Long Winter, The

The old Indian's warning said the coming winter would be hard and long, so Laura's father moved his family from the claim to his house in town. The claim shanty wasn't strong enough to keep out blizzards, and if they were snowed up there, far from help, they might freeze or starve. The shops in town were full of supplies; and if their stocks ran out, the trains would bring more. But when winter came, the blizzards raged and screamed over the town. When Laura woke in the mornings, she heard the terrifying noise of the storm, and every nail in the planks above her head was thick with frost. There were no trains. Soon there was no oil for the lamps, no fuel for the stove. Laura's family lived on coarse brown bread, made from corn ground in the little coffee mill. They burnt hay; and Ma made a button lamp that gave a tiny light. It was May before the snow melted, and the first train got through. On it was the Ingalls' Christmas turkey, still frozen stiff. What a dinner that was!