The Long Winter

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racist language and ableism.

The father of the Ingalls family, Pa, has bought a new mowing machine, and the price means he cannot afford to hire help. His daughter, Laura, offers to help him in the fields and, while her mother is uncertain about a girl doing that type of labor, she agrees to allow Laura to try. Laura helps her father create hay piles, and her mother surprises her by sending ginger water to help them cool off. While the work is hard and Laura is sore, she is proud of what she’s done. After a few days, she is more used to making hay piles. She sees a muskrat house; Pa says that it is the thickest and sturdiest he’s ever seen, which means that it will be a hard winter. Laura thinks about their own claim shanty in Dakota Territory, which is not built very solidly and will be a challenge to keep warm in a hard winter.

In September, there is an early frost and Pa hurries to continue making hay. He breaks one of the blades on the mower, and he sends Laura to town to buy a replacement.