Walnut Grove, Minn.- Area sources confirm that Charles Ingalls is busy doing something with a load right now.
Whether it is packing up a load, delivering a load, or taking inventory of a load upon delivery, it seems that Charles is constantly working on a load in some form.
“It’s like his whole life revolves around loads–like it’s his clock,” wife Caroline Ingalls confirms. “It’s getting to the point where we start recalling family events in relation to what Charles was doing with a load at that point in time. There’s one thing for sure though–no one handles a big load like Charles.”
Friends and acquaintances confirm that Charles has frequently been doing things with loads for years.
“Ever since I known Charles, he’s been doing something with loads,” Isaiah Edwards reports. “You know, for a farmer, he’s really more of a freighter.”
Almanzo Wilder, Charles’ son-in-law and briefly his freighting company partner, has similarly observed that Charles is constantly working with loads.
“There are three things you can count on: death, taxes, and Charles finding some load somewhere that needs to be done,” Almanzo recounts. “If I’m lucky, he signs me up for the deal without even asking. That’s what happens when you’re in this family–you get thrown into the load game whether you want to be or not.”
When asked for commentary, Charles provided only brief input because he was preparing to take a load to Sleepy Eye.
“If I had on piece of advice, it’s that you need to be one load ahead in your mind at all times,” Charles shares. “While I’m delivering this load, I’m going to be thinking of the next load. If I don’t have a next load yet, I’ll be thinking of where I can get the next load and who I can rope in to help me with it, whether it be a friend of mine or maybe Almanzo.”
As Charles climbs into his wagon he remarks that there is “one sure thing–when I tell someone there’s a load for us, you can’t say no to this face.”
At press time, Charles drove away laughing while Adam Kendall was wondering why Charles never asked for his help with a load even after he regained his sight, concluding that it must have something to do with Charles’ prejudice against his “city jacket.”
