The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-07-07
The Iron Wolf.

CT conducted the services two
months ago." said clergyman, "at
the funeral of one of my parishioners.
He had been farmer Forty years
ago, as a young man, he commenced
work for himself and his young wife
with one hundred acres of land, and he
ended with one hundred. He was a
skilled, industrious workingman, but
he laid by no money in bank. under
stood the reason as l listened to the
comments of his neighbors and friends.
1t was always warm, hospitable
house., said one. 'The poor man was
never turned away from that door.
His sons and daughters all received
the best education which his means
could command. One is clergyman,
one civil engineer, two are teachers;
all lead useful, happy and full lives
Said another neighbor: Those chill
dren sitting there and weeping are the
orphans of friend He gave them a
home. That crippled girl is his wifes
niece. She lived with them for years.
That young fellow, who is also weeping
so bitterly, was waif that he rescued
from the slums of the city, And so
the story went on, not of miser who
had heaped dollar on dollar, but of a
servant of God, who had helped many
lives and had lifted many of them out
of misery and ignorance into life and
joy. On my way home from the
funeral I stopped at the farm of
another parishioner, who said to me, in
shrill, rasping tone: So poor Gould
is dead? He left poor account. Not
a penny more than he got from his
father. Now / started with nothing,
and look there!' pointing to his broad
fields. Il own down to the creek.
Dye know why? When l started to
keep house l brought this into it the
first thing taking an iron savings bank
in the shape of wolf out of the closet.
Every penny l could save went into
its jaws. It's surprising how many
pennies you can save when you've a
purpose. My purpose was to die worth
hundred thousand dollars. Other
folks ate meat: we ate molasses. Other
men dressed their wives in merinos
mine wore calico. Other men wasted
money on schooling; my boys learned
to work early and kept it up late.
wasted no money on churches, or sick
people, or paupers, or books, and'-he
concluded, triumphantly- and now
own to the creek, and that land, with
the fields yonder and the stock in my
barns, is worth one hundred thousand
dollars. Do you see?' and on the thin
hard lips was a wretched attempt tC
laugh. The house was bare and com
fortress; his wife, worn out by work
had long ago crept into her grave; Of
his children, taught only to make money
god, one daughter, starved in body
and mind, was still drudging in his
kitchen; one son had taken to drink
having no other resource, and died il
prison; the other, a harder miser thar
his father, remained at home to figh
with him over every penny wrung on
of their fertile fields. Yesterday
buried this man," continued the clergy
man. Neither neighbor nor friend
son nor daughter, shed a tear over him
His children were eager to begin tn
quarrel for the ground he had sacrificed
his life TO earn. OF it all he only hat
now earth enough to cover his decayin!
body. Economy for noble purpose,
added the good old clergyman, is
virtue; but in the houses of some o
our fathers it is avarice, and, like
wolf, devours intelligence, religion
hope, and life itself. Youths Com
7lnOjOl