The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-05-22

descent was steady and the whole
country was covered with snow and
with an ice crust, the very best klnd
for coasting.
oh. if We only had our sleds,' said
Carroll.
What's the matter with sitting
down and Siding" said Jed. prepar-
ing TO do 80.
Hold on" said Ned. there's a shin
ole. On such a glare as this that IL
do az well as a toboggan. You boys
make n double ripper OF yourselves
with the Single under YOU Il III
sit on YOU and we'll go kiuns.
SO led and Carroll locked legs. Jed
on hi, stomach and Carroll sitting
down and the single under them.
Then with Ned in place on TINS hu-
man toboggan they went kltlnS Gown
that hill licketty cut:
But before they reached the foot or
the hill they saw a pile of rocks rlght
across their path and there sitting III
front of q cave was the VOL. olu due
skin. eating a sheep.
Ned saw her first and he Said.
-Quisk bows. unlock and roll on
from the shinele. or you'll be III me
VOLTS den in less n minute. ttt
YOUR bows ready and shoot steady.
The boys minded i~nstanter ana me
three went rolling off TO one Slde
while the shingle sped on alone and
hit the wolf square in the nose.
That was unlucky because she had
not seen them before. being too BUSY
with her dinner. But nov she ooked
up and saw them and let out a hoWl
that shook the hill and that stayed
49, ~ - FL on ur
day.
I'll fix him. said Jed. and he fitted
his red arrow as he rolled and fired
point blank at the big blue monster.
Bat bless. o the arrow never went
near the wolf at all. but ONerslOt the
mark and went over the rocks and 1T
the same moment Il from the den
came Plueskin. II. as large as q y.
Bernard and as ferOciOuS as a blood
hound.
And poor Jed couldn't stop rolling.
but Slid and rolled right into the arms
of the whelp who fetched him such
Il blow on the head that it laid open
his scalp and closed his mouth-for
he tainted With pain and fright.
dare say that Mrs. Hlueskin told
her son that they'd have an extra
nice dinner in a few minutes. but for
the present they must leave Jed alone
and try to get Il breakfast and lunch
out Of the other kind little boys who
had invited themselves to visit them
and stay for meals. Certainly Jed
was not touched after his head had
been damaged. but Mother BlueSkin
made ready for Carroll. who with
trembling fingers was fitting the
blue shaft to his bow. He had
managed to stop rolling a rod or Sc
above her den. lie looked around but
he was alone. Little Ned had disap-
pcared. Carroll Was too badly scar
ed TO take accurate aim and whereas
he meant to hit Mamma Blueskin. he
keeled over the whelp who fell on
its side with a fierce velp.
eOOt-.ilrrl.b 90 80 =. &C 10. g
When RlueSkin saw her baby 90
down she ripped out a hideous howl
that sent C%arroIIs blood down below
freezing. She bounded at him with
her jaws wide open and her red o n
que loiling and her scarlet eyes blaZ-
ing like fire brands. \ few wards
more and it would have been all up
with the Door boy because the blue
wolf was not thinking Of food now:
only of the loss of her whelp. But
just as she leaped upon him a red tip
ped arrow followed in her wake and
caught her in the small of the back.
which is 9 blue VOLTS most
vulnerable spot. and she reared up
on her launches bowling horribly.
Carroll rolled out of reach of her
terrible paws and saw Ned above
the wolf den fitting his own white
row to the bow for the ending Of
the wolf.
H had managed to steer past the
mouth of the den and climbing the
rocks behind it he had found .Jed'S
red arrow This had come in handy
TO save CAROLS life and now the
white one, carefully aimed and sent
with a good will. entered the wicked
brain of the big blue wolf and the
farmers Of Ocean county were free
to keep all the sheep they cared to.
Jed had meantime recovered con-
sciOuSnesS and rose to his feet say
ing: "Wait till | get another chance"
but Just then he saw old Mamma
Blue and her offspring lying on the
ground and knew that his share in
the fun was over.
You've saved my life" said Carroll
to Ned. but Ned laughed in a shy way
and said: Il wish we could coast
home with these wolves"
rs he spoke the ground gave indica-
tions of rising as it had done on their
Way there. Quick witted Ned made
the boys pull the baby VOLTS carcass
on to the other and then all three
boys sat down on them and in a iiffy
the ground rose at least a thousand
feet and tilted the hill the other way
or course. with such a slippery crust
or frozen snow the bodies Of the
wolves were as good as sleds and q
little shove started them off and they
went down like a meteor and in some
uneNpIalnable way they never stoned
until they reached the town hail at
IT oelng Saturday the town wa full
or farmers who had come in TO do
their shopping and when the three
boys came cOaSting down Main street
on 1ilelr new tangled blue double rim
per. WHY the whole town went wild