Boys Will Be Boys
Á fill in for The Nephews
Author’s Note: Story starts immediately after Almanzo’s trip to the outhouse where the boys have just set the rat trap to go off. It ends right before the arrival of Royal and Millie.
“Beth, those boys are starting to get to me,” Almanzo said, as he walked back into the bedroom they shared.
“Quiet, Manly, they’re right next door. They might hear you.”
“Right now, I don’t care if they hear me or not,” Almanzo glared at her. “Between the honey filled slippers, the treehouse, the fake drowning and now the outhouse, I’ve had it. “
“Among other things,” Laura sighed, shaking her head. She looked up at him and frowned. “What happened down there?”
“This.” Almanzo told her, holding up the rat trap. “The stupid thing snapped on the back of my robe when I tried to sit down. It scared the heck outta me.”
Laura tried not to laugh and covered her mouth with her hands.
“You think this is funny?” Almanzo said, raising his voice. He put the rat trap on his night table, thought better of it and pushed it under the bed, away from everything so he wouldn’t step on it. He’d deal with it in the morning.
“No, Manly, I don’t. Someone could have gotten hurt.”
“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “Me.” He sat down on the bed. “Laura, you’re a teacher. Besides puttin’ someone in the corner, how do you discipline those kids? ” Almanzo looked up at her. “There’s gotta be somethin’ we can do.”
“You’re right, Manly, I just never thought of it that way,” she said. “Hmmm,” she said, looking at him. Her eyes brightened and a smile played on her lips.
“What?” Almanzo asked, looking at her curiously.
“I think I’ve finally come up with a solution to our problem.”
Almanzo stared at her. “You’ve got somethin’ in mind?”
“I sure do,” she whispered, sitting next to him on the bed and pulling him close. “But it will involve the entire family. What time are you and Pa leaving tomorrow for Sleepy Eye?”
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“Okay, boys” Almanzo said, as everybody sat down to breakfast. “Aunt Laura and I have a busy day today.”
“So we’ll be here by ourselves again?”
Almanzo smiled and shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Myron. You see, we’re going our separate ways. I have some deliveries to make with my partner, Mr. Ingalls, Laura’s father. We’ll probably be back here before supper.”
“What about Aunt Laura? What’s she going to do?” Rupert asked
“Aunt Laura has the day off from school today. She’s going to be working around the farm today, helping with the chores and watching her baby sister, Grace. Bandit, the Ingalls family dog will be here too. Mrs. Ingalls, Laura’s mother will be working and her brother Albert and younger sister, Carrie will be in school.”
Laura brought in pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and milk. Almanzo stood up and took some of the dishes and placed them on the table. “
Myron looked at Rupert. “It looks like everyone’s going to work today.” He looked at Laura. “What are we going to do?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that, boys,” Laura smiled. “Remember your Uncle Manzo’s trip to the outhouse? Do you remember what you put in there?”
“Did we put something in the outhouse, Rupert?” Myron said, looking at him.
“I don’t know, I can’t remember,”
“I remember very well, boys” Almanzo said, picking up the rat trap. “Let’s just say it made me snap to?”
“Alright, that’s enough, all of you.” Laura said. She turned to Rupert and Myron. “As for you two, if you’re looking for something to do, well, I have something that will keep you busy all day. And we’re going to start right now.”
“Hey,” Myron said, looking at her. “What about breakfast?”
Laura paid no attention.
“You will watch us eat until we’re done. Right now, you’ll sit at the other end of the table and you’ll write.”
She pulled out the tablets and pencils and placed them in front of the boys.
Rupert and Myron looked at each other.
“What are supposed to write about, Aunt Laura?” Myron said, looking up at her with a smile.
“THIS.” Laura said, plunking a piece of paper down on the table between them.
“ALL TRAPS ARE DANGEROUS”, the paper read in big red letters. “THEY ARE NOT TOYS”
Rupert and Myron looked at each other, first at Almanzo, then at Laura.
“Come on, Aunt Laura, it was only a joke,” they said in unison.
“No one thought it was funny, boys.” Laura said, looking at the two of them. “Now you listen to me. You will write that sentence over and over for the rest of the afternoon. And then, when you run out of paper, I will have more for you. Now tomorrow, you’ll get another writing assignment to work on. You’ll keep writing until your parents get here, you got that?”
She sneaked a peak at Almanzo who was eating up a storm. He wasn’t even paying attention.
“And who’ll make us?” Rupert asked.
“Don’t you two worry about that, boys,” Laura answered.
“Hey darlin’” She heard the front door open and Bandit ran in followed by Albert and Pa, who was holding baby Grace.
“I hope we’re not late,” Charles said, kissing and hugging Laura. He turned to Almanzo who stood up to shake his hand. “Hey, Almanzo, I hope you left me some.”
“There’s plenty, Pa.” Laura said, directing them where to sit. “Where are Ma and Carrie?”
“She dropped Carrie off at school and went to Nellie’s,” Charles told her. “She’ll have breakfast there. She and Carrie will be back after school to help you out.”
