The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-16
What the Wolf Did.

we were SItiIulllS tbu bhC WIluOW
watching Lion, the house-dog, burying a
bone in the dead leaves near the fence.
"Why does he do that?' asked my
little cousin.
Animal instinct" replied my father.
to whom the question was addressed.
4" He has more dinner than he cares to
eat lust now, and so puts away some for
the next time. Other animals do the
same thing sometimes. | once knew an
old lady who when child had singu.
! lar adventure in connection with this
same instinct"
OF course there was an immediate de-
mand for the story. Father leased us
for little while, and then he told it, as
follows:
Sixty or seventy years ago, my
friend father was pioneer in the re-
gion bordering on the Ohio River, He
and his son were cutting wood in the
forest one day, and Polly, then little
girl of five years old or so, was playing
near them while they worked. When
the time came to go home Polly was no.
where to be seen,
" That's strange" said her father
I" She always obeys so well. | don't see
how she could have strayed off"
"'She woudn't have gone home with
out telling us, said her brother. Look!
here's her sun-honnet full of nuts. She
must be somewhere around
They looked again and again in every
direction, calling, Polly Polly all in
vain. There were no Indians living
near but wolves and panthers We're
MI hot tI,a
father and son had killed two bears in an
attack on the cow-house. So they began
to feel seriously alarmed. o.
Presently the brother, looking
anxiously about, esped an odd-loolsng
heap of leaves on the further slope ofthe
hill, where no wind could possibly lave
tossed them. He went to have a doser
look at it. Carelessly throwing aide a
portion of the heap, he uncovered, to
his joyful surprise, bit of PolF's red
frock.
Father, come here, he called, and
in a moment more they had tie child
safe and sound, but fast ASLEEP, in their
arms.
"'That's strange said Ter father
once more. John, take Polly home.
I'm going to stay here and see if | can't
find out what this means. She never
covered herself up this way, I'm certain.
Come back as quick as you can. and
bring your rifle with you. Here, hand
me mine before you 60
$50 saying, he piled the leaves up
neatly once more, putting a small log of
wood into the place where the child had
| lain. He then crouched down behind a
| fallen tree near by to see what would
happen.
''He did not have long to wait. John
had scarcely had time to return, almost
| out of breath with the haste he had made,
when the soft patter of paws was heard
on the dry leaves, and they saw three
gray wolves approaching at full trot,
with another slightly in advance leading
the way.
The wolf in front led his comrades
straight to the heap of leaves, and
scratching eagerly, quickly uncovered
the buried log. His dismay was almost
comical to behold. He shifted and
smelled and turned his head this way
and that in utter bewilderment. How a
dainty little girl, plump and soft, and
just suited to the taste of wolf who
enjoys a good dinner could suddenly
turn into great UNBEATABLE log of wood
was too much for him to understand.
He finally gave the problem up in des-
pair, and turned to his companions, cow
ering like beaten hound
There were some sharp banks of dis
appointment, followed by snarls, as the
three guests, who had evidently been
hidden to a feast which was not forth
coming expressed their indignation al
the supposed hoax.
The other wolf only whined dole
fully, but in vain, for the three fell upon
him, and in less time than it takes to tell
of it, tore him into pieces, and began to
devour him. They did not finish the
meal, however, for the two rifles behind
the log cracked once and again, and all
three wolves lay dead beside the com.
rade whom they had punished so terribly.
." have every reason to believe this
story literally true" continued my faith
er; land the other day. told it to Mr..
E. S, Ellis, the well-known writer OF
stories of Western adventure.
81 have no doubt it happened just as
you heard it," he said. ''The incident
is uncommon, but not unknown in nat
ural history. My grandfather knew a
lunberman who went to sleep in the
woods in Northern New York, and was
awakened by panther covering him
with leaves. He lay still till the animal
got through and went off, when he
jumped up and left too. He didn't wait
for the panther to come back. "-Har-
per'S Young People.
NovaIfias - WodJ;,,c. Mat