Been spendin’ the las’ six winters down South. Couldn’ get me to tramp through that snow fo’ nothin’ no mo’. Way I see it, mos’ tramps got any sense go south er hole up somewheres till spring. Me, I feel winter settin’ in, I head straight south, to Florida.

Las’ time I rode in the snow I got fros’bit bad, real bad. Got in a boxcar in Denver with a par’ner a mine. It was middle a January, a col’ mutherfuckin’ January. We was waitin’ ‘roun’ the yards there fo’ a hot eas’boun’; take us to Minnie. We got tar’d a waitin’ there in the col’, n’ climbed on one a them damn locals. That was ou’ mistake right there. Goddamn slowest train you ever see. Nothin’ but a milktrain. Stopped in ev’ry son of a bitchin’ town east a Denver.

Time night come, that hot train passed us while we’s sittin’ on a sidin’ out there in Kansas, Brewster I think it was. If we’d a waited on that hotshot, we’d a been aw’right. We was set off a couple times. Waited on sidin’s till we’d half frose.

One time, we jumped outta the car, ‘n sunk up to ou’ waists; clean up to ou’ middle in snow.  Wade through that shit maybe a couple miles to make ou’ connection. All the time that wind blowin’. Goddamn, that’ll cut you in two out on them plains. Blowin’ the snow into drif’s higher ‘n a man’s head. Seen it bury the side of a train one time. Couldn’ see no cars, jus’ a big heap a snow. Makes walkin’ near impossible. Trudgin’ through them drif’s; you walk a mile ‘n it’ll seem like you walked ten. Takes it outta you. My par’ner jus’ ‘bou’ give out once. We’re halfway to ou’ connection, ‘n I turned ‘roun’, ‘n los’ sight a him. Couldn’ see more ‘n thirty feet, the way they snow was blowin’. He’d been followin’ b’hind me, so I backtracked ‘n found him lyin’ in the snow, curled up like a dog, with the snow blowin’ over him. Jus’ givin’ up. He says to leave him ‘lone. I know if I’d a left him there, he’d a died. Died fo’ sure. Nothin’ to do but pick him up ‘n walk b’hin’ him to make sure he wouldn’ give out on me again.

We got to a car, ‘n I was doin’ OK; always tried to keep movin’, stampin’ my feet ‘n walkin’ ‘roun’.  My par’ner, was jus’ sittin’, huddled in a corner a the car. I kept askin’ him how he’s doin’, ‘n he’d say he’s awrigh’, but I cold tell he wasn’. Had his sleepin’ bag wrapped ‘roun’ him, ‘n not movin’ a muscle. Wasn’ fo’ him answerin’ me, I’d a thought him dead. Them boxcars was like a goddamn deep freeze. Our water jugs froze solid, jus’ one big block a ice.  An’ them sleepin’ bags we had wasn’ worth a shit. You couldn’ sleep, it was so damn col’, ‘n you wouldn’ wanna. I heard stories ‘bout guys fallin’ ‘sleep in the cold ‘n freezin’ to death.  Never wake up. They find ‘em in a boxcar somewheres, frozen stiff as a goddamn boa’d.
Wasn’ long b’fo’ I los’ the feelin’ in my toes. ‘N I askt my par’ner how his feet is comin’ ‘long, ‘n he tells me he can’t feel ‘em. We get into Albert Lea in Minnesota ‘n tried to get ourselves locked up, but they turned us away. Not a man in his right min’ likes jail, but if it’s a choice b’tween freezin’ to death ‘n jail, I’ll take jail anytime.

We knew a place in Minnie’d take us in, so we got ‘nother train. Don’ think either one of us wanted to get on , but there’s nothin’ else to do.  It was like climbin’ boa’d an icebox.

Doctor in Minnie said it was twenty-five below when they brought us in. If ya squeeze the end a my boot, ain’t much there. Los’ the tips a my toes ‘cept the big one. Other foot’s OK. My par’ner was in worse shape. Them doctors ‘bout give him up fo’ dead. Had him more ‘n a month in the hospital. Los’ mos’ ev’ry toe on both his feet. The front part a his boots got nothin’ in ‘em.  He can still get aroun’, still walk. Just’ gotta wear them high lace up boots fo’ support so’s his shoes don’ fall off his feet.

99.