This hisotrical fiction piece was researched and written by Erika Anderson.

Tim knew it was going to be a long a day. He had gotten up to do the 2 AM checking, standard procedure for calving season. The 50 mile an hour wind that met him at the door wasn`t standard. There was a 4 foot snow drift in front of the door and things were just getting worse.

``Tim, where are you going?`` he heard his wife ask as he opened the door.

``I have to go and check cows again, Sue.``

``That sounds like some storm! Are you sure you should be going out?`` she asked.

``I`ll be back in a while. You just get some sleep.`` Sue turned over and returned to her peaceful rest.

``At least someone was getting some sleep`` he thought to himself, as he tunneled through the drift by the front door. Tim headed toward the barn. They had lost 15 cows in this latest cold snap, but still had 100 left to calve this winter. If their luck didn`t change, this could be the winter to put them out of the ranching business. Cattle prices were down and it seemed like everything else was up. But he knew he couldn`t worry about that now. God would take care of them.

He had bedded down the barn with straw two days earlier but now snow drifts blocked the way to the hay yard. The cattle were restless. Tim talked to them in a soothing voice as he made his trips around the barn. He noticed a newborn calf over in the corner. The mother seemed to take ownership of the calf but she hadn`t gotten him up to milk yet. She flashed her head around to look at Tim. He saw the tag number, confirming his suspicions. The mother was that stupid, Number 53 cow.

He ran the cow and her big bull calf into makeshift pen that he had in the corner of the barn. Tim snubbed her nose up to a post and hobbled her back legs so she couldn`t kick at the calf. He mumbled to himself while working, ``I knew I should have sold you last fall when you nearly killed me while we were sorting cows down the alley. You came runnin` down that alley like you had a death note for me. Sure, you`d have to go and have a nice bull calf and now I`ll have to keep you for another year.`` After the calf had gotten up to suck, Tim turned to the other cattle in the barn to see if he had missed anything.

The cows were very unsettled and milling around. It was too close of quarters and calves were getting stepped on. Tim decided, if the sun came out tomorrow he was going to let them out of the barn. If things worked right, it would be in the mid 30`s so he would be able to get the barn rebedded and have the cows feed before noon. Tim checked on Number 53 and she had let her calf suck. Tim knew they would be fine, so he headed back to the warm bed he had left behind.

Tim awoke just before his alarm at 5 AM. Through the window he could see the blue sky. The sun was peaking out and the wind had gone down. He hurried to turn the cows out into the small calving lot, then brought the tractor down to clean the barn. Everything went like clockwork. He even got a few roads open around the house. He should have known things were too good to be true.

After a few hours of cleanup work, it was getting near dark and the wind was picking up. He decided it would be best go get the cattle in soon, so he saddled Tiny Watch, the horse he bought about a month ago. Tiny Watch was a beauty, a direct son of Flying X Cat and Miss Van 505. Because of the weather, he hadn`t had much time to ride him. As Tim headed out on Tiny Watch, the cows were out of sight. ``Well Tiny Watch, I suppose they must be over the hill and down in the draw.`` When they reached the top of the hill, there were still no cows to be seen. As Tim rode closer, he noticed the broken gate. That meant the cows were now in a 400 acre pasture. To the north, clouds were building. The winds were picking up again. The sun was going down; time was running out. They were in for another storm and no one would be looking forward to this one.

He trailed the missing cattle for nearly 2 hours. It had started to snow and the wind was howling. Tim was cold and Tiny Watch was chilling down. Ice was now forming on his cheeks. He knew they didn`t have much time left. Tim was having a hard time seeing anything through the blowing snow. As the snow hit his face, some of it melted and some froze. He knew he had to head back to the house, but he had lost his sense of direction. Tim wandered around the pasture for an hour trying to find a fence to follow. The wind had picked up even more. There was another good foot of snow on the ground and he couldn`t even follow his own tracks. Tim knew Sue would be worried sick by now. All he wanted was to get home. Tim could no longer feel his fingers or his feet. His legs were going numb. He was too weak and too cold to do anything more. Tim`s only resort was to let the horse find his way home. He gave the reins a good wrap around the horn of the saddle. Tim then steadied his hands on the horn, put all his trust in Tiny Watch, and let him go. As Tiny Watch plodded through the snow, Tim finally gave in to his desire to close his eyes.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Sue had put lit candles in the window on both sides of the house to serve as beacon`s in the darkness. She had nearly worn a hole in the carpet by pacing back and forth from window to window, hoping to see a glimpse of her husband or the horse. Hours had passed. Nothing. Finally, she caught sight of them. Tiny Watch walked right up to the door of the house and stood quietly. She ran out to her husband, praying he was still alive.

``Tim? Tim! Tim, can you get off the horse to come inside?`` she pleaded. Sue worked to pry his frozen hands off of the saddle horn and pulled him off the horse. His entire body was frozen into a sitting position.

Sue dragged Tim into the house. She quickly filled the tub with water and then added snow and turpentine. She couldn`t warm him too quickly for fear of burning his skin, or worse. A sudden change in body temperature could stop his heart from pumping. As Sue warmed him, she continually talked to him in her soothing voice, hoping he would say something to ease her nerves. Her only sign of hope was an occasional moan from her weak husband.

It took three days before Tim`s temperature returned to normal. Between nursing Tim back to health and keeping things on the ranch running smoothly, Sue had her hands full.

When his health had returned, Tim headed to the barn to find the trusty steed that had guided him home. Tiny Watch was in a warm stall with a bale of hay, and seemed to be very sound. Tim had given 100 dollars for that horse and was proud to say that Tiny Watch was worth every penny.