Little Britches: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

A tornado comes in March. Watching him run to warn the family, Ralph realizes how much his father’ cough has improved. The family hides in the cellar, but after five minutes the tornado passes, taking a different path. A few weeks later, Ralph rides Fanny to see the tornado path. While there, he sees a big black cloud behind Mount Morrison and races Fanny to tell his family. He soon realizes the storm is a dangerous cloudburst, not a tornado. While racing home, Fanny’s hoof breaks through a rotten plank on the bridge, throwing Ralph into the water.  

When Ralph gets out of the water, he runs to find Fanny stuck in the bridge with a broken leg. Ralph jumps on her to try and save her from drowning, and he goes under. He wakes to his father pumping up and down on his back, and his father’s voice sounds like it’s coming from far away. Ralph’s father picks him up, and Ralph sees Fanny still stuck in the bridge with the water rising. He starts crying and his father brings him home. He stays in bed several days, during which time Ralph’s father buries Fanny, and Ralph is thankful he did not have to see her being buried.