The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-21
The Iron Wolf.

SOiuuCteu Tic SERVICES TWO
n1pnths ago." said clergyman, sat
re funeral of one of my parishion-
eet5. He had been a farmer. Forty
years ago, as young man, he COM
uenced work for himself and his
young wife with one hundred acres
of land. and ended with one hun
dred. He was a skilled, industr .Ous,
man, but he laid by no
money in the bank. l understood
the reason as | listened TO the COM
ments of his neighbors and friends.
III was always a warm, hospitable
house, said one. 'The poor man was
never turned away from that door,
sHis sons and daughters all receiv-
ed the best education which his means
could command. One Is a clergyman,
enc civil engineer, two are teach
'sars, all @ad useful and happy lives.
"Said another neighbor, Those
children sitting there and weeping
are the Tphans of friend. He gave
them bme. That crippled girl is
his Wife'sniece. She lived with them
for years. That young fellow who is
also wtephg so nitterly was a walf
that he res,ued from the slums of the
city"
'And so tie story went on, not of
a miser win had heaped dollar on
dollar. but ofa servant of God, who
had helped many lives, and had lifted
many of themout of misery and ig-
norance into lib and joy.
'On my way home from the funeral
L stopped at the farm of another par
ishoner, who said to me in shrill,
rasping tone:
$50 poor Gmld is dead? He left
poor account. Not 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 |
brought this into it the first thing,
taking an iron sayings bank in the
shape of wolf out of the closet.
Every penny I could save went into
its jaws.
Its surprising how many pen.
MES you can save when you've pur-
pose. My purpose was to die worth
a hundred thousand dollars. Other
folks ate meat; we ate molasses
Other men dressed their wives in
merlno; mine wore calico. Other
men wasted money on schooling
my boys and girls learned to work
early and keep it up late. | wasted
no money on churches, or sick peo'
pie, or paupers, or books, and'-he
concluded triumphantIy,--'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 p and
on the thin, hard lips was wretched
attempt to laugh.
"The house was bare and comfort
less; his wife, worn out by work, had
long ago crept into her grave of his
children, taught only to make money
a god, one daughter, starved in body
and mind, was still drudging in the
kitchen one son had taken to drink
having no other resource, and died in
prison the other. harder miser than
his father, remained at home to fighl
with him over every penny wrung
out of their fertile fields.
yesterday L buried this man.
continued the clergyman. "Neithel
neighbor. nor friend, son nor daugh
ter. shed tear over him. His chill
dren were eager to begin the Quarre
for the ground he had sacrificed his
life to earn. Of it all, he only haC
now earth enough to cover his decay
ing body.
Economy for noble purpose
added the good old clergyman, sis :
virtue but in the houses of some o
our farmers it is avarice, and, like {
wolf, devour intelligence, religion
hope, and life itself. y Youths Com
panion.