2018.05.11

It's Friday.

The logs fitted solidly together at the corners. But no log is ever perfectly straight, and all logs are bigger at one end than at the other end, so cracks were left between them all along the walls. But that did not matter, because Pa would chink those cracks. All by himself, he built the house three logs high. Then Ma helped him. Pa lifted one end of a log onto the wall, then Ma held it while he lifted the other end. He stood up on the wall to cut notches, and Ma helped roll and hold the log while he settled it where it should be to make the corner perfectly square. So, log by log, they built the walls higher, till they were pretty high, and Laura couldn’t get over them any more. She was tired of watching Pa and Ma build the house, and she went into the tall grass, exploring. Suddenly she heard Pa shout, “Let go! Get out from under!” The big, heavy log was sliding. Pa was trying to hold up his end of it, to keep it from falling on Ma. He couldn’t. It crashed down. Ma huddled on the ground. She got to Ma almost as quickly as Pa did. Pa knelt down and called Ma in a dreadful voice, and Ma gasped that she was all right. The log was on her foot. Pa lifted the log and Ma pulled her foot from under it. Pa felt her to see if any bones were broken. He asked her to move her arms and asked her if her back was hurt and if she could turn her head. Ma moved her arms and turned her head. Pa thanked God. He helped Ma to sit up. She said again that she was all right and it was just her foot. Quickly pa took off her shoe and stocking. He felt her foot all over, moving the ankle and the instep and every toe. He asked if it hurt much. Ma’s face was gray and her mouth was a tight line. She said not much. Pa said that there wereno bones broken and it was only a bad sprain.