The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-02-21
nAmPEnED WOLF.
DAN DE LION.

front. when it was observed that old |
!. Waldoning" began to grow fidgety.
he had, coiled up in his
brain, . wolf tale that he was anxious
to unfold. At last he saw an opening,
and thus filled the breach:
"When I lived on Whitcwoman
river, back yonder in Ohio, thar was
lots of wild hogs in the bottoms. They
lived thar on wild plums. hickory nuts,
akerns, and the like.
We used to build log.pen over
their nests of leaves, in the fall OF the
year when they were fat. The pen
would be sot up on q prop, like bar
trap, to this prop would be fastened
grapevine; then, when the hogs came
in at night to sleep, we'd jerk out the
prop, and down would come the pen
over the whole family. Lord what
a boob boohin'! thar'd be for time J!
But what was going to tell you
about was, not trappin' of hogs, but .
big piece of fun 1 had one day when
ont huntin' on tie Whitewoman bot
toms.'
AS I was slippin' along, hopin' I'd
see somethin' to shoot, all at onct l
heerd, away off through the woods,
awful roarin' and boob! boohin'! OF
hogs. didn't know what was up
with 'em, but 1 determined to find out.
1t was a wet, drizzly sort of day, and
I could get along over the leaves and
did not make bit of noise. 1 scoot-
ed along from tree to tree, and at last
I came to place where thar was about
two acres of hogs.
sSich sight of hogs 1 never did
see. Thar they stood and squirmed
about, kivering all the ground. Allhad
thar bristles up, an all was a boob
ooh boohin' ut fearful rate. Thar
was white hogs, black hogs, sandy
hogs, spotted hogs, and hogs of all
sizes, colors, and degrees of cussed-
ness. Mad! they was just bilin' mad
-frothin' at the mouth and champin'
their teeth fearful. A sort of steam
rose out'n the wet hair of that mass OF
rapin' beasts, and filled all the country
round with an overpowerin' smell OF
bad hog.
sWhat was q causin' of all of this
commotion I was not long in seein'.
Thar. in the middle of the great con-
yention of hogs, stood a big oak stump
about five feet high, and in the center
of the stump stood big gray VIOLA
gaunt, hungry lookin' feller as ever
seed.
sHe was handsomely freed. and
wasn't in any pleasant fix, as ne was
beqinuin' to find out. All about him
was a mass Of oneasy hair, devilish
ewes, frothim' mouths, gleamin' teeth
Poor devil! thar he stood, with his
fail tucked close between his legs, and
his feet all gathered into the exact CEN
ter of the stump-and Lord! wasn't
he a .ick Iookin' wolf? He seemed to
he thinkin' that he had sold himself
awful cheap.
Right close about the stump, aud
rairin' up against it was a crowd OF
some of the biggest and most onpIln'
cipled old sows ever sot eyes onto
Every half mint one of these big Old
she feilers would rair up, git her fore
feet on top of the stump, and MAKE
savage snap at one end or tother OF
the wolf, her jaws comm together like
flax brake.
The wolf would whirl round t0
watch that partick erler SOW, when one
on t'other side of the stump would
make plunge for his tail, an so they
kept the poor, cOwardly critter Whiri'
in round and round, humpin' up his
back, haulin' in his feet and tail. and
in every possible way reducin his
general average. I'll bet his entire
inards was drawn up into bunch moi
biggcr'n my fist!
Almost every instant thar was q
charge made on him from some quar-
Ter. an sometimes from three or fouI
at onct. Lordl wasn't it hurryin
times with him then!
When he had moment to rest an
gaze about all he saw was them two
acres Of open mouths. restless bristles
aud fiery eyes. His long red tongue
hung out of his open jaws, and as he
| l.: aldo QldQ ne
seemed to have about the poorest con-
ceit of his smartness Of any wolf
ever seed. lie had got himself into
nice pickle by tryin' to steal pig anu
he knowed it jist as well as if he had
been human, and was ashamed OF him
self accordingly. No quarter could
he expect in all that sea of pen, roar
in mouths.
Sjch was the noise and chargin' and
plungin' and surgin' to and fro that
hardly felt safe behind my tree hun
dred yards away.
/ determined to try an experiment
on that wolf. l raised my gun and
fired into the air. At the report the
critter forgot himself. He bounded
from The stump at the crack of the
gun, but he never fetched ground
Half dozen open mouths reached ur
| for him and in them he landed. There
was jist one sharp yell, then for rod
around was seen flynn strips of wolf
skin, legs and hair; for half mint
was heard q crunchin' of bones, and
them old sows were iickin' their chops
rairin' up onto that thar stump and
prospectin' about for more wolf.
Bout that time l concluded the
neiyhborhood was likely 10 prove on
healthy, and got up and peeled it fci
the nearest clearin's.'