"I heard about that," Chan Bellamy said. "We didn't get hurt as much back in the eastern part of the state."
"Consider yourself fortunate," Coker said. "I was up here lookin' at some land northeast of Dodge. The weather for January had been mild, but one day, in just a couple of hours, temperatures dropped through the floor—from the midfifties to fifteen degrees below zero. The blizzard was so fierce it was like ridin' on the knob of the North Pole. Folks living in tents and lean-tos froze to death. So did those who got lost when they couldn't find trails or landmarks because of the smothering snow. As for me, I just got lucky, 'cause I came on a small ranch and got shelter inside. I was near froze when that family pulled me and put me near the fire."
Coker swirled his coffee around in h
