How Cold Was It

It was at least cold enough to bring the brass monkey in from the back porch in the book that I'm reading up at the Marias Heritage Center...thus, the title of Rick Sterry's tome, "Blizzard Of '32" makes sense. Man, it WAS cold. When we left off last week, Will had put his shoes next to the range to dry & removed his socks to have a good look at his feet. The aching toes on his right foot were bright red & slightly swollen & shiny. What surprised him was the left foot where 2 of his toes were white as snow & utterly without feeling. They didn't hurt at all. He wondered if the ends of those toes came off. He knew he'd be expected to walk over to the Sullivan place later to do the milking, & he wondered how he was going to do it. He wondered if he could ask Papa Swan. Mama was going to be so busy getting ready for the dance. The warmth in the room made him tired. He ate another slice of bread & then went in to lie down on Mama's bed & cover up with all the blankets in the house. We'll pick up tonight (Tuesday) at the Marias Heritage Center here in Shelby as Adelia walks down High Grade Road to town...how clean its fragrance after the smothering tobacco & coal & kerosene smoke & wet wool of the little house. See you tonight at 6 o'clock SHARP at the Heritage for more Montana History!