Harper's Young People, November 4, 1879

In a bright Alpine morning, a young Swiss boy steps out of his modest cottage to watch the towering peaks of the Wellhorn and Matterhorn glitter in the clear sky. He soon discovers that his neighbor, Frieshardt, has locked his family’s beloved cow, Liesli, in a barn as leverage for an unpaid debt. The boy’s father, Toni Hirzel, explains the harsh reality of their finances—his wife’s illness and funeral expenses have left them unable to settle the loan, and the neighbor is using the cow as collateral.

Determined and outspoken, the youth vows to reclaim the animal, convinced that his father’s upcoming trip to Grindelwald will bring the needed help. As the family grapples with pride, patience, and the looming threat of losing their only source of milk, the story captures the quiet courage of a child confronting injustice in a close‑knit mountain community.