to get the Benson order out in a hurry. You and Edwards go to work on that. A tornado came down on my place last night. Was the family all right? Yeah, they're all right. I didn't think to go by your place. I heard some twisters dropped down east of here. How bad is it? Some damage to my house and barn. Lost some chickens and calf. My crop. How much of it? All of it. Start all over again. It won't be the first time. No, not this time. I'm going home. Now, come on, Charles. You don't mean that. This is your home. You got friends here. We'll help you. Not this time. I made up my mind. Lars, I'd appreciate it if you'd spread the word. You know a lot of the farmers around here. Let them know my place is up for sale. Got about $80 in the land. I'd like to try to get that much out of it if I could. Charles says no hurry. Give yourself some time. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I think it's best if I leave here as soon as I can. It'll take a few days to fix up my wagon. Whatever you say. I'd appreciate it. I've got to get home now. Wait a minute, Charles. Let me come along with you. I can give you a hand with that. You heard what I just said. Yeah, I heard what you said. All right, then try to understand. I lost my crop. I can't make it here anymore. I can't keep telling myself that next year it's going to get better. I know how you feel. You don't know how I feel. You're my friend, but you don't know how I feel. You still got your crop. What's happened to me? Why have I done it? Done what? Let you down, let the children down. Just quit on this place. I sold it and it's too late. Just realize something. I made the decision to sell this place all by myself. I never even asked you. So concerned about myself. You've been through a lot. We've been through a lot. We have. I never even asked you. I just gave up. My own little girl told me that and I wouldn't listen to her. It's still not too late. I'm sure it's too late. I made the deal. I can't get out of it now. It'll be Matthew's farm tomorrow. Oh, I know that. But we could start over here in Walnut Grove. In a one-room sod house? But at least we'd be here. Where we belong. Oh, we can do it. Well, I do. I do know. And if you'd have come to the womenfolk in this family in the first place, we could have told you then. No complaints about a dirt floor. No complaints. Uh-oh. No complaints. Oh, let's go tell the girls. Why, it's the middle of the night. Well, they can sleep anytime. Well, let's go. Laura, Mary. Charles? Yeah. Letter from the bank in Mankato. Dane's construction company is bankrupt. What? See for yourself. It's all that work, all the lumber we ship. They got to pay us something. Oh, yeah, sure. But they've got to pay their other creditors, too. That takes time, and then you get only pennies on the dollar. Sorry. Don't mind. They won't pay me, and I can't pay you. I was counting on that money, same as you were. I wish there was something I could do, but until this is settled, I got to close down the mill. She just kept going on and on about the bill. She wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her. Stay here, Carrie. If everything goes all right at McKay's, it's going to take me three months to pay the Olsen bill. And that's doing without. Well, Mr. Olsen said that he was willing to extend a little credit. No. And not on your life, not after what that woman had to say. I'll tell you something else. Once we pay the bill at the Olsen's, from now on, anything we purchase there is going to be cash on the barrel. Is that understood? It's not only understood. It's what we hoped you'd say. Now we have something we want to say to you. Pa, I talked to Mrs. Whipple today. She's getting older, and, well, her fingers just don't do everything they used to with a needle and thread. Anyway, I asked if she could use me full-time for a while instead of just part-time, and she said she sure could. What are you telling me, young lady, that you want to quit school and go to work? It's only for a little while, until we catch up. Laura can bring my homework home. And I can do Mary's chores. And Ma and I can sell the vegetables. And we can plant a double-sized potato crop for Winter's store. And I can milk the cow. We can do it, Pa. We can help. Please let us help, Pa. What a family. It does make a man proud. Then you'll let us? I couldn't do it without you.