Laura's father is telling her a story about being good on Sunday.
The boys were not allowed to work or play on Sunday, but they had sneaked out of the house to ride on their sledge. When they slid down the hill they hit a very surprised pig and it squealed loudly. They slid quickly past the house, the pig sitting in front, then James, then George, then Grandfather. Their father heard the noise and came to the door. The boys saw their father standing in the doorway looking at them. They couldn't stop, they couldn't hide and they couldn't say anything. They knew that they were in trouble. Down the hill they went, the pig sitting on James and squealing loudly all the way.
At the bottom of the hill they stopped. The pig jumped off James and ran into the woods (forest), still squealing. “Squee-ee-ee-ee-ee! Squee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!”
The boys walked slowly and quietly up the hill. They put the sledge away. They quietly walked into the house and sat quietly in their places on the bench. Their father was reading his Bible. He looked up at them without saying a word.
Then he went on reading and they studied their Christian textbook.
But when the sun went down and the Sabbath day (Sunday) was over, their father took them out to the woodshed. He took a long stick and beat each one of them on the back, first James, then George and then your grandfather.
“So you see, Laura and Mary,” Her father said, “you may find it hard to be good, but you should be glad that it isn't as hard to be good now as it was when your grandfather was a boy.”
(The original book is in the public domain under Hong Kong copyright law. This simplified copy is under my new copyright.)
The Little House in the Big Woods
Chapter 1 - Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 1 - Part 2: Wolves in the Night
Chapter 1 - Part 4: Smoked Meat
Chapter 1 - Part 5: Food for Winter
Chapter 1 - Part 6: Butchering Time
Chapter 1 - Part 7: After Butchering Time
Chapter 1 - Part 9: Winter Night
Chapter 1 - Part 10: About the Author & Where to Find the Book
Chapter 2 - Part 1: Winter Days and Winter Nights
Chapter 2 - Part 2: Jack Frost
Chapter 2 - Part 3: Laura and Mary Helped Mother with the Housework
Chapter 2 - Part 4: Churn on Thursday
Chapter 2 - Part 5: The Best Time of All
Chapter 2 - Part 6: Her Father Began to Play his Fiddle and Sing
Chapter 2 - Part 7: Father Told Stories
Chapter 2 - Part 8 - The Story of Grandfather and the Panther
Chapter 3 - Part 1: Introduction (The Long Rifle)
Chapter 3 - Part 2: Making Bullets
Chapter 3 - Part 3: Cleaning the Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 4: Loading the Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 5: Where and Why to Keep a Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 6: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 1
Chapter 3 - Part 7: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 2
Chapter 4 - Part 1: Christmas in the Forest
Chapter 4 - Part 2: Making a Gift for his Wife
Chapter 4 - Part 3: Christmas is Coming
Chapter 4 - Part 4: Children Make Pictures in the Snow
Chapter 4 - Part 5: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 1 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 6: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 2 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 7: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 3 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 8: Christmas Morning
Chapter 4 - Part 9: Santa Claus Only Gives Presents to Children
Chapter 4 - Part 10: Breakfast, Dinner and Goodbye
Chapter 5 - Part 2: The Weekly Bath
Chapter 5 - Part 3: Being Quiet
Chapter 5 - Part 4: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 1 of 4)
Chapter 5 - Part 5: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 2 of 4)
Chapter 5 - Part 6: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 3 of 4)
Chapter 5 - Part 7: The Story of Grandfather's Sledge and the Pig (part 4 of 4)
Chapter 5 - Part 8: Sunday Music
Chapter 5 - Part 9: Birthday Spanking
by John Larrysson
A native English speaker who has been teaching practical English in Hong Kong for over two decades.
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