Chapter 7
Mr Edwards meets Santa Claus
The prairie had changed. Now the days were short and cold and the wind howled. Day after day the cold rain fell.
Mary and Laura played close to the fire and listened to the wet sound of rain. The nights were cold, but it never snowed. Every morning they saw only sad, wet grass. They wished they could see snow.
Laura was worried because Christmas was near, and Santa Claus could not travel without snow. Mary thought that, with or without snow, perhaps Santa Claus couldn't find them, so far away in Indian Territory.
'What day is it?' the girls asked Ma. 'How many more days until Christmas?' And they counted the days until there was only one more day to go.
Rain was still falling that morning. 'Perhaps there won't be a Christmas this year,' Laura said.
Still she went on hoping. But when Ma opened the door to let in some air and Laura heard the noise of the creek, she knew there was not going to be a Christmas that year. The creek was full and roaring with water. Santa Claus could not possibly cross it.
Pa came in, bringing a big fat turkey. 'How's that for a Christmas dinner?' he asked.
'Pa, is the water in the creek going down?' Mary asked.
'No, Mary, the water is moving fast. It'll be too dangerous for Mr Edwards to try to cross it now,' Pa replied.
Mr Edwards was invited to eat Christmas dinner with them, but now it looked impossible. 'No,' Pa said. 'I don't think Edwards will be here tomorrow.' 'Then Santa Claus can't come either,' said Mary.
'It's too bad,' Ma said. 'But I know he hasn't forgotten you girls. He'll come next year, I'm sure.'
Still. Laura and Mary were not happy. It did not seem at all like Christmas. Even Pa did not want to play his fiddle.
After a long while, Ma suddenly stood up. 'I'm going to put up your stockings, girls,' she said. 'Perhaps something will happen.'
Laura's heart jumped. But then she remembered the roaring creek and felt sad. She and Mary watched Ma put their stockings over the fireplace. 'Now go to sleep,' Ma said, kissing them as they lay in their beds. 'Morning will come quicker if you're asleep.'
Then Laura heard Jack growl and someone crying, 'Ingalls! Ingalls!' When Pa opened the door, Laura saw that it was morning.
'Edwards! Come in, man! What's happened? Come sit by the fire!' Pa said.
Mr Edwards was shaking with cold. 'I swam across the creek,' he said. 'I carried my clothes on my head. But I'll be all right as soon as I get warm.'
'It was too dangerous, Edwards,' Pa said. 'We're happy you're here, but it was too dangerous for a Christmas dinner.'
'Your little ones needed a Christmas,' Mr Edwards replied. 'I had their presents from Independence, so no creek could stop me.'
Laura sat straight up in bed. 'Did you see Santa Claus in Independence?' she shouted.
'I sure did.' Mr Edwards said.
'Where? When? What did he look like? Did he really give you something for us?' Mary and Laura cried. 'Wait, wait a minute!' Mr Edwards laughed.
'I'll put Santa's presents in your stockings, girls,' said Ma, 'like Santa usually does. You mustn't look.'
They tried not to look at Ma as Mr Edwards answered all their questions. When he saw the creek was so full, he said, he knew Santa Claus could not get across it.
'But you did,' said Laura.
'Yes, but I'm young. Santa Claus is too old and fat. I knew that Santa could only get as far south as Independence. So I walked to Independence and met Santa coming up the street, and the first thing he said to me was "Hello Edwards".'
'How did he know you?' asked Laura.
'Santa Claus knows everybody,' said Mr Edwards. And he said he knew two good little girls named Mary and Laura who lived by the Verdigris River. He asked me to bring your presents for him this year because with the water so high, he couldn't cross the creek himself. So here I am, sent by Santa Claus.'
Laura and Mary were silent a minute, thinking about that.
Then Ma said. 'You may look now. girls.'
Something was shining bright in the top of Laura's stocking. She jumped out of bed. So did Mary, but Laura beat her to the fireplace. And the shining thing was a bright new tin cup. Mary had one just like it.
These new tin cups were their very own. Now they each had a cup to drink from. Laura jumped up and down and shouted and laughed, but Mary stood still and looked with bright eyes at her own tin cup.
Then they reached into the stockings again. And they pulled out two long sticks of red and white candy. They looked and looked at that beautiful candy. Laura put her tongue on her candy, just to taste it, but Mary only looked at hers. Those stockings were not empty yet. They each pulled out a little cake shaped like a heart. They had white sugar - like snow - on top and were too pretty to eat.
Laura and Mary just sat there, but then Ma said. Are you sure the stockings are empty?'
The girls put their arms down inside them again. And in the toe of each stocking was a shiny bright new penny! They could not speak. There had never been such a Christmas.
'Aren't you going to thank Mr Edwards?' Ma said gently.
'Oh, thank you, Mr Edwards! Thank you!' they said, and they meant it with all their hearts. Pa shook Mr Edwards' hand, and Pa and Ma and Mr Edwards looked like they were almost crying. Laura didn't know why.
Then Ma's eyes opened wide. Mr Edwards was taking sweet potatoes from his pockets. They were for Christmas dinner. Mr Edwards had brought them all the way from town, too.
'It's too much, Edwards,' Pa said. 'We can never thank you enough.'
For Christmas dinner there was the big, tasty turkey. There was bread that Ma had made, and there were the sweet potatoes. And after all that, they ate dried blackberries and little cakes.
Then Pa and Ma and Mr Edwards sat by the fire and talked about Christmas times back in Wisconsin. Mary and Laura looked at their beautiful cakes and played with their pennies. Little by little, they ate their sticks of candy. That was a happy Christmas.
