( Continued from page 12 )
been good company on the trip . He was an intelligent boy and was really enthusiastic about his new job . He must have asked a thousand questions . Lonny
pulled up at a truck stop and , punching " M . L . . as he called him , in the ribs , said , " Let ’ s get a cup of
coffee in here .” They ordered coffee and sat back to warm up a bit .
The waitress put a cream pitcher down and said , " You fellows heading north ?” Lonny answered , '' Sure are . . . going to Pierre , South Dakota . Why ?” She
looked at them with some concern and said , " Weatherman says there ’ s a real cold spell brewing up that way . You better not carry them horses into a blizzard .” Lonny laughed and said , " Why , nvam , didn ’ t you know that Admiral Perry carried Walking Horses to the South Pole instead of a dog sled ?” She smiled a little and said . " Well , maybe you know what you ’ re doing . I sure hope so .”
Lonny didn ’ t show any outward concern as they made their way into the hills of the Dakotas , but he was wondering to himself if perhaps the waitress had been right . It was only three in the afternoon but it was getting dark , and the temperature had dropped considerably the last fifty miles . It was beginning to spit snow that swirled around the windshield . M . L . was obviously worried . " Mr . Lonny ...” he suddenly said , " 1 never been in a blizzard before .” Lonny laughed and said . " Well it don ' t look like no blizzard to me .” The boy took off his hat and scratched his head of curly black hair , saying . " Thea ’ s already a
SmiOtimi RANCH
HOME OF BLUE NAMROfi AND SOUVENIR S KINOV
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JOHNNY GUNN JOINS JIM LANDERS AT BLUE MOUNTAIN RANCH WHITMORE , CALIFORNIA
Why not let us care for your brood mares ? It will more than pay off in condition alone . 200 acres of irrigated pasture helps provide the best care for your brood mares and coits . Let Blue Mountain
Ranch handle your breeding problems .
AT STUD :
BLUE NAMRON — GO BOY ’ S RED BLUFF SOUVENIR ’ S KING foot of snow on the ground and it ’ s laying new snow on the road again .” Lonny replied , " Well , they have real good snowplows in this part of the country and
1 hear they keep the roads cleared all the time .” An hour later found Lonny Barnes edging his wav along the narrow road with his windshield wipers and his lights on . " Damn . . . it ’ s coming down out there like pouring soapflakes out of a box .” Lonny kept his eyes glued to the road and asked M . L . to check the horses through the window . " They getting nervous , Mr . Lonny . • • kicking around and moving a lot .” Lonny answered , " Well . . . they ’ ve been riding a long time . I think we should go to the next town and try to get put up for the . night .” It was almost dark by now and visibility was extremely bad . Lonny noted to himself that they hadn ’ t passed a car or a truck for almost an hour , and he could no longer see the road signs . Ice began to form on the inside of the windshield even though he had his defroster on . Snow was piling up in the road ahead of him and drifts were becoming somewhat of a problem . The road was mostly level , but when he got to a slight incline his truck was having trouble making it . He remembered to stay in high gear so he wouldn ’ t spin his wheels .
They were at the top of a crest and he could make out what appeared to be a crossroad . Stopping , he said , " Get out and check that sign over there .” M . L . hesitated a second and then opened the truck door . The cold split the air inside the truck like a knife as the roaring wind lashed the door open and out of M . L .’ s hand . Jumping from the truck , the young colored boy sank up past his knees in the snow . He stumbled and found his way to the sign and brushed the ice and snow off with a bare hand . Climbing back into the truck he slammed the door shut and , shuddering , said , " It said twelve miles to Shelby . . . straight ahead .” " Well , that ’ s where we ’ ll go ,” said Lonny , as he put his truck into second and eased his way ahead .
He could still make out the side of the road , but driving was really rough . The van swayed from side to side as he felt it slipping and every time it did , his horses moved making it even worse . He was only going about ten miles an hour when suddenly he sat up behind the wheel . His years as a horseman showed up as he simultaneously slammed on his brakes and pulled back on the steering wheel , as if to stop a horse . The big van slid sideways in the road and the back end lurched off the side as they rammed into a solid wall of snow at least nine feet high .
All that Lonny could see ahead was a blur of white snow that glowed with an eerie yellow light where the headlights were buried in the drift . M . L . was so scared he was speechless . All that Lonny could hear was the roar of the engine and the horses kicking behind him . . . trying to get up after being thrown down by the impact of the sudden stop . " Wha . wha . . . what are we going to do now , Mr . Lonny ?
( Continued next month )
Owners : THELMA AND DONALD SMITH
Trainers : JOHNNY GUNN & JIM LANDERS Office : 206 Hickory Street , Red Bluff , California Telephone 916 / 527-4421
JIMMY SMALL Box 163 BENTON , KENTUCKY 42025
502 / 527-2431 527-7414 e
HORSE SHOW ANNOUNCER QUALIFIED EXPERIENCED
© e NOW BOOKING FOR 1968
32 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse