O N C E upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in ttle gray , dark trees of tood all around trees and beyond trees. As far as a man could go to t rees and them.
olves lived in ts. Muskrats and mink and otter lived by treams. Foxes he hills and deer roamed everywhere.
to t of ttle log o t, trees, and only a fetle log tered far apart in the Big oods.
So far as ttle girl could see, ttle er Mary and baby sister Carrie. A rack ran before turning and ting out of sig ttle girl did not kno, nor .
ttle girl hey do now.
At nigrundle bed sened and could not all but trees her.
Sometimes, far a, a wolf hen he came nearer, and howled again.
It little girls. But s. o sleep, Laura. Jack let trundle bed, close beside Mary, and to sleep. One nigip out of bed and carried o t s see tting in front of ted t t moon, and howled.
Jack paced up and doood up along eeto t t get in.
table airs ttic, pleasant to play in closed ter. t , door and a back door.
All around to keep the deer away.
In t of tiful big oak trees. Every morning as soon as so look out of trees a dead deer hanging from a branch.
Pa t t nigrees so t get t.
t day Pa and Ma and Laura and Mary Laura all. But most of t must be salted and smoked and packed ao be eaten in ter.
For er er, and frost cra nig buried in snos, and treams ter cold be sure of finding any o s for meat.
t soundly all er long. ts in rees, ails s a deer, it fat and plump as deer are in the fall.
Pa mig alone all day in tter cold, in t nigo eat.
So as muc be stored atle er came.
Pa skinned ted and stretc leat up t, and sprinkled salt over them on a board.
Standing on end in tall lengt from trunk of a big ree. Pa ood it up, put a little roof over top, and cut a little door on one side near ttom. On t out ened leatted it into place, and t tle door, ill on it.
After t ed several days, Pa cut a a string t. Laura cc on the hollow log.
tle door and on t a ladder against to top, moved to one side, and reaco on those nails.
t to Laura:
quot;Run over to tce ones.”
So Laura ran to t smelling chips.
Just inside ttle door in t a fire of tiny bits of bark and moss, and very carefully.
Instead of burning quickly, t ttle smoke squeezed t and a little smoke came out t most of it .
quot;tter t; Pa said. quot;t will keep anywher.”
took ao to cut dorees.
Laura and Ma copped coming, t t. All time ttle smell of smoke in ty smell came out.
At last Pa said t t, and Pa took all trips and pieces of meat out of tree. Ma ic whey would keep safe and dry.
One morning Pa away before daylig nigo Lake Pepin and caug.
Ma a cut large slices of flaky ed on t eat fresed doer.
Pa o ran s and roots. No and put it in a pen made of logs, to fatten. c as soon as to keep the pork frozen.
Laura cdoors. twice.
old o to grab tarlig t at all.
Laura get t so mucoo, but ;Anyhe bacon.”
ttle t jump t tables in time, and at nig times in ttle s among ts and t Jacks tracks oo, and t out again.
Noatoes and carrots, ts and turnips and cabbages ored in ts had come.
Onions o long ropes, braided togetops, and ttic beside rung on ttics corners.
ted fisry, and yellory shelves.
t of to cc Aunt Pollys butcher knife.
Near t -a bonfire, and ed a great kettle of er over it. er to kill topped he hog squeal.
quot;It doesnt ; Pa said. quot;e do it so quickly.quot; But s to hear him squeal.
In a minute. sook one finger cautiously out of an ear, and listened. topped squealing. After t, Butcime fun.
It was suco see and do. Uncle ail.
As soon as ted it up and doer till it on a board and scraped it les came off. After t tree, took out t it o cool.
ook it do it up. t and spare-ribs and belly. t and tongue, and to be made into s to be made into sausage.
t . t to pickle in brine, for the hollow log.
quot;You cant beat ; Pa said.
made a little igring and gave it to Mary and Laura to play into t it back and fortheir hands.
Or it . But even better fun tail.
Pa skinned it for to t a sick. Ma opened t of tove and raked coals out into took turns ail over the coals.
It sizzled and fried, and drops of fat dripped off it and blazed on t . t very , and Laura burned sed s care. Roasting tail aking turns.
At last it into to cool it, and even before it ing it and burned tongues.
te every little bit of meat off to Jack. And t ail. t be anotill next year.
Uncle er dinner, and Pa ao for Laura and Mary and Ma, Butcime deal for Ma to do, and Laura and Mary helped her.
All t day and t, Ma rying out ts on tove. Laura and Mary carried c must be , but not too , or ts simmered and boiled, but t not smoke. From time to time Ma skimmed out t t every bit of t to flavor joer.
Cracklings o eat, but Laura and Mary could aste. too rictle girls, Ma said.
Ma scraped and cleaned t till all t fell off t fine and spices. t-liquor , and set it ao cool.
in slices, and t was headcheese.
ttle pieces of meat, lean and fat, t il it and pepper and ossed and turned it until it o balls. S t in to eat all er. t he sausage.
cime e salt-pork out in ttic he smoked hams and shoulders.
ttle ing ored aer. try and ttic.
Laura and Mary must play in t doors and trees. tove never out. At nig o keep till morning.
ttic o play. tiful cables. tter y spicy smell.
Often tside in ttic Laura and Mary played hing was snug and cosy.
Mary tle. Laura it
Susans fault t simes Mary let Laura tle, but s only w see.
t times of all niger supper Pa brougraps in from to grease t and greased ther dipped in bears grease.
traps and middle-sized traps and great bear traps eet Pa said on to it.
raps, Pa told Laura and Mary little jokes and stories, -and afterward he would play his fiddle.
tig, and tuffed o keep out t Black Susan, t, came and as s, t-tom of t door. S very quickly, so t catcail, w fell s behind her.
One nigraps ched Black Susan come in, and he said:
quot;ts, a big cat and a little cat.”
Laura and Mary ran to lean on .
quot;s,quot; Pa repeated, quot;a big cat and a little cat. So -. And ttle cat-tle cat.”
topped.
quot;But tle cat-quot; Mary began.
quot;Because t let it,quot; Laura interrupted. quot;Laura, t is very rude. You must never interrupt,quot; said Pa. quot;But I see,quot; ;t eit t ; traps, and ook of its box and began to play. t time of all.