News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-05-27
The Iron Wolf.

az conducted the services two month.
ago" said a clergyman, lat the funeral
of one of my parishioners. He had been
a farmer. Forty years ago, as a young
man, ne commenced work for himself
and his young wife with one hundred
acres of land, and he ended with one
hundred. He was skilled, industrious
workingman, but he laid by no money
in bank. l understood the reason as
listened to the comments of his neigh.
bors and friends
"It was always a warm, hospitable
house, said one. The poor man was
never turned away from that door
"'The 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 a friend He gave them a
home. That crippled girl is his wife's
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,
hut of a servant of God, who had help
ed many lives, and had lifted many of
them out of misery and ignorance into
life and joy.
ION my way home from the funeral l
stopped at the farm of another parish
Toner, who said to me in a shrill, rasp-
ing tono.-
q so poor Gould is dead2 He left a
poor account. Not a penny more than
he got from his father Now, l started
with nothing, and look therep pointing
to his broad fields. Il own down to the
creekl Dye know why2 When | start
ed to keep house l brought this into it
the first thing, taking an iron savings
bank in the shape of a wolf out of the
closet. Every penny could save went
into its jaws.
g It's surprising how many pennies
you can save when you've purpose.
My purpose was to die worth hundred
thousand dollars. Other folks ate
meat; and we ate molasses. Other
men dressed their wives in merinos.
mine wore calico. Other men wasted
money on schooling; my boys and girls
learned to work early and keep it up
ldlO. "dSISu uO Ou
or sick people, or paupers, or books,
concluded, triumphantly-
and now I 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 seeN and on
the thin, hard lips was a wretched at
tempt to laugh.
''The house was bare and comfortless;
his wife, worn out by work, had long
ago crept into her grave; of his chill
dren, taught only to make money a 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 IN prison; the
other, harder miser than his father,
remained at home to fight with him over
every penny wrung out of their fertile |
fields.
Yesterday buried this man." con-
tlnued the clergyman. ''Neither neigh
Dor nor friend, son nor daughter, shed
tear over him. His children were eager
to begin the quarrel for the ground he
had sacrificed his life to earn OF it all
he only had now earth enough to cover
his decaying body.
ECONOMY for noble purpose" add
ed the good old clergyman, lis virtue;
but IN the houses of some of our fathers
1t is avarice, and, like the wolf, devours
religion, hope, and life it
self. - IOUth's companion.