The boy was awakened by Uncle Bill, who was vigorously shaking the bed. A snow storm had come during the night. The wind’s howling noise, echoing through the house, had woken the boy earlier. Snow had blown into drifts in the coulees, so deep it would come up to the boy’s chest. The prairie was on the cusp of spring, but winter could still show up in all its fury.
It was calving time and Uncle Bill was worried about cows going into a coulee to give birth and then being trapped with their newborn, not able to get out because of the drifts.
After a quick meal of a piece of toast and milk they were up on their horses, searching the valleys and coulees. It didn’t take long to find a mother and her pathetic looking calf, lying in the snow together, trying to stay warm. The boy looked into the frightened eyes of the calf as Uncle Bill lifted it onto the back of his horse. Beside them, the anxious mother constantly bawled out her concern.
The cow followed as they walked the horses back to the barn. Inside the protection of the building the boy helped rub down both animals, and then watched as the mother and calf lay together, exhausted. He looked at his Uncle’s smiling face and knew all would be well.