“Manly”
Laura was extremely mature for her age, being in her mid-teenage years when she started teaching, so, unsurprisingly, the man she fell for was a whole decade older than her. His name was Almanzo Wilder, and Laura referred to him affectionately as “Manly.”
Almanzo took an interest in Laura and gave her his attention by taking her to and from her workplace with his buggy, 12 miles from her home in De Smet. Laura became Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the couple moved onto his land and took up the farm life. But it would not be easy for them, and it would not be long before they saw some bad days.
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