Fred had stayed with the Ingalls for a month, and he had grown to love Walnut Grove so much, he decided to move there! The Ingalls put him up in the little sod house and Fred had sent for the his rest of his few things that were still in Pennsylvania...Charles got Fred a job at the mill, which was new to Fred, but he learned the new trade very quickly. He was hard at work one late afternoon, when Laura and Mary came up to him...

Fred smiled. "Hey girls!...How are y'all this mighty fine afternoon?"

"We're doing good, Fred!" Mary told him. "How are you?"

"I'm just grand!" He smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Hey, I was just about to stop and have some lunch...Join me?"

"Sure!" Laura said excitedly, and sat down next to Fred.

"Mary..." Fred said, patting the space next to him. Mary smiled at him and sat down...

Fred took a bite of a ham, cheese and butter sandwich. "Boy...Your Ma sure makes a mean sandwich!..." He said, smiling at the girls. "She made me take three or four of 'em!"

"Ma does make yummy sandwiches!" Laura said, enjoying one. Her's was an applebutter sandwich.

Fred found that Mary was gazing at him. He smiled at her. Mary blinked a few times and quickly looked away.

"Stop staring at him, Mary!" She thought to herself. "You shouldn't be doing that!" Mary found herself looking at him again. At times, her eyes wandered to his chest and his stong arms and then back up at his face. "Why did I just DO that?" She thought, feeling guilty. "I can't help it, though!...He's...He's so...good-looking!" Mary thought, gazing at Fred again.

Fred smiled at her..."Something the matter, Mary?...You sure are quiet today..."

"Oh...uh...uh...ummmmm...N-Nothing's wrong!...I...I think I hear Ma calling us...C'mon Laura!" She said, grabbing Laura's hand and leaving quickly.

"Hm!...Well, that was akward!" Fred said to himself. He bit into a big, juicy, red apple...He sat there thinking about how strangely Mary had been acting lately..."She's been really quiet aound me...She's been staring at me...Smiling at me every chance she gets. She seems right nervous around me...Huh...I think that lil lady likes me!" Fred smiled, thinking it was cute of Mary to have a crush on him...He finished the rest of his apple and went back to work at the saw mill, sawing long boards in half...

"Mary! Why'd you do that? Ma didn't call us!" Laura said, annoyed with her older sister.

"That was horrible, Laura! I made a complete fool of myself in front of Fred!"

"What are you talking about?...You hardly said anything to him at all!"

"That's the problem!...I just sat there...and when I did say something, I got all nervous and stuttery!"

"And you stared all lovestuck at him..." Laura added.

"He probably thinks I'm so...stupid!"

"Well, then don't stare at him like that!" Laura told her..."Boys are yucky to me anyway..."

"Not to me..." Mary said.

"I know...Yucky!" Laura said, shaking her head.