Handlung

During a trip to a teaching awards ceremony in Minneapolis, the stagecoach that Adam, Mary and a pregnant woman named Marge are riding in is involved in a rollover accident. Mary is the only one who is able to free herself and is left to rely on her own wits to find help. Meanwhile, Laura and Albert give Nellie and Mrs. Oleson quite a buzz when the Ingalls' youths offer a hive of bees to their honey- and money-hungry rivals ... not telling them that the "hive" is really an old log.—Brian Rathjen <briguy_52732@yahoo.com>

Laura and Albert gather honey from their hive to sell to the mercantile; Nels Oleson has promised them $57.60. They each dream about buying things they want - Laura an outfit and Albert a telescope and a velocipede - and look forward sharing their wealth by being "real Santa Clauses" to their family next Christmas.

Adam is notified by mail that he has won a teaching prize, the Louis Braille Award, for his work at the blind school and finds out that Hester-Sue and Mary nominated him. The award ceremony is in St. Paul, though, and they don't have nearly enough money to make the trip. After hearing that Adam and Mary can't go due to lack of funds, Laura and Albert decide to give them the money they will earn from selling the honey.

Mr. Oleson is out of town on a buying trip, and they have to deal with Harriet Oleson, who at first refuses to honor the offer made by her husband. Quick-thinking Albert offers to sell her not only the honey but the hive itself, which he promises will produce hundreds of pounds of honey a year. Mrs. Oleson calculates that the hive will keep Nellie's restaurant in sweets "forever," so she pays them $58 for the honey and hive. Albert makes a point to tell her to pick up the hive in the morning but doesn't mention that the "hive" is actually a log. After they leave the mercantile, Laura asks Albert why he suggested morning, but she sees his genius when it occurs to her that the bees will be extra stirred up in the morning heat - putting Mrs. Oleson and Nellie on the receiving end of a little mischief and an eventful ride with the bees.

The stagecoach that will take Adam and Mary to their train connection is poorly maintained by its owners according to the driver, and a wobbly wheel has just been repaired before this trip. When Adam and Mary board the stagecoach, Caroline hands Mary her eyeglasses. When Mary, who is blind, asks why, Caroline explains that Adam suggested it. Mary laughs and playfully admonishes Adam when she figures that it was Adam's way of getting her to give his acceptance speech, which he doesn't want to do himself.

On the stagecoach, Mary and Adam meet Marge Lauren, who is pregnant and on her way to Minneapolis to be with her husband, who has just found a job there. The faulty wheel comes apart en route, and the stage overturns. The driver is killed. Despite not expecting the baby for two more months, Marge's water breaks, and she cannot move from inside the stagecoach. Adam was thrown from the stagecoach, and both of his legs are broken and pinned beneath. Mary is unhurt and convinces Adam that she can go for help.

A message is sent to Walnut Grove asking for information about the stagecoach, which is hours late for its connection in Sleepy Eye. Postmistress Melinda Foster lets Charles know about the telegraph message. Knowing that the stage had a bad wheel, he figures the driver had to stop to fix the wheel again. Charles and Jonathan take a wagon to find and help them.

The unfamiliar terrain is difficult for Mary to navigate. She stumbles and is knocked unconscious. When she stumbles, her eyeglasses fall from her pocket to the ground nearby. The spectacles start a fire in the glare of the sun. Charles and Jonathan see the smoke and then hear Mary's voice calling for help.

Back in Walnut Grove, Doc Baker attends to Adam and Marge. He says Adam will need time to recuperate from his fractures but is otherwise fine. Marge has some broken ribs and gives birth to a son. Doc Baker says both mother and son are doing well. Before going upstairs to see her injured husband, Mary tells her folks that she didn't set the fire.