And whilst he was doing that, Sally May came into the room and wrapped me up in a towel. And get this: She dried me off with the towel!
Yes, her nose was wrinkled up and she said something about “cow lot” and “wet dog,” as I recall her words, but by George, the old gal put some elbow grease into that towel-work and got me dried off.
Then they untied the medicine bag from around my neck and Sally May took the bottle back into Molly’s room, and by that time Little Alfred had appeared on the scene.
He gave me a big hug and we wrestled around on the living room floor for a while. Then he blew in my face, as he seems to enjoy doing, and I licked him on the mouth.
Sally May walked in on that little exercise and put a stop to it. “Alfred, keep your face away from the dog’s mouth! Do you want to get pellagra?”
He said, no, he didn’t want to get pellagra, and neither did I, so we quit that game.
Oh, but there were plenty of other games to play. See, because of my heroic actions—and also because Little Alfred made a very effective begging presentation—I was allowed to remain inside the house for the rest of the storm.
Two whole entire days, if you can believe that!
Yes, Sally May insisted that I visit the Great Outdoors once every hour for “fresh air,” as she put it, but that was okay with me.
Hey, me and Alfred played Horse, and Quail Hunt, and Ride the Bull, Hide Under the Bed, Dress-Up in Army Clothes, and my very favorite, Eat Crackers in the Closet.
And best of all, Little Molly got over her cough, and by the next morning, she was laughing and playing with the rest of us.
To preserve the happiness of the happy ending, I won’t reveal what Sally May said when she caught us eating crackers in her closet, inside the tent we had made of her Sunday dress.
A guy doesn’t have to tell everything he knows.
It was a wonderful blizzard and a happy ending.
Case closed.
Further Reading
Have you read all of Hank’s adventures?
1 The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
2 The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
3 It’s a Dog’s Life
4 Murder in the Middle Pasture
5 Faded Love
6 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
7 The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob
8 The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse
9 The Case of the Halloween Ghost
10 Every Dog Has His Day
11 Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest
12 The Case of the Fiddle-Playing Fox
13 The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve
14 Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business
15 The Case of the Missing Cat
16 Lost in the Blinded Blizzard
17 The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog
18 The Case of the Hooking Bull
19 The Case of the Midnight Rustler
20 The Phantom in the Mirror
21 The Case of the Vampire Cat
22 The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting
23 Moonlight Madness
24 The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans
25 The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado
26 The Case of the Kidnapped Collie
28 The Mopwater Files
29 The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper
30 The Case of the Haystack Kitties
31 The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook
32 The Garbage Monster from Outer Space
33 The Case of the Measled Cowboy
34 Slim’s Good-bye
35 The Case of the Saddle House Robbery
36 The Case of the Raging Rottweiler
37 The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game
38 The Fling
39 The Secret Laundry Monster Files
40 The Case of the Missing Bird Dog
41 The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree
42 The Case of the Burrowing Robot
43 The Case of the Twisted Kitty
44 The Dungeon of Doom
45 The Case of the Falling Sky
46 The Case of the Tricky Trap
47 The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies
48 The Case of the Monkey Burglar
49 The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup
50 The Case of the Most Ancient Bone
51 The Case of the Blazing Sky
52 The Quest for the Great White Quail
53 Drover’s Secret Life
54 The Case of the Dinosaur Birds
55 The Case of the Secret Weapon
56 The Case of the Coyote Invasion
57 The Disappearance of Drover
58 The Case of the Mysterious Voice
59 The Case of the Perfect Dog
60 The Big Question
61 The Case of the Prowling Bear
About the Author and Illustrator
John R. Erickson, a former cowboy, has written numerous books for both children and adults and is best known for his acclaimed Hank the Cowdog series. He lives and works on his ranch in Perryton, Texas, with his family.
Gerald L. Holmes has illustrated numerous cartoons and textbooks in addition to the Hank the Cowdog series. He lives in Perryton, Texas.