Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-01-04
UNCLE ZED'S WOLF.
A True Story.

| A True Story.
"Baa! baa! baa,'' sounded in noisy
frightened chorus underneath Parson
Darius Miller windows one cold April
morning about fifty years ago.
So loud and so persistent was the
chorus that Parson Miller three sturdy
boys were awake and on their feet be-
fore it had grown light enough to dis.
tinguish anything in the gray outside.
FEATHER! father.' shouted James,
the second boy, Gathering down the
stairs in his heavy boots. "what ails
the sheep? They re all huddled up
close to the house, right under your
window. Don't you hear them9 Say,
father, wake up
In response to all this cutlery, good
| Parson Miller, who was Woodworking
farmer as well as Parson, and slept
the sleep of the Just. gave forth q
feeble and only Acknowledgment eyes. -
| Presently, however, he joined the
! boys, and then discovered that not all
the sheep were huddled together under
| meath the windows, but that two of
them were missing, and that large,
| dangerous-looking tracks were all over
the light snow-a regular sugar
snow which covered the ground out
side.
"I'll bet it's a wolf,' ventured
Daniel, the eldest boy.
Guess it's nothing but wild cat, -
said the parson.
"Too big for wild cat said Tom.
Squire Taylor caught in his trap
Tom was the quiet boy, but some
how when Tom spoke even the older
oft
always on the alert. and though they
were of a gray and by no means beau
tiful color. and were set in a sallow
and peaked little face. Tom was
considered vastly good-looking boy
by all of the family and his intimate
friends, on the principle of Hand
some is that handsome does.''
just then Squire Taylor, their next
neighbor. came tramping hastily across
his field. his two boys, of about the same
age as James and Tom Miller, following
after him.
''Wolf tracks all around my barn.
said the good Squire, excitedly, before
he had come near enough to see the
sheep lying on the snow.
''There!'' said Daniel, nodding sig
nificantly to Tom.
''Where's the fellow gomez queried
little Tom. who was only fourteen, and
who didn't look so old as that by reason
of his small stature.
'sThats it! that's itr' cried the
Squire, siapping Tom approvingly on
the shoulder. ..Where the varmint
gone? Let's track him, to be sure.
Hullo! there's Uncle Zed.''
Sure enough, old Zadok Cummings,
familiarly known as ''Uncle Zed," was
hurrying along through the fields to-
ward them, and carving his old shot
gun in his hands. The news had evil
IDENTITY travelled fast.
.'Seen him?" shouted the old man,
all on fire with excitement, while drops
of sweat ran down his russell face, in
spite of the chilly weather. jest tell
me what direction he's took, n I'll
ketch him! The critter! I'll ketch
him: oh, I'll ketch himl' And Uncle
Zed looked SO fierce and funny that all
of them began to laugh. But they
finally succeeded in convincing the old
man that he couldn't possibly '.ketch
him. for a few moments at least, and
that the case was too serious for them
to decide at once on the best course to
pursue.
He Ii be around tonight. too, and
bring some more wi h him, if we don't
ketch him, put in Uncle Zed, whenever
q good chance occurred.
Two or three had started out to fol-
low the trail of the wolf, and they came
back to report that the tracks ended in
Squire Taylor's woods.
eve must make ring right around
the woods, and hem him in-that's the
way" said the Squire. quickly.
Tom, standing back behind his broth
ers, was seen to nod. approvingly,
whereupon the other boys did the same.
Indeed. the proposition seemed 10 COM
mend itself to the entire company, and |
they started toward the woods, those |
who had not brought guns hurrying off
to get some.
II could do it it jest as we'll alone,''
Uncle Zed. "They hain't |
ben no wolves around here for several |
years now. but hain't forgot how to
ketch 'em. guess hain't.''
The men were disposed, and then
everything was profoundly quiet. ex-
cepting for the sound of the beating of
the bushes, or of stray shot, when
some Over-confdent hunter was "sure /
he had him."
At last Uncle Zed heard a low growl |
in a thicket, and he had hardly time to
raise his gun when out sprang an
enormous wolf, and came directly to-
ward him. The old man. almost para
lyzed with fright. pulled the trigger,
but his hand trembled SO that his shot
went a yard above the wolf head, and
the animal bounded past him unhurt-
Uncle Zed shrieked: s'Wolf! wolff"
and half-dozen men were soon in hot
pursuit of the discovered game.
Tom Miller, feeling very disconsolate
because he hadn't any gun, had not &C
the rest; but his mother,
who jelt no fear for Tom. and sympa-
thized deeply with the courageous little
fellow, had advised him to go to GER
tain neighbours and see if he couldn't
borrow one. 1t was necessary to GO
quite distance, but Tom had made it