Matt began digging out of the snow drift that buried the house when the storm ceased. Then, he dug into the barn. The mournful cow mooed when she saw him. Her full bag weighed heavily and sagged between her legs. Grabbing the stool, Matt squatted to milk her.

"I'm getting out of here soon as I can," Jessica announced, leaning in the barn door.

"You should have stayed inside," Matt commented without looking up.

"I couldn't stay in there another minute," Jess angrily remarked. "Granny is getting on my nerves."

"Granny gets on everyone's nerves," her brother conceded, standing. He lifted the milk pail and strode toward the door.

"I'm still getting outta here. Going back to Cincinnati," Jessica continued. "I miss Adam and Amelia Banks. I want to go back."

I have friends I miss too, Matt thought. He paused at the door and nearly spoke his thoughts. However, he decided to let it pass. His sister wouldn't understand. She became too wrapped up in herself.

Although he did miss his Ohio life, Matt Holmes planned to stick it out in Dakota territory. He wanted a claim of his own and the opportunity to pioneer a new land. Despite the early blizzard, he liked the area. When the school term began, he intended to complete his education. And he wanted to get to know Ida Franklin better.

Matt first noticed Ida on a Sunday morning. The family walked into town for church services. The pretty redhead sat in the pew in front of them. Enthralled, he could not keep his eyes off her profile. Determined to say 'hello,' he pushed through the exiting crowd until he stood at her elbow. He opened his mouth and tripped over his tongue.

Watching Ida stroll away with her friend, Roxanne Mills, Matt mentally kicked himself. He didn't understand why he became tongue-tied in front of girls. Still, he continued to think about her and thought they could become friends during the next school session.

"You'll do whatever suits you, Jess," Matt stated, exiting the barn. The sun reflecting on the white snow caused him to squint. "I plan on staying right here."

"Cause you're in love with Ida Franklin," Jessica shouted, throwing kisses into the air. Giggling, she rushed past her brother into the frosty morning.

Matt slowly followed her. He longed to race after her, tackle her and pull her down into the cold snow. He saw himself washing her face with snow in his mind's eye. Instead, he trudged toward the shanty. Granny awaited the milk pail.

Jessica continued to run toward town. She had no real destination. Released from her confinement in the shanty, she wanted her freedom. Willy-nilly, she raced forward, stumbled, and righted herself. She hugged herself around the waist and spun in a circular motion. Then, spotting a figure on the lone prairie, she stopped. The figure grew larger and larger until recognition dawned upon her.

"Papa!" she shouted, beginning to run again.

Jess threw herself into her father's arms and danced with him across the prairie. Then, grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the shanty. Gleefully, she burst into the one room.

"Look whom I found!" she shouted, clinging to Clem's arm.

Clara released the dasher from the milk churn and slowly rose to her feet. For a moment, she believed she saw an apparition. Then, she rushed into her husband's embrace.

"I stumbled into Jack Dryden's shanty," Clem finally explained. He wrapped his hands around a steaming coffee mug, basking in its warmth. "I don't know which was worse: the blizzard or Whacky Jacky's temper. I beat feet as soon as the weather shifted. Couldn't wait to get home."

******

The hard winter lasted from the fall of 1880 until the spring of 1881. The snow fell so heavily that the trains stopped running, leaving the pioneers with low supplies and near starvation. Frequent blizzards kept the small towns that dotted the prairie locked in for most of the winter.

The Holmes family remained sheltered in their claim shanty during the entire winter. They lived off the sod potatoes and turnips they harvested during their first summer on the prairie. Meat was scarce. However, they all survived the winter.

In early April, Clara gave birth to another daughter whom the family named Spryng. Her birth denoted a new beginning after enduring many hardships. Although Maud survived the winter months, she passed away in the early summer. Determined to return to Ohio, she had packed her bags and expected to board the eastbound train the following day. However, she passed away in her sleep.

Matt eventually married Ida Franklin and took a claim close to the Holmes homestead. Jessica returned to Cincinnati and worked as a dressmaker for a while. Later, she became a telegrapher and moved to San Francisco, where she married and raised a family. Maimie remained in the Dakotas and became a schoolteacher.

Clem and Clara welcomed twin boys into the family the following year. Their claim shanty grew into a two-story house, and their farm thrived. When they became too old to farm their land, they ceded their claim to their twin sons and moved into town.

The End