Laura Makes It Through Entire Summer in Arizona Without Asking About Harve Once

Undisclosed Location, Arizona–Recent reports indicate that while the summer class in which  Laura Ingalls Wilder and her sister-in-law Eliza Jane are enrolled is ending this week upon completion of the final examination, Laura has so far been astonishingly successful in not asking Eliza Jane what happened with Harve Miller.

“Eliza Jane told us that she and Harve were getting married,” Laura tells The Prairie Review. “I was happy to hear that because I just sort of figured she would always be alone, you know? It was definitely a ‘well, good for her’ type of situation. Plus it worked out great for me and Manly since it gave us a house, and talk about an upgrade from the house I had been living in,” Laura added with a chuckle.

While under the impression that Eliza Jane had married, however, Laura noted that she never once heard any mention of Harve. As Laura comments, “Of course he wouldn’t be at the school, I wouldn’t actually see him. I mean, Manly isn’t around either. It makes sense that she would show up alone just like I did. Well, kind of alone anyway, if you don’t count Mort. Anyway, I didn’t think it was weird that she was alone, but before I could ask how Harve was doing the subject changed really quickly. Then it just seemed to never come up, and after a while I really wanted to ask what was going on with Harve, but it just seemed like then too much time had passed and it would be awkward to bring it up. Then she starts pursuing that married professor. Okay, so clearly Harve is out of the picture, but what happened there and would Eliza Jane would ever be forced to reckon with the awkward situation on her own? It turned into a competition with myself–who would win first? Would I blurt it out one day during one of our many arguments, or would I keep it bottled up long enough that she would just bring it up?”

Now with the class nearing an end, it appears that the reckoning may never occur.

“I am disappointed that she hasn’t been forced to bring it up herself, but I am really proud that I’ve had the self control to just hold it in,” Laura beamed.

When asked for commentary about the summer school session, Eliza Jane said she had observed that Laura frequently seems to be trying to hold something in, but attributed it to Laura perhaps not feeling well because “she did just become pregnant you know.”