the counter, and on the floor in front of it was a barrel of molasses, and a whole keg of pickles, and a big wooden box full of crackers, and two tall wooden pails of candy. It was Christmas candy; two big pails full of it.
Suddenly the back door of the store burst open, and Nellie Oleson and her little brother Willie came bouncing in. Nellie's nose wrinkled at Laura and Mary, and Willie yahed at them: “Yah! Yah! Long-legged snipes!”
“Shut up, Willie,” Mr. Oleson said. But Willie did not shut up. He went on saying:
“Snipes! Snipes!”
Nellie flounced by Mary and Laura, and dug her hands into a pail of candy. Willie dug into the other pail. They grabbed all the candy they could hold and stood cramming it into their mouths. They stood in front of Mary and Laura, looking at them, and did not offer them even one piece.
“Nellie! You and Willie go right back out of here!” Mr. Oleson said.
They went on stuffing candy into their mouths and staring at Mary and Laura. Mr.
Oleson took no more notice of them. Mary gave him the money and he gave her the slate.
He said: “You'll want a slate pencil, too. Here it is. One penny.”
Nellie said, “They haven't got a penny.”
“Well, take it along, and tell your Pa to give me the penny next time he comes to town,”
said Mr. Oleson.
“No, sir. Thank you,” Mary said. She turned around and so did Laura, and they walked out of the store. At the door Laura looked back. And Nellie made a face at her.
Nellie's tongue was streaked red and green from the candy.
“My goodness!” Mary said. “I couldn't be as mean as that Nellie Oleson.”
Laura thought: “I could. I could be meaner to her than she is to us, if Ma and Pa would let me.”
They looked at their slate's smooth, soft-gray surface, and its clean, flat wooden frame, cunningly fitted together at the corners. It was a handsome slate. But they must have a slate pencil.
Pa had already spent so much for the slate that they hated to tell him they must have another penny. They walked along soberly, till suddenly Laura remembered their Christmas pennies. They still had those pennies that they had found in their stockings on Christmas morning in Indian Territory.
Mary had a penny, and Laura had a penny, but they needed only one slate pencil. So they decided that Mary would spend her penny for the pencil, and after that she would own half of Laura's penny. Next morning they bought the pencil, but they did not buy it from Mr.
Oleson. They bought it at Mr. Beadle's store and post-office, where Teacher lived, and that morning they walked on to school with Teacher.
All through the long, hot weeks they went to school, and every day they liked it more.
They liked reading, writing, and arithmetic.
They liked spelling-down on Friday afternoons. And Laura loved recess, when the little girls rushed out into the sun and wind, picking wild flowers among the prairie grasses and playing games.
The boys played boys' games on one side of the schoolhouse; the little girls played on the other side, and Mary sat with the other big girls, ladylike on the steps.
The little girls always played ring-around-a-rosy, because Nellie Oleson said to. They got tired of it, but they always played it, till one day, before Nellie could say anything, Laura said, “Let's play Uncle John!”
“Let's! Let's!” the girls said, taking hold of hands. But Nellie grabbed both hands full of Laura's long hair and jerked her flat on the ground.
“No! No!” Nellie shouted. "I want to play ring-around-a-rosy!"
Laura jumped up and her hand flashed out to slap Nellie. She stopped it just in time. Pa said she must never strike anybody.
“Come on, Laura,” Christy said, taking her hand. Laura's face felt bursting and she could hardly see, but she went circling with the others around Nellie. Nellie tossed her curls and flounced her skirts because she had her way.
Then Christy began singing, and all the others joined in:
"Uncle John is sick
Suddenly the back door of the store burst open, and Nellie Oleson and her little brother Willie came bouncing in. Nellie's nose wrinkled at Laura and Mary, and Willie yahed at them: “Yah! Yah! Long-legged snipes!”
“Shut up, Willie,” Mr. Oleson said. But Willie did not shut up. He went on saying:
“Snipes! Snipes!”
Nellie flounced by Mary and Laura, and dug her hands into a pail of candy. Willie dug into the other pail. They grabbed all the candy they could hold and stood cramming it into their mouths. They stood in front of Mary and Laura, looking at them, and did not offer them even one piece.
“Nellie! You and Willie go right back out of here!” Mr. Oleson said.
They went on stuffing candy into their mouths and staring at Mary and Laura. Mr.
Oleson took no more notice of them. Mary gave him the money and he gave her the slate.
He said: “You'll want a slate pencil, too. Here it is. One penny.”
Nellie said, “They haven't got a penny.”
“Well, take it along, and tell your Pa to give me the penny next time he comes to town,”
said Mr. Oleson.
“No, sir. Thank you,” Mary said. She turned around and so did Laura, and they walked out of the store. At the door Laura looked back. And Nellie made a face at her.
Nellie's tongue was streaked red and green from the candy.
“My goodness!” Mary said. “I couldn't be as mean as that Nellie Oleson.”
Laura thought: “I could. I could be meaner to her than she is to us, if Ma and Pa would let me.”
They looked at their slate's smooth, soft-gray surface, and its clean, flat wooden frame, cunningly fitted together at the corners. It was a handsome slate. But they must have a slate pencil.
Pa had already spent so much for the slate that they hated to tell him they must have another penny. They walked along soberly, till suddenly Laura remembered their Christmas pennies. They still had those pennies that they had found in their stockings on Christmas morning in Indian Territory.
Mary had a penny, and Laura had a penny, but they needed only one slate pencil. So they decided that Mary would spend her penny for the pencil, and after that she would own half of Laura's penny. Next morning they bought the pencil, but they did not buy it from Mr.
Oleson. They bought it at Mr. Beadle's store and post-office, where Teacher lived, and that morning they walked on to school with Teacher.
All through the long, hot weeks they went to school, and every day they liked it more.
They liked reading, writing, and arithmetic.
They liked spelling-down on Friday afternoons. And Laura loved recess, when the little girls rushed out into the sun and wind, picking wild flowers among the prairie grasses and playing games.
The boys played boys' games on one side of the schoolhouse; the little girls played on the other side, and Mary sat with the other big girls, ladylike on the steps.
The little girls always played ring-around-a-rosy, because Nellie Oleson said to. They got tired of it, but they always played it, till one day, before Nellie could say anything, Laura said, “Let's play Uncle John!”
“Let's! Let's!” the girls said, taking hold of hands. But Nellie grabbed both hands full of Laura's long hair and jerked her flat on the ground.
“No! No!” Nellie shouted. "I want to play ring-around-a-rosy!"
Laura jumped up and her hand flashed out to slap Nellie. She stopped it just in time. Pa said she must never strike anybody.
“Come on, Laura,” Christy said, taking her hand. Laura's face felt bursting and she could hardly see, but she went circling with the others around Nellie. Nellie tossed her curls and flounced her skirts because she had her way.
Then Christy began singing, and all the others joined in:
"Uncle John is sick
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