The sixth-season begins with several new stories. First, there's the arrival of new teacher Eliza Jane Wilder and her handsome brother, Almanzo. Rivals Laura and Nellie have their eye on the 25-year-old New York native, and are determined to do anything to snare him. Mrs. Oleson, meanwhile, gives recent Walnut School graduate Nellie her own business: A hotel and restaurant in her name! Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Nellie is less than willing to go into the hospitality business, but gives it her best go when, in an effort to impress handsome young Almanzo Wilder, tries cooking dinner. Only thing is, Laura volunteers to cook instead and makes Nellie's meal the hottest dish in town. Later, Nellie learns that Laura is studying to be a teacher and volunteers to help her study ... but conveniently forgets to tell her that the study material won't help her one bit. An angry Laura confronts Nellie and the two get into a huge fistfight that leaves both girls very muddy. Almanzo breaks up the fight and takes her back to his place to clean up and cool off ... then Charles steps in and thinks that the much-older Almanzo is taking advantage of his 15-year-old daughter. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

A school project on genealogy leads Albert to confront his dark past. As the Ingalls help Albert with the project, Charles and Caroline decide to adopt the young lad. Then, Albert's biological father Mr. Quinn shows up.

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 they are really hornets! Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Nels becomes apprehensive when he learns that a traveling circus - in which his estranged sister, an obese woman named Annabelle, is one of the stars - is coming to Walnut Grove. Nels eventually realizes he needs to deal with his insecurities and make amends with Annabelle when he is asked to be the ringmaster. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Rev. Alden creates a stir in Walnut Grove when he falls in love with elderly parishioner Anna Craig. Mrs. Oleson objects to the relationship and gives the good preacher a choice: Either call off the impending marriage or get fired!

On Halloween, Albert has a dream where he and Laura are kidnapped by a rogue Indian tribe after they are mistaken as members of a rival tribe.

When Mr. Edwards severely injures his legs saving Alicia from a potentially deadly accident, he becomes very morose about his condition. Grace calls in Charles and Laura to help her husband snap out of his deep depression. However, it is a task that is easier said than done because Mr. Edwards is determined to kill himself. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Aging professional wrestler Milo Stavroupolis comes to nearby Mankato to fight the locals. Stavroupolis' promoter, the shrewd Jimmy Hart, convinces Jonathan Garvey to fight the old man ... unaware that the fight was fixed. But there's even more heartbreak ahead, as Stavroupolis is suffering emotionally (and physically) after years of fighting; his beloved wife, Anna (herself desperately ill) has begged him to retire. The old man is convinced by Jonathan to substitute for him in the upcoming championship Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

On Mrs. Oleson's invitation, the Rev. James Danforth comes to Walnut Grove to give residents his charismatic, fiery style of preaching. The hypnotic Danforth claims to have actually witnessed the Word of the Lord and can perform great miracles as a faith healer. He demonstrates his abilities during one of his revivals, restoring sight to a blind person and giving a crippled person the ability to walk. The people are awestruck and soon flock to his services. Rev. Alden, Dr. Baker and Charles have all seen Danforth at work and reject his ministry; in the aftermath, attendance at Rev. Alden's Sunday services declines sharply, while Dr. Baker's practice also suffers. Later, a farmer's son complains of abdominal pain and places complete trust in Danforth to have it healed. Dr. Baker is nearby and urges the farmer to have surgery instead, but Danforth seems to heal the boy. But later that night, the boy's appendix bursts (just as Dr. Baker feared was about to happen) and he dies; the ... Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

During a trip to Walnut Grove, Caroline's mother passes away. Her father is very grief-stricken, until son-in-law Charles - impressed with his stories about growing up in the Little House in the Big Woods - suggests he publish an autobiography. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

When the telephone comes to Walnut Grove, Mrs. Olesen is hired as the switchboard operator. The telephone company is unaware that Mrs. Olesen loves to gossip, and her new job will simply be another means to spread rumors about Walnut Grove's residents. One of the subscribers to the new Walnut Grove exchange is the Garveys. Alice places a call to her mother, in which she learns that her first husband (a hard-drinking, gambling outlaw named Harold) has just been released from prison for robbery. Alice - who has kept this fact from Jonathan - thinks this is a private conversation, but is unaware that Mrs. Olesen is listening in. Word quickly gets back to Jonathan Garvey, who demands an apology from Mrs. Olesen (she refuses, but an embarrassed Nels does before he reprimands his wife). Jonathan then goes home and gets an explanation from Alice; she didn't tell him about her first marriage because it was a mistake and thought it didn't matter, but Jonathan is angered even more because of ... Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

A 17-year-old budding criminal named Tod Dortmunder is sent to Walnut Grove to live with his grandparents after his mother loses patience with his ill-tempered behavior. His behavior becomes more violent, and when he is caught stealing Charles' watch, the grandparents (in part because they fear for their safety) turn to Charles for help. Charles proves to be the role model Tod never had, and efforts to rehabilitate the lad seem to be working. But even Charles is unaware of some dark secrets from Tod's childhood that don't surface until he destroys the present he gave him. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

