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Smet.
    Laura loved the little gray frame house. There were windows in the kitchen, the living room, and the bedroom. In the pantry was a special cabinet Manly had designed and made. Now that Laura would be running her own house, she could put all Ma’s lessons to good use.

    Despite her earlier doubts, Laura was excited about the farm she and Manly were planning. To save money, Laura started helping with the work. She learned to use different machines and rode the corn binder, driving six horses. When they weren’t working, they visited friends or Ma and Pa in De Smet. They went to concerts and church socials. Sometimes they saddled up their two swift ponies, Trixie and Fly, and rode off across the prairie. Other times, they took buggy rides. Laura loved the red and pink wild roses blooming all around her.
    In the summer of 1886, Manly looked over his wheat field with satisfaction and pride. He had never seen such a promising crop. But in August, before he could harvest the wheat, a terrible storm blew across the prairie, and hail came pounding from the sky. The wheat field was destroyed. There would be no big harvest that year. He and Laura were bitterly disappointed.

    But there was good news too. Laura was expecting a baby, so she and Manly had to change their plans. On their first anniversary, they mortgaged the little gray house and moved into a shanty on another part of their claim in order to save money. Manly continued to farm, making plans for the next year. Laura could not help anymore. She had to rest while she waited for the baby.
    On December 5, 1886, Laura gave birth. Thinking of the lush flowers she had seen over the summer on her rides with Manly, she called the baby Rose. Rose was a big, strong baby, and Laura was grateful for that. But the spring and summer of 1887 were again disappointing. The crops were poor, and a fire destroyed the barn and a lot of the hay. Laura thought they should give up farming. Pa had, and he and Ma now lived full-time in town, where he worked as a carpenter.

    Manly was still not ready to give up. He told Laura they needed to keep working and be patient. The next year, though, things got even worse. Laura and Manly came down with diphtheria. Diphtheria is a bacterial infection spread by coughing or sneezing. It affects the nose and throat, and the disease makes breathing difficult. Today there is a vaccine that prevents the spread of diphtheria. Back in Laura’s time, the vaccine did not exist and the disease could be serious, even fatal.
    They were nursed by Manly’s brother Royal. Little Rose was taken to town, where her loving grandparents watched her. Even though both Laura and Manly survived, their recovery was slow, and Manly was never the same afterward. His hands and feet were partially crippled, and walking was difficult for him. He could no longer manage the 320 acres, so he sold part of it, and he and Laura returned to the gray house. Peter Ingalls, Laura’s cousin, moved to De Smet. He was a big help to Manly, and they were able to plant some crops.
    The summer of 1889 was hot and dry. The wheat and oats withered, shriveled, and finally died. Laura and Manly had one good thing to look forward to: another baby was on the way. Sadly, he was born one stifling day and died 12 days later; Laura never even gave him a name.
    For the remainder of the summer, Laura mourned her loss. She wanted only to rest. She began to rely on Rose, who was almost four, for simple chores, like feeding the stove with hay sticks. One day, the hay Rose carried caught fire. Terrified, she dropped it, and the fire immediately spread. Laura couldn’t even rally to put out the fire. All she could do was escape with Rose. By the time Manly rushed in from the field and the neighbors came to help, it was too late. The little gray house had burned to the ground.

    Manly built a shanty near the scorched, blackened place where the house had been. But it was only a temporary dwelling.