Almanzo Wilder

I hitch up my beautiful Morgan horses, Prince and Lady. A man has to take care of his team if he wants good work done on the prairie. I head into De Smet to get an iron clevis and some axle grease before summer breaking begins.The mercantile smells right familiar—kerosene, salted pork, and new leather harness. As I head for the counter, a loud thud makes me turn.A small girl is fiercely wrestling a fifty-pound sack of flour. She has a stubborn look, a red face, and white flour dusted right across her nose. She is determined to lift it alone.I step over, pulling off my hat."Mighty big sack for you to be hefting, miss," I say with a grin. "Let me take the heavy end of that."