Farmer Boy

After school, the siblings walk home to their red house and barnyard, which has barns and pastures for horses, cows, oxen, pigs, sheep, and chickens. The house is lit up with candles. The barnyard has a buggy that they can hitch to the horses, a tool shed for farm equipment like trackers and hay wagons, and room for shearing sheep.

Because he loves horses, Almanzo goes to the Horse Barn, as usual. Inside the barnyards and stables, the animals are protected from snow and can run around. All the horses know Almanzo; their ears prick up and their eyes shine at him. He’s not allowed to care for the younger horses yet, since Father says they can get “easily spoiled” and someone young might scare, tease, or strike a horse and “ruin” them. Almanzo knows better, though: He’s gentle, quiet, patient, and affectionate with the horses. He and his brother, Royal, clean out the stalls to remove animal waste and add fresh hay.

Almanzo has two little calves named Star and Bright. They’re both bright red, but Star has a white spot on his forehead. He feeds them carrots and scratches their heads. Then, he helps his father milk the cows. The barn cats, who catch many mice, come over, purring. Almanzo gives the cats pans of fresh milk. Father praises him for good milking, which makes Almanzo proud. Father is an “important man” who has the best farm in the county and is known for his honesty.

They hurry inside to the warm fireplace. They quickly bathe while Mother and his sisters fix dinner. Almanzo tries to steal a bit of pie, but Eliza Jane yells at him. Mother tells him he’ll spoil his dinner, so he obeys. Their pantry is filled with homemade milk, cheeses, breads, jellies, preserves, and more. Almanzo’s stomach grumbles with hunger.

Mr. Corse eats dinner with them, since teachers spend two weeks at students’ homes and then switch to others. They pray together before eating fresh food, including ham, potatoes, and beans. Almanzo and his siblings aren’t allowed to talk during dinner; only the adults can talk. Father tells Mr. Corse that the Hardscrabble boys (the “big boys”) have been physically hurting teachers the last two years to drive them away. Last year, they hurt Mr. Jonas so badly that he died. Mr. Jonas was Mr. Corse’s friend, with whom he went to school. Father gets quiet.

After supper, everyone continues to work. Like every night, Almanzo shines his moccasins with tallow to keep them soft and his feet dry. Royal shines his boots. Father cuts up potatoes and other food for the next day, while Mother and Almanzo’s sisters clean the kitchen. They poke the logs of their wood fire stove to turn the heat down. Royal puts a popper of corn kernels in the dwindling fire to make popcorn. Alice puts butter and salt over it. Everyone eats popcorn while Mother knits and Father whittles a wooden ax handle. Alice embroiders, Eliza Jane reads the newspaper, and Almanzo enjoys popcorn, apples, and hot cider. Nine o’clock is bedtime; Father winds the clock and puts one log in the fire to heat the house overnight. That night will be 40 degrees below zero, which is extremely cold.

When the clock strikes midnight, Father goes outside to tend the cows in the pastures because the barnyard doesn’t have room for them all. Because it’s so cold, Father must make the cows run around to heat them up with exercise; otherwise, they’ll stay still and freeze to death.

At five o’clock in the morning, Almanzo hurries downstairs, where Mother is making buckwheat pancakes, sausages, oatmeal, and more. He hurries through his chores of milking, eats breakfast, and heads off to school, though he doesn’t want to see Mr. Corse beaten up by the big boys.

Each day at noon, wood haulers come by the schoolhouse. The big boys tie their sleds to the logs and ride them downhill in the snow. They stay out too long for recess. Big Bill Ritchie, one of the oldest boys, doesn’t care if Mr. Corse gets mad. Mr. Corse gives them a warning that he’ll punish them if they’re tardy again, though everyone knows the boys will continue to be late back to class.

Almanzo tells Father how unfair it is that poor Mr. Corse can’t handle the big boys. He thinks the five boys will jump Mr. Corse soon. Father tells Almanzo not to get involved, since Mr. Corse knew the expectations of his teaching job when he took it. Still, Almanzo worries about Mr. Corse. He can’t concentrate on studying his primer for fear of the big boys attacking the teacher. Other students are frightened and can’t focus either.

When Bill Ritchie and his gang come in late again, Mr. Corse asks Bill to come to the front of the room. His gang hurries to attack Mr. Corse—until he reveals a blacksnake whip. Mr. Corse coils and slashes the whip at Bill until he’s blubbering and begging him to stop. Mr. Corse grips him around the legs, whipping Bill out the door and locking it. He does the same with the other big boys, though some flee out the windows.

That night, Mr. Corse thanks Father at supper for lending him the whip. Almanzo is amazed, for his father knew all along that Mr. Corse had assistance to defend himself.

Almanzo forgets that it’s his birthday until his father says he has a present in the woodshed. He rushes to find a yoke for his calves. He’s excited that Father is going to let him assist in “breaking” (taming) the calves.

Almanzo stays home from school to teach his calves, Bright and Star, how to work like oxen with the yoke. Father helps him get the wooden yoke across the little cows’ necks and then leaves him to train them alone. Almanzo feels like a man full of responsibility while he pulls the rope attached to his cows. Star comes forward, but Bright backs up. Almanzo thinks hard about how to train them. He grabs carrots to lead the animals forward. The calves run to him as he pulls the rope with carrots in his hand. Star and Bright get used to using the yoke, following Almanzo’s orders of “Giddap!” and getting carrot rewards.

After lunch with his parents, Mother tells him to add more wood to the fire. Next to the woodstove, he finds a beautiful, handmade bobsled that Father made for him. Almanzo takes the sled outside and rides it through the snowy hills for hours.

Back inside, he helps his father shave wooden shingles. Father lets him whittle the wood-plank shingles in his lap. Mother works on the loom, using wool from their sheep, to make Royal’s academy uniform. She weaves threads in her work room, which has a loom, a spinning wheel, and more to make clothes.

That evening, Almanzo pumps water from their well. The horses and cows come to drink the icy water. Royal and his sisters return from school and finish the chores. Since his birthday is over, Almanzo thinks he’ll go back to school tomorrow, but Father says they must stay home to cut ice.