The Portland daily press., 1865-07-01
Saturday Morning, July l. 1866.
The Grandmother,a Story.

Or andma, can't you tell us a storyY said
Alfred. Eddie Norris says that his grandma
ther tells him and the other children such lots
o. stories, and some such awful ones, too,
about ghosts and witches, and such things
Those are the kind of stories that like to
hear vU a.
'O yes, grandma, do tell us story.' added
Alired's brother; and, seeing by the old lady,s
indulgent smile that she was about to comph
with their wishes, they both seated themselves
close TO her, looking up in her face.
'Well,' commenced their grandmother. i
can tell yon story which may ffighten Won
to as good purpose as any Of your ghosts OF
witches, and, perhaps, may be more useful
Once upon time and not very long ago, eth
er, there lived man named Mr.. Uric, who
mad fine farm, neat and pretty dwelling.
house, very comfortably furnished, and. what
was best OF all, an amiable wife and four in
teresting children. They were not what il
usually called rich, but they had everything
that was really necessary to make them COM
Portable and happy, and they wished for moth
ing more.
Now, for number ofyears, there had been
IN that neighborhood huge and ferocious
VOL, that had destroyed great deal of prop
erty and killed several persons, but was SO
cunning as to avoid being caught or killed
himself. One day, as Mr.. Uric sat in his
mouse, who should come walking in but this
wolf! l suppose you think that the first
thing he did was to fly fiercely at the man, OF
some Of his family ;but such was not the case.
Inc VOL walked in quietly, wagged his tail,
rubbed his head against Mr.. Ulric's feet, and.
In pleasant voice (for he could talk when he
close,) thus spoke:
My dear sir, know that have yerv III
name among people in general, but those who
are really acquainted with nv Character will
give very different accou1e al ma T.;La
most other beasts-and human beings nKc-
wise-the way in VIII ch treat others epends
entirely upon the way in which they treat me,
and am quite as earnest friend as an enc
my. have taken particular liking to you,
Mr.. Uric, and Ishould like to settle down in-
to your family to quiet, domestic life. l.
you will take me into your house, and treat
me as friend, you will find me quite as use.
full, attached, and faithful creature as nv
cousin, the dog, can be-
Mr.. Uric listened willingly to all this, pat
ted the VOLTS head, and informed him that he
should live in his house as long as be chose
When Mrs. Uric discovered this new member
OF her family, she was much alarmed, and beg
ged that he might be turned out of doors al
once; but her husband insisted that there was
no danger in wolf, if it was properly man
aged, and he was one of those who knew ex-
actly how to manage such an animal.
'Ihe VOL, when he first came, promised to
live upon the scraps which were lett from the
table; but it was soon discovered that he was
devouring his masters sheep every night
Yet when this was told Mr.. Uric. he abso-
lutely refused to believe it, and said that peop-
le were only prejudiced against his poor net.
30 the wolf grew bolder and bolder In his op-
efations, and being one of the most voracious
animals that was ever seen, it was not a great
while before he had devoured all the sheep,
Gpgs' caves ana poultry, abont the farm, be-
sides wantonly trampling down the fields Of
gram when ne was ranging about. In short,
this destructive animal, in the space Of one
year, proved the ruin of his keeper; and MIR.
ulric's family were obliged to remove from
their comfortable home into poor little hut .
which was furnished in scanty and wretched
manner. But what will seem most astonish-
ing is, that Mr.. Uric actually insisted upon
taking with him to his new dwelling-place
the beast who was the cause Of their poverty
and distress. 80
sand now the wolf, to satisfy his own appe-
Ute took the greatest part of the food which
the family were able to procure, and often.
snatched from the lips o. the poor children the
scanty portion which they were about to eat.
Inc only person VINO saw, without any pity
the m cradle condition of this family, seemed
to be Uric himself, for he became furious
When any one urged him to part with his ia
vorite wolf, without whose company, he said,
he would not wish to live, Atlength, one
evening, the wolf in a fierce and authoritative
tone. thus exclaimed to Mr.. Uric:
"'You must turn this woman and her chill
dren out OF doors, for you cannot support both
them and mel
Something in these words seemed to mad
den the brain of the unhappy man to whom
they were spoken, and with all the behavior
OF lunatc, he proceeded to drive his family
out OF doors, though 1t was in The middle Of
winter, and they were very scantily clothed.
The poor woman and children were badly
frcst-bitten, and indeed, almost frozen to death
by the time they had reached a neighbor's
house, where they were allowed to take shell
ter. And now the vol, left alone with Uric.
demanded that he should give him some food
4 have none-none even for myself was
the reply.
'Glaring at him with flaming eyes, the wolf
howled forth: Whether you are fed or not
must be and then he remorselessly sprang
upon the wretched man who had sacrificed
everything for his sake. For some time dread
fnl cries and yells were heard proceeding from
the lonely hut, and when at length some Of the
neighhors had courage to enter, they found
Uric lying dead upon the floor with the VOLTS
gFipe upon his throat
Here the grandmother concluded her story,
during which Alfred and his brother huddled
as close up to her as possible, sometimes look
ing nervously over their shoulders, as If to see
Eaether some monster were not stealing in to
make them his prey.
That was awful said Allied; but of course
1t was not true
Indeed It is, though answered his grand
mother. 1t has happened great many times,
aud is now happening every day. The name
of the wolf which men allow to ruin their for
tunes and take away all their feeling for their
own fam lies, ana which pays them at last by
ance, or the love Of drinking. Who that
knoWs all this, and has his proper senses
would not wish to keep that wolf from his
door P'-C Christian Intelligencer.