School bully Bart begins menacing his classmates, especially Albert. Tired of the constant harassment, Albert creates a paper maché werewolf mask to terrorize Bart into ceasing his bullying behavior. It works, until Carrie opens her mouth! It takes a joint effort by all of Bart's classmates to make him stop bullying. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

During a visit to a farmer's convention in Milwaukee, Charles and Caroline meet up with old school mates. Charles learns that larger farmers are trying to put his small farming friends out of business and urges them to stand up for their profession. Meanwhile, Caroline becomes envious about the financial fortunes of their one-time friends, but she soon learns there's more to their success stories than meets the eyes. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

On a dark and stormy night, Laura and Mary are staying alone at the School For the Blind when they are taken hostage by a trio of escaped convicts. One of the criminals is badly injured, and his cohorts demand to see a doctor. Laura is sent to get Dr. Baker, warned that the consequences will be deadly if she tries any tricks. However, a terrified Laura tells her Pa what is happening. Charles shows up posing as Dr. Baker, but when the real Dr. Baker arrives, Charles is forced to be resourceful to disarm the crooks. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Laura takes a job tutoring a deaf boy named Daniel, teaching him how to communicate through sign language. Daniel makes more than an academic breakthrough - he develops a huge crush on Laura! Laura doesn't know quite what to do, and makes some mistakes along the way in dealing with her situation. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Albert experiments with smoking in the basement of the School For the Blind and, when shooed out of the basement, hides the still-lit pipe in some cloths. The pipes ignite and result in a late-night fire that kills Alice Garvey and Mary's baby son. As a result, several people struggle with the consequences: Albert becomes completely withdrawn when he learns his careless actions may have caused the fire, Mary in deep shock and Jonathan Garvey in an alcohol-induced state of denial. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Albert, Mary and Jonathan - all deeply impacted by the fire at the School For the Blind - continue to deal with their emotions. Charles helps Jonathan realize that his alcoholism has taken a toll on his son, Andy, while Mary snaps out of her shock when she hears the melody of the music box Albert had purchased for her as a gift. But Mary's initial panic soon becomes Albert's when he finally understands his carelessness caused the fire that killed her baby and best friend's mother. Albert runs away, leading Charles and a reformed Jonathan to frantically search for the lad. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Almanzo's indolent brother, Perley, comes to town. Knowing that Almanzo's interest in a much younger Laura has deepened, Charles is convinced that Perley is the better man for his Half Pint. However, those sentiments quickly change when Perley injures one of Almanzo's horses. Two things become clear to Charles: Perley is a troublemaker, and Almanzo is a responsible young man (especially when he nurses the horse back to health). Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Nels finally loses patience with his henpecked family life and begins a mobile merchant business. During one of his stops, he meets a much younger woman whom is the exact opposite of his own wife. In the process, Nels struggles with temptation and going astray as the relationship blossoms. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

On Eliza Jane's recommendation, Laura gets her first teaching job out of town. Almanzo offers to drive her to and from the school, and their relationship continues to blossom. But a hitch is thrown into the whole thing when he sees one of Laura's students touching her in a seemingly romantic fashion, causing a misunderstanding that could jeopardize their relationship. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

The romantic futures of longtime rivals Laura and Nellie take shape in the sixth season finale. First, Almanzo proposes to Laura, but Charles says that the marriage is on hold until Laura's 18th birthday. When Laura decides to honor her father's request, Almanzo feels that Laura is perhaps not mature enough to make a commitment and leaves town. Meanwhile, the Olesons ponder closing Nellie's Restaurant but decide to give it one last chance when they hire Percival Dalton, the man who will turn Nellie's rude, snotty demeanor and poor work ethic around 180 degrees. Meanwhile, Adam learns that his father has died and that a hoped-for inheritance - which he hoped to use to build a new School for the Blind - never materialized. Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]

Laura, trying to put her heartache over Almanzo aside, travels to Sleepy Eye to find a suitable building for the School for the Blind, but sees a saloon girl coming onto her one-time fiancé and assumes the worst. Almanzo gets wind of Laura's efforts to reopen the school and works to the point of exhaustion to raise the money to rent the building from its cantankerous owner, Houston. Laura learns that Almanzo is very ill and rushes to be at his side. In the end, Almanzo is able to raise enough money to allow Adam and Mary to rent the building as the new School for the Blind. Charles' impression about Almanzo being a fine young man is also confirmed, and he softens his stance on when the wedding can take place. Meanwhile, Nellie quickly finds she is very talented and a hard worker in the hospitality industry, something which amazes the Ingalls. However, she has a major problem expressing her growing romantic interest in Percival. When Percy announces that he is leaving, all Nellie can... Written by Brian Rathjen [email protected]