Laura nodded and turned back to the boys.
“Now you two get started. I want to see some work out of you before you get anything to eat.”
And she disappeared into the kitchen. Manly took one look at the boys, picked up his plate from the table and joined her outside.
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“We don’t have to do this,” Myron said, looking at his brother.
“We won’t get anything to eat if we don’t,” Rupert said, looking back.
And then they heard laughter, which just made the boys angrier.
“What now?” Rupert asked.
“Follow me,” Myron told him.
Bandit had been watching them and decided to tag along, barking at them all the way out the door, attracting attention. No matter how many times they tried to shoo him away, Bandit kept following them. The intention was to get to the barn, but the boys had only gotten halfway when they turned around and gave up. Looking upset and discouraged, they walked all the way back to the house with Bandit nipping at their heels.
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Almanzo was smiling from ear to ear when she walked outside.
“Do you think I was too hard on them?” Laura asked, as Almanzo took her in his arms.
Almanzo shook his head, pulled her close and kissed her. “You’re somethin’else, Beth,” he said.
“What was that all about?” Albert and Charles joined them outside.
“This.” Almanzo said, breaking apart from Laura. He held up the rat trap and told them what had happened last night.
“I hope they didn’t use that on you, too.” Charles asked, trying not to laugh.
Almanzo shook his head. “They sure did, Charles, but it got my robe instead.”
“You don’t know how lucky you are,” Charles said, shaking his head. “Those kids…”
Albert laughed and they all joined in.
You’d better get going, Pa,” Albert said. “I already told Ma and Carrie I’ll be staying with Laura to help out.”
“He’s right,” Almanzo said. He turned to Laura “We’ll see you all later, right around supper.”
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“So, boys,” Laura said, as she walked back into the house. “I see you tried to get to the barn this morning?”
Myron and Rupert looked at one another.
“Well, since that dog was following us, we decided to play with him, Aunt Laura.” Myron said, “He just wouldn’t leave us alone,”
“His name’s Bandit,” Albert said, chiming in. “He’s the family dog, but he’s really mine. I am the only one he listens to.”
“Why do you call him Bandit?” Rupert asked.
Albert looked at Laura and smiled. She had her arms folded across her chest. “Well, since you wanted to know. We named him that because of the black coloring around his eyes, but that’s only half the reason.”
Myron and Rupert looked at each other. “So what’s the other half?” Myron asked.
Albert looked at Laura again. “Well, I’m not sure I should even tell you.”
Laura was frowning out him. “Go ahead Albert, tell them. I always love it when you tell that story.
“Bandit is very dangerous,” Albert continued. “You see, he’s part wolf and you never know when he’s going to attack. You have to be careful. You were just lucky that he….”
“Uh, Albert,” Laura said, “’that’s enough. We have to let the two of them see for themselves.” She turned to Rupert and Myron.
“Almanzo and my father should be here soon. I have a special dessert that I made just for the two of you. If you continue to be good boys and finish your writing assignment, maybe you might even get some of it. Does that sound good to you?”
Rupert and Myron smiled and nodded.
“Good,” she said. “See you boys in half an hour, okay? Oh, and I meant to tell you that I locked the barn door and I’m the only one who has the key. “
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“How did it go tonight, Manly?”
“Seems pretty quiet, Beth. I haven’t heard a thing.” Manly handed the bowl of popcorn he made to Laura who placed it on the bed between them.
Laura nodded and smiled. “Kind of surprised me too, Manly. You’d think that the two of them would be dreaming up some type of revenge for what I did today.”
“I wonder if you finally got to them,” Manly asked her as he took a handful of popcorn.
“I think we’ll have to wait and see, Almanzo.”
You know somethin’, darlin’?” He wrapped her up in his arms. “I’m so proud of you. “
“And they actually listened for once,” she whispered, between kisses. “I told you I was a good teacher.”
When they pulled apart, he had a big smile on his face. “I never doubted it for a second, Laura,” he said, pulling her down on the bed with him.
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Rupert and Myron were waiting to hear something, anything from the room next door, but they heard nothing, not a thing. No yelling, no crying, nothing at all.
“Do we still have to do that essay contest tomorrow?” Rupert asked
“Just until Ma and Pa get here,” Myron said, looking at his brother.
“Have you thought of a way out it?”
Myron looked at him and shook his head. They both put their hands against up against their cheeks and leaned their elbows against the windowsill.
It was then that they heard giggles and laughter coming from next door. The laughing and giggling got louder and then it quieted down again. Myron and Rupert didn’t hear anything the rest of the night.
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The next day, Laura and Almanzo were ready for them.
“Alright, boys,” Almanzo said, watching them as they sat down at the small parlor table. He crossed his arms against his chest. “You two know what to do until your parents get here.”
Myron and Rupert looked at each other and sighed. They looked at Almanzo and then at Laura. “Yep, we do.”
“Then let’s get started,” Laura said, looking up at Almanzo who was already looking back at her with a smile.
It was going to be a good day.
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