Book 6 4. OCTOBER BLIZZARD Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder

october blizzard

laura woke up suddenly she heard singing

and a queer

slapping sound oh i am as happy as a big

sunflower that nods and bends in the

breezes oh and my heart is as light as

the wind that blows

the leaves from off the trees is oh

paul was singing his trouble song and

slapping his arms on his chest

laura’s nose was cold only her nose was

outside the quilts that she was huddled

under

she put out her whole head and then she

knew why paul was slapping himself he

was trying to warm his hands

he had kindled the fire it was roaring

on the stove

but the air was freezing cold

ice crackled on the quilt where leaking

rain had fallen

winds howled around the shanty and from

the roof and the walls came a sound

of scouring carrie sleepily asked

what is it it’s a blizzard laura told

her

you and mary stay under the covers

careful not to let the cold get under

the quilts she crawled out of the warm

bed

her teeth chattered while she pulled on

her clothes

ma was dressing too beyond the curtain

but they were both too cold to say

anything

they met at the stove where the fire was

blazing furiously without warming the

air at all

the window was a white blur of madly

swirling snow

snow had blown under the door and across

the floor

and every nail on the walls was white

with frost

paw had gone to the stable laura was

glad that they had so many

haystacks in a row between the stable

and the shanty

going from haystack to haystack paul

would not get lost

blizzard mart chattered in uh october

i never heard of she put more wood in

the stove

and broke the ice in the water pail to

fill the tea kettle

the water pail was less than half full

they must be sparing of water for nobody

could get to the well in that storm

but the snow on the floor was clean

laura scooped it into the wash basin

and set it on the stove to melt for

washing in

the air by the stove was not so cold now

so she rolled grace and quilts

and brought her to the stove to dress

her mary and carrie

shiveringly dressed themselves close to

the open oven

they all put on their stockings and

shoes

breakfast was waiting when park came

back he blew in with a howl of wind and

swirling snow well those muskrats knew

what was coming didn’t they laura

he said as soon as he was warm enough to

speak

and the geese too no wonder they

wouldn’t stop at the lake

said ma the lake’s frozen by now paul

said

temperature’s down near zero and going

lower

he glanced at the wood box as he spoke

laura had filled it last night but

already the wood was low

so as soon as he had eaten breakfast

paul wrapped himself well

and brought big arm fulls from the wood

pile

the shanty was growing colder the stove

could not warm the air inside the thin

walls

there was nothing to do but sit huddled

in coats and shawls close to the stove

i’m glad i put beans to soak last night

said ma

she lifted the lid of the bubbling

kettle and quickly popped in a spoonful

of soda

the boiling beans roared foaming up

but did not quite run over there’s a

little bit of salt pork to put in them

too

ma said now and then she spooned up a

few beans

and blue on them when their skin split

and curled

she drained the soda water from the

kettle and filled it again with hot

water

she put in the bit of fat pork

there’s nothing like a good hot bean

soup on a cold day

said paw he looked down at grace pulling

at his hand

well blue eyes what do you want

a toy grace said tell us the one about

grandpa

and the pig on the sled carrie begged

so taking grace and carrie on his knees

paul began again the stories that he

used to tell mary and laura in the big

woods when they were little girls

ma and mary knitted busily in

quilt-covered rockers drawn close to the

oven

and lara stood wrapped in her shawl

between the stove and the wall

the cold crept in from the corners of

the shanty

closer and closer to the stove icy cold

breezes sucked and flooded in the

curtains around the beds

the little shanty quivered in the storm

but the steamy smell of boiling beans

was good

and it seemed to make the air warmer

at noon moss sliced bread and filled

bowls with the hot bean broth

and they all ate where they were close

to the stove

they all drink cups of strong hot tea

ma even gave grace a cup of cambric tea

cambric tea was hot water and milk with

only a taste of tea in it

but little girls felt grown up when

their mothers let them drink

cambric tea the hot soup and hot tea

warmed them all they ate the broth from

the beans

then ma emptied the beans into a milk

pan

set the bit of fat pork in the middle

and laced the top with dribbles of

molasses

she set the pan in the oven and shut the

oven door

they would have baked beans for supper

then paw had to bring in more wood they

were thankful that the wood pile was

close to the back door

boss staggered in breathless with the

first arm armful

when he could speak he said this wind

takes your breath away

if i thought of such a storm as this i’d

have filled the shanty with wood

yesterday

now i’m bringing in as much snow as wood

that was almost true every time laura

opened the door for him

snow swirled in snow fell off him and

the wood was covered with snow

it was snow as hard as ice and as fine

as sand

and opening the door made the shanty so

cold that the snow did not melt

now that’s enough for now paul said if

he let in any more cold

the wood he brought would not make

enough heat to dry the cold out

when you get that snow swept up laura

bring me the fiddle

he said as soon as i can thaw out my

fingers we’ll have a tune to drown the

yowel of that wind

in a little while he was able to tune

the strings and rosin the bow

then he set the fiddle to his shoulder

and sang with it

oh if i were young again i’d lead a

different life

lay up some money buy some land take

dina for my wife but now i’m getting old

and gray i cannot work anymore

oh carry me back or carry me back to the

old virginia shore

so carry me long and carry me long and

carry me till

i die for pity sakes

ma broke in i just soon listened to the

wind

she was trying to keep grace warm and

grace was struggling and whimpering

ma sat her down there run if you’re

bound to

you’ll be glad enough to come back to

the stove

i’ll tell you what paul exclaimed laura

and carrie

you get out there with grace and let’s

see your quick step march

it’ll warm up your blood it was hard to

leave the shelter of their huddled

shawls

but they did as paul said then his

strong voice rang out with the

singing fiddle

[Music]

march march at rick and david

why my legs didn’t you march forward in

order march

march as dale and lid is still all the

blue bonnets

are over the border many a banner spread

flutters above your head many a crest

that is famous in story

round and round they marched laura and

carrie and gray singing with all their

might thumping loud thumps of their

shoes on the floor

mountain make ready then sons of the

mountain glen fight for your homes and

the old scottish glory

they felt that banners were blowing

above them

and that they were marching to victory

they did not even hear the storm

they were warmed to the tips of their

toes

then the music ended and paul laid the

fiddle in its box

well girls it’s up to me to march out

against this storm and make the stock

comfortable for the night

blamed if that old tune don’t give me

the spunk to like fighting even a

blizzard

maul warmed his coat and muffler by the

oven while he put away the fiddle box

they all heard the wind howling

furiously

i have hot baked beans and hot tea

waiting when you get back

charles ma promised him and then we’ll

all go to bed and keep warm

and likely the storm will be over by

morning

but in the morning pause sang again his

sunflower song

the window was the same white blur the

wind still drove the

scouring snow against the shivering

little shanty

the blizzard lasted two more long days

and two more nights

[Music]