After breakfast Pa took his gun and set out to look for those wolves. It was past noon before he returned and he was late for dinner. Ma kept his food warm in the oven. Stomping the snow from his boots he hung his gun back up over the door and then washed his face and hands. He apologized for being late and mentioned he had traveled further then he intended. Pa figured he traveled better then ten miles tracking those wolves. He went across the lake and found the tracks that the girls had made last night. On the high ground Pa discovered a wolves' den.
"Girls there were two big buffalo wolves at that den last night," Pa told them. He also mentioned it was an old den and they'd likely been living there for some years, but they hadn't been there this past winter. "They only took shelter there last night and from the time they left it this morning they never stopped. I followed them far enough to be sure I couldn't get a shot at them. They left for good," he assured them all. Laura was glad they got away.
"That isn't all Caroline," Pa announced. "I've got some news. I've found our homestead".
"Oh where Pa?" Laura, Mary and Carrie asked.
"It lies south of where the lake joins Big Slough. There's a rise in the prairie that will make a nice place to build. On the quarter section there's upland, hay and plow land lying to the south and good grazing on all of it. It's near a townsite too, so the girls can go to school". Ma was glad. "It's a funny thing, I'd been looking around the country for months and had it not been for chasing those wolves I likely wouldn't have come across it at all. I'll get out to Brookings and file on that claim next spring," Pa promised.
Synopsis provided by Lorrie
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