S:8 E:13
Stone Soup
A pregnant Laura struggles alone to save a newly planted orchard from drought. Willie: Jonathan Gilbert. Albert: Matthew Laborteaux. Caroline: Karen Grassle. Almanzo: Dean Butler., Laura thinks that she can take care of the farm while Almanzo is away, but the local children at the school have to save the crops when Laura suffers a heat stroke., A pregnant Laura (Melissa Gilbert) insists that she can take care of the Wilders’ farm in the absence of her husband, Almanzo (Dean Butler). Unfortunately, the land is hit with a drought, and Laura is felled by a heat stroke. It’s up to the local schoolchildren to save the crops — not to mention Laura’s own, carefully tended orchard. The title of this episode refers to the famous fable of the same name, used in the story as a means of instilling maturity in perennial classroom troublemaker Willie Oleson (Jonathan Gilbert)., Laura has a heart-to-heart talk with Willie about responsibility and being a good example to younger students. It’s a talk Willie takes serious and winds up saving Laura’s life.
