Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-08-16
Woolly Wisp /
by John Horald Hamlin. s
THE mere fact that he was a sheen
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had not always focked with Virginia's
aemzens, yet he lived there when that
place reeked of wild, western life, and
the sheep seemed not at all out of his
eloment on the gay Comstock Lode.
Woolly was derelict, lone lamb
when first he entered yirginia's pre-
clncts, abandoned by careless shep-
nerd and pursued by coyotes into the
very heart of that bustling mining
camp. The miners were just chang
ing shifts when the lambkin darted
down Z street, night shadows threw
gloom abroad, and the diminutive, fit
ting white object mystified the miners
as they trooped homewards. One
thick-tongued individual shouted out:
Look at it, boys! Ills will O. wisp"
The "wisp" bleated pitifully, and the
merry men laughed loudly as they be-
held timid lamb. "Not will o. wisp,
Slimps, but decidedly woolly one,
mani"
In such fahsion did the sheep come
by his name, and from that date
Woolly Wisp played privileged role
In Virginia's circles. No one person
claimed him. He was public prop
erty, and consequently Woolly's
bringing up lacked certain propor-
ton of home influence so essential
to the proper training of young things.
The first real wicked deed Woolly en-
acted endeared him to the whole bevy-
of school children. If the sheep had
reasoning powers, one would be in
clined to believe he maliciously
planned his assault against Prof. Wig
site, principal of the Virginia schools.
The principal adhered to the "rod"
motto, and the pupils hated him much
and feared him more. Prof. Wigstie
was partial to tan shoes; he cared not
what style they were so long as the
color cleaned yellow. His most recent
acquisition in shoe leather made glad
his heart-a glaring saffron shade, and
soles that squeaked in minor key,
thus attracting not only the eye but
the ear as well.
Woolly Wisp stood in side street
one bright morning. The hang of his
head bespoken dejectedness; a bat
tered tin can, suffiXed, explaining his
bad mood. Woolly frequently ratified
tin-ware through the precipitous
streets on Mt. Davidson's slopes. 1t
always ruffled his temper, which was
pretty average bad at its best. While
brooding in this ugly state of mind, a
tall, spare man with wildly yellow and
noisy shoes adorning his pedal extrem-
tiles squeaked by in insolent complai-
sance. Woolly stamped his foot; the
can clattered behind him-off he went,
not like, but in reality, battering
ram. Prof. Wigstie sprawled quite
across C street. Many of his irrepres-
sible pupils gathered about the fallen
owner of yellow shoes and lost dignity.
Woolly Wisