The Van Buren press., 1895-04-13
NILES OLD TIMES.
His Wolf-Hunting Steer and Boar
killing Wife.
Wolves PrOwled Around the Cabin TIL
the Steer Found His Mission-HOw
Susan Showed the Kind OF
Woman She Was.

WOmhu Diio "hes
ut does ME sort o. good to git holt o
some un that likes to hear bout oil
times" said Octogenarian Cuthbert
Miles in his snug cabin. near the head
of Indian Run, Pa, where for forty
years he has busted himself with fash.
ioning willows into baskets of various
shapes and kinds during the winter to
peddle them among the baclkwoodn
towns during the summer.
"Fore got to be a widderer, forty
five years ago an better" the old bas-
ket-making recluse went on, ''me an
my oil woman lived down the creek
yender, couple O miled, on n NICE
clearin', but 1t got lonesome down
there when she died, an so come up
here an put up this cabin, an here
ben ever sence. When we lived on the
clearin it KEEP us busy good deal O
the time fightin' off bears an wolves
an painters. had two-year-ol'
brindle steer that was the greatest
wolf fighter anybody ever heerd on In
this country. We didn't think nothin'
O. seein' wolves prowlin' around the
clearin', an they killed every dog
we'd git, jist as rcg'lar as we got 'em.
But they found out by an by that
they better let that steer alone. He
was nice an fat, that steer was, an
know'd the wolves had their eyes on
him, for 1t was o cold winter. an the
snow was deep, an the wolves was
powerful hungry. One mornin' got
up about sun-up, as usual, an went
out to feed the steer an the COW an
the oxen an the pigs. As was goin'
to the barn l heerd o tremendous
hellabaloo in the log shed where !
KEEP that steer. The steer was beller-
in as If he had belly full O. the most
gripin' ache that ever griped, an
mixed up with his bellerin' could
hear o snappip' ana snarlin' an a
growlin' that I know'd didn't come
from no belly ache.
"Wolvesr says l. "A passel O blame
hungry wolves tryin' to chaw up that
steerl'
THAT was enough fer me, on !
struck gallop an started to give the
steer lift ng'in 'em. slung the door
open, an there see one big wolf with
its fangs soclsed plumb inter the steers
nose, while another un, bigger yet, was
gnashin' away at one O. his tanks.
Tho steer was rushin' around the shed,
bellerin' an snortin' an tryin' to
whang the wolf ag'in the log sides O.
the pen. He did whang it, too, but the
wolf had got q few doses o the steers
blood, an he hung on like leech onto
q swelled leg.
i "There was little yard to thesshed,
with a log fence round it, an when
the steer see the door open an me
tandin' by it, he made spring fer 1t
and come bouncin' out inter the yard,
fetchin' both wolves afyin' with him,
the one hangin' to his nose and t'othcr
one fast to his flank, an stickin' straight
out in the air as the steer come out.
grabbed the wolf that had holt O the
steers nose an shet both hands around
his throat, chokin' him oil l knowed
how. squeezed him SO bad that he let
loose O. the steer, wriggled an kicked
an scratched himself loose from my
clutch, and then turned on me. He
sprung straight fer my throat Now,
tell you, had q time a-fghtin' that
wolf off As soon as the steer found
he was free from the wolf that had
him by the nose he jist turned an
spread himself ag'in t'other wolf. He
shuck it loose Of his flank, an as he
done it he ketched the tarnal varmint
on his horns. He chucked it up in the
air, I'll bet ye, twenty foot, an as II
turned summerset up there. an come
down ag'in the steer was ready fer 1t
an ketched it square on his horns
g'in.s I heerd sumpin' rip an tear.
Then I see the wolf 20 up In the air
ag'in an shower o. blood comea-pour-
IN down from him. The steer had
flxed the wolf SOS it want no use fer
nothin' any more 'cept for fodder for
hogs. t
II seen all this a-goin' on spite o me
'havin' my hands more'n full fightin
the wolf that was tryin' t. make me
sorry had mixed in with the fight an
spilled his chance O. maxim his break
fast on the steer. My clothes was oil
tore to tatters, an was blood from
head to foot; an all my own blood, too,
that the wolf had drawed outen me
by his claws an his teeth, which he
want noways shy in usin', tell ye,
But KEEP a-cholsin' Of him, an by an
by got him so l could give him a good
oil soundin' toss, an this was jist as
the steer ketched t'other wolf an
ripped it from A to lizard. lput al
my stren'th in the fling give my wolf
an slammed it agin the log fence on
one side O. the yard. But tell ye
that wolf was tough. He got right NJ
on his feet as If nothin' hadn't hap
pened, and come fer me ag'in as fierce
as ever I'd ben a goner sure II II
hadn't ben fer that steer. He know'c