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]