The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-18
a WORKING WOLF.
IT Does the Churnjng for a Farm
ers Family.
Ghe Grange Manner In Which tho Ami.
NAL Was Reared and Taught Co
Perform Els Iabors
ON tho Farm.

ON tho Farm.
Any one who may visit Richard Cum
(ningham's farm, which lies pretty well
lup In the Blue mountains in the north
seastern part of this county, says Pitts
burgh paper, will see sight the like Of
which was probably never seen any
where in this country before.
I 1t Is m immense black wolf-one of
1.-THE last of its race in this State-with
ieyes that glare fiercely at all who come
near him, with the exception Of
Farmer Cunningham himself, and ac-
icompanying his glare with savage
igrowls, and yet meekly treading the
jmonotonous round of churning ma
Chine, like some household dog or old
lewe sheep. This performance Of a
menial service by the wolf, singular as
1t is, is by no means tho strangest thing
about him. He has history.
Last spring, year ago, Farmer Cum
lningham discovered that something
was carrying off his lambs almost as
fast as they were born in his flock. He
suspected that this was being done by
wildcat, and he set q trap to see if he
could not catch the animal. When he
went to his trap next morning he was
amazed to find that, instead of wild
cat, he had captured wolf.
1t had been years since any one had
seen or heard of wolves in that region,
although they were at one time numer-
Gus in the Blue mountains. 1t was evil
dent to Cunningham, however, that II
the wolf he had caught in the trap be-
llonged in that neighborhood it had not
roamed the woods solitary representa-
tive OF it's race. 1t was she wolf, and,
although the animal was held fast by
both forcfect in the trap, she was lying
patiently on the ground and giving
!suclSle to- baby wolf when Cunning
ham appeared on the scene.
4 When the wolf saw him she spranp to
her feet and savagely confronted him.
He shot her through the head and capt
iured the whelp alive. It was not moro
than three weeks old. Cunningham
took it horne with the carcass of the
odd one. The young wolf moaned
lpiteously for its mother, and the farmer
proposed killing it,
His wife would not hear of the killing
Iof the whining cub, and took charge of
it herself. She could not induce it to
take substance, and it was in q good
way to starvc to death when Mrs. Gun
Iningham Ind bright idea. The night
before her husband set the trap one of
their ewes was robbed of her lamb.
1.-The wolf undoubtedly stole it. Failing
i'm all her efforts to introduce food into
the stomach of the baby wolf, Mrs.
cunningham carried it to the bereaved
Iewe.
Tho eve was brought from the past
iure to the farm-yard, and for weeks
visitors saw the strange spectacle OF a
sheep sucking q wolf, the wolf, be-
yond all doubt, being tho offspring of
the one that robbed the sheep of her
own young.
The wolf throve amazingly on sleeps
milk, and the strange foster-parent and
child formed the strongest kind of an
attachment to each other, which re-
manned unbrokcn until the death of the
sheep few weeks ago.
As the wolf grew the unsociability If
not tho entire savageness of its kind
manifested itself, and he was kept Sc
curely chained. Although it was Mrs.
Cunningham who saved his life, the
wolf did not like her to come near him.
but he early showed the greatest friend
ship to Farmer Cunningham, who han
died him as easily as he would a house
dog.
The old eve sheep was the churn
sheep Of the farm, and it was no uncom-
mon sight to see her and the wolf asleep
side by side, but there was good reason
TO believe that no other sheep on the
farm could have approached within
reach of him with safety. A short
tsp ago barn door fell on the eve
n killed her. 1t was churning day,
Cunningham was at loss to know
5 yat to do for power to run the tread
W ~ that operated the churn.
81 finally he thought of the wolf, which
81 ban unusually large and powerful one.
b b resolved to try the animal Us q
Surner and put him on the mill. Tho
foH objected strongly at first, but
B, shen the machine started he submitted
90 ran off the churning in excellent
sy1e. Since then he has been regularly
ngagcd in running the machine, AID
: ss goes to his work as cheerfully 70 an
sdimal Of his kind could be expected to.
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