She stood gazing out the window for several long moments, lost in thought. Then, gradually, she became conscious of the twins. One girl stood on either side of her, gazing out of the window as id they somehow sensed that this might be the last time they saw their pa alive. Realizing that the girls were reacting to her morbid mood, Theresa forced her negative thoughts aside and turned away from the window.
"Come on girls, there's chores to be done. Lucinda you can help me wash the dishes, while Mary Louise clears the table and sweeps the floor." Theresa said, moving away from the window.
******
Jeremiah trudged slowly toward the barn a short distance away, trying to get used to the weight of the snowshoes on his feet as he moved each leg. Usually he was pretty lithe and fast on his feet, but the cumbersome clothing he wore and the wooden contraptions strapped to his boots, made him feel as awkward as newborn colt trying to stand for the first time. Independence was ten miles to the Northwest, so he figured that by going to the barn and using it as a guide until he came to the back of it, he would at least know he had headed out in the right direction.
After that he would be on his own in the winter wildness. Then he quickly amended that thought. (I'm sorry father. I know that I will never be alone as long as thee is with me.) Jeremiah prayed apologetically. (I know that I will never be truly alone as long as I trust in thee and do thy will.) He added. As long as he had God with him, he knew that there would never be a time that he need ever feel alone.
When he reached the large wooden structure, Jeremiah turned toward the west, keeping the fingers of his right hand trailing over the weather roughened wood wall to keep his bearings. Snow pelted him in the face, making his eyes water and sting. With his left hand he continually wiped his eyes, hoping to keep them clear enough to see. When he came to the corner of the barn he turned toward the Northwest and continued walking until he came to the back of the barn. He paused beside the barn to catch his breath. Cold air blew into his mouth with every breath, making him gasp even more from the sting he felt as the wind touched the back of his throat.
Then he stepped out into the empty space and momentarily felt a twinge of fear race through him. He knew that there was a strong possibility that he could become confused and disoriented by the cold and lose his sense of direction. If that happened, he knew that he would be as good as dead. If that happened, he didn't know what would become of Theresa and the children. The thought of something happening to his family if he didn't come back with the necessary supplies filled him with fierce determination. He would not let his family down. He would not have Theresa and the children suffer more than they already had because of his ill-prepared and ill-timed decision to move from Texas to Missouri. Theresa and the children depended on him to care for them, and he wasn't about to let them down. That was why he had decided to make this trip into town in the first place, because there were no other means of providing his family with the nourishment they needed.
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