Little House On The Prairie
My story on May We Make Them Proud
The day of the 1st annual Family Day picnic at the Harriet Oleson Institute for the Blind was a beautiful one. Doctor Baker and Reverend Alden got teams for a baseball game. Alice Garvey and Hester Sue Terhune made pots of homemade chili with beans. Outside Albert Ingalls and his friend Clay are listening to an old man talking, Clay tells Albert, "Let's take Mr Willis pipe, I can show you how to smoke one." They go into the school's cellar, light the pipe and begin trying to smoke. "I always thought smoking was supposed to be fun." Says Albert turning green, he began coughing and Clay took a puff when Hester Sue came down the stairs. "Whose down here?" she demanded. "It's only us Mrs Ternune." Albert said still coughing, "We're trying to get away from Carrie, she's been pestering us all day." Mrs Terhune says, "Well Carrie won't be bothering you anymore, their starting to serve dessert, now scoot on out of here." Clay drops the smoking pipe onto some old blankets. Later on, Hester Sue, Alice, and Adam Kendall are sitting in the kitchen, talking about the day. "Adam go get Mary and we'll have some tea." Hester Sue says. Alice yawns and says "I sure will be glad to get to bed tonight, I'm tired." Adam comes to their upstairs bedroom and hears Mary talking to their infant son Adam Jr. "Mary, Hester Sue says to come on down and have some tea." Mary smiles and says "Just a minute, I have to change Adam Jr's diaper." Adam walks downstairs as Mary turns on Adam Jr's music box. Meanwhile, in the cellar, the smoldering blankets begin to burn. Hester Sue sniffs and says, "I smell something funny?" Alice says, "All I can smell is chili, hey, now I smell it too it,s smoke!" Hester Sue runs to the hallway and sees smoke coming from the cellar. "Adam get the children!" she says as she runs up the stairs, followed by Alice. Adam runs to the bedroom, "Mary! Fire let's get the children out!" Mary and Adam wake the sleeping children and guide them out of the school, meanwhile, a little boy Soloman fell asleep in the water closet, "Help Mrs Terhune! Get me out!" the frightened child screams. Hester Sue has to beat the door until it comes open, she grabs Soloman and runs down the stairs, meanwhile Alice hears the screams of Adam Jr, she runs into his room. The fire has now reached the top floor. Alice grabs the baby from his cradle and is about to run to the door when smoke fills the hallway. She puts the baby down and runs to the window and after picking up a water pitcher, breaks the window. "Help us!" she screams after grabbing the baby off the bed and cradling him to her chest with a thick blanket covering the crying baby. Hester Sue and Adam run to the outside window. Alice crawls out onto the ledge and jumps down into a bush. Hester Sue gets the pair from the bush. "Are you all right?" she asks a shaking Alice, "Yes I'll be just fine and Adam Jr is just fine." Adam Jr coos and gurgles and smiles. Alice walks to the children along with Mary, all safely away from the burning house, and hands Mary's son to her "Thank You Alice, I'll never forget this as long as I live."