THEN one day Pa said that spring was ing In the Big Woods the snow was beginning to thaw. Bits of it dropped from the branches of the trees and made little holes in the softening snowbanks below. At noon all the big icicles along the eaves of the little house quivered and sparkled in the sunshine, and drops of water hung trembling at their tips.
Pa said he must go to town to trade the furs of the wild animals he had been trapping all winter.
So one evening he made a big bundle of them. There were so many furs that when they were packed tightly and tied together they made a bundle almost as big as Pa.
Very early one m Pa strapped the bundle of furs on his shoulders, and started to walk to town. There were so many furs to carry that he could not take his gun.
Ma was worried, but Pa said that by starting before sun-up and walking very fast all day he could get home again before dark.
The own was far away. Laura and Mary had never seen a town. They had never seen a store. They had never seewo houses standing together. But they khat in a town there were many houses, and a store full of dy and calid other wonderful things -powder, and shot, and salt, and store sugar.
They khat Pa would trade his furs to the storekeeper for beautiful things from town, and all day they were expeg the presents he would bring them. When the sun sank low above the treetops and no more drops fell from the tips of the icicles they began to watch eagerly for Pa.
The sun sank out of sight, the woods grew dark, and he did not e. Ma started supper ahe table, but he did not e. It was time to do the chores, and still he had not e.
Ma said that Laura might e with her while she milked the cow.
Laura could carry the lantern. So Laura put on her coat and Ma butto up.
And Laura put her hands into her red mittens that hung by a red yarn string around her neck, while Ma lighted the dle in the lantern.
Laura roud to be helping Ma with the milking, and she carried the lantern very carefully.
Its sides were of tin, with places cut in them for the dle-light to shihrough.
When Laura walked behind Ma oh to the barn, the little bits of dle-light from the lantern leaped all around her on the snow. The night was not yet quite dark. The woods were dark, but there was a gray light on the snowy stars. I path, and in the sky there were a few faint stars. The stars did not look as warm. and bright as the little lights that came from the lantern.
Laura was surprised to see the dark shape of Sukey, the brown cow, standing at the barnyard gate. Ma was surprised, too.
It was too early in the spring for Sukey to be let out in the Big Woods to eat grass. She lived in the barn. But sometimes on warm days Pa left the door of her stall open so she could e into the barnyard. Now Ma and Laura saw her behind the bars, waiting for them.
Ma went up to the gate, and pushed against it to open it. But it did not there was Sukey, standing against it. Ma said, "Sukey, get over! " She reached across the gate and slapped Sukeys shoulder.
Just then one of the dang little bits of light from the lantern jumped between the bars of the gate, and Laura saw long, shaggy, black fur, and two little, glittering eyes.
Sukey had thin, short, brown fur. Sukey had large, gentle eyes.
Ma said, "Laura, walk back to the house.」
So Laura turned around and began to walk toward the house. Ma came behind her. W