I do not own Little House on the Prairie or its characters. I just own Libby Matthews.
Thank you so much for the support that everyone has left for me! I appreciate it! I hope you continue to enjoy this story!
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Mrs. Ingalls had set one of Carrie's dresses on the bed for me. I felt frumpy in the pink and purple flowered dress and it definitely was not my style. It hung off of my shoulders and gave my body no shape at all. It was long too, almost to my ankles. I then put on the white apron and the white bonnet. I rolled my eyes as I looked at myself in the mirror. I wondered what my friends would say if they could see me now. "Looks like I'll have to take it in some," Mrs. Ingalls commented as I made my way to the bottom of the ladder to the loft. She pulled gently on the waist and then the neckline. "You're quite a bit smaller than Carrie," she mentioned with a smile. She then tightened the apron tie on the back. "This will have to do for now."
"It's fine," I replied. I watched as she hurried in the small, pantry area and then came out with a small, tin pail.
"Here's your lunch, there's a note inside for Mrs. Wilder," she said as she handed it to me, "The kids are waiting outside for you."
"Thank you," I replied as I took the pail from her. It felt good to have someone concerned over what I wore and what I ate. I couldn't believe that we had to walk almost two miles to get to town. We entered the one room schoolhouse to find that the class was already engaged in their lessons. I was surprised that Mr. Ingalls' daughter, Laura, was the teacher. Albert, Carrie, and Grace quickly took their seats, leaving me standing awkwardly in the center aisle with all eyes on me.
"Libby, come on up here," Laura gestured kindly from the front of the room. I thought she was beautiful with her long, brown hair pulled back into a bun. I approached her with Mrs. Ingalls' note in my hand. My hand quivered as I handed it to her. She smiled and then turned me gently to face the class. "Class, this is Libby, please welcome her," Mrs. Wilder announced. I could feel my face flush red with embarrassment.
"Hello Libby," the class replied in unison.
"Hello," I replied quietly. My eyes met with Nancy's and I could feel her eyes burning through me. I wasn't sure how we were going to coexist in the same classroom. The rest of the morning flew by. We reviewed Math facts and Spelling words and both were way too easy for me. I could tell Laura was impressed with my fluency. I figured coming from the future had its advantages. Before I knew it, it was lunch and recess time. I sat with Carrie under a huge Maple tree.
"Well, if it isn't Libby," snickered Nancy as she approached us.
"Leave us alone," Carrie snapped.
"I'm just curious, how does an orphan get so smart?" she questioned rudely. I glared up at her from my position on the ground. I took a deep breath and looked in the opposite direction, ignoring her question. "Well, I guess you're not that smart, can't even answer a simple question."
"Nancy, leave her alone," Carrie demanded.
"Poor farm girls," Nancy teased.
"Just shut up!" I snapped back angrily.
"Poor farm girls," she teased again. She started to walk away but I reached forward and grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. Dust billowed around her. I could hear Carrie giggle beside me.
"Dirty rich girls," I teased back as she pulled herself into a sitting position. I smiled at her sheepishly. She quickly climbed to her feet and rushed off toward her parents' store.
"Mother!" she whined as she ran off. I started to laugh and then looked at Carrie who wasn't laughing anymore.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I studied the worried expression on her face.
"Now Mrs. Oleson is going to come out and cause trouble," Carrie grumbled. Sure enough, within moments, Mrs. Oleson was rushing from her mercantile. I rolled my eyes with annoyance. I climbed to my feet with Carrie beside me.
"I should have known it was YOU!" Mrs. Oleson growled as she appeared before us.
"Maybe you should teach your daughter not to be a bully," I suggested as I tried to walk away from her. She reached out and grabbed my arm roughly. "Let me go!" I demanded as I yanked my arm from her grip. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again," I stated firmly.
"Well, I never!" she replied in a high pitched voice. She attempted to grab me again. "We'll see what Mrs. Wilder has to say about this." As I tried to move away from her, I felt threatened and instinctively pushed her away. She stopped and glared at me with surprise.
"Libby!" I heard Mrs. Wilder's voice yell firmly. I froze and watched worriedly as she approached us quickly. "Mrs. Oleson, what is going on here?" she asked.
"This child is rude and disrespectful," Mrs. Oleson snapped back, "She pushed my Nancy onto the ground and when I confronted her, she was extremely rude. I cannot believe your Father allows this child to speak to adults the way she does." I felt angry and I felt worried. Carrie grabbed my hand gently. I looked toward her worriedly and she smiled gently.
"Girls, we'll talk about this inside," Mrs. Wilder stated firmly. "Meet me there." I frowned and then obeyed. I walked inside with Carrie and we waited anxiously for Mrs. Wilder to come in. Once inside, she asked for our side of the story. She listened and then responded. "I know Nancy is difficult," she began, "But I cannot condone how you reacted to Mrs. Oleson. She's an adult and you need to treat adults with respect, no matter what." I felt tears fill my eyes. "Carrie, you can go outside, recess will be over in about 5 minutes."
"Ok," Carrie replied as she hurried from the schoolroom. I waited worriedly for the rest of Mrs. Wilder's lecture.
"Libby, I need to let my Pa know what happened here today," she said sympathetically. "And I have no choice but to have you stand in the corner for the next hour." I swallowed hard and felt a few tears drip from my eyes.
"I'm sorry," I replied. "Do you think your Pa will be angry with me?" I asked worriedly.
"He'll be fair and understanding, I can promise you that," she replied kindly. "But there are rules here Libby and you're expected to follow them just like everyone else. Do you understand?" I nodded my head. I did understand, but it was going to take some getting used to. I wasn't used to rules and I was used to talking to anyone and everyone the way I felt like talking to them. "Ok, in the corner," she ordered gently as she pointed to a corner beside her desk. I pouted and obeyed. I stood awkwardly with my nose to the corner and flushed with embarrassment when the students starting coming in from recess. This new life sure was going to be difficult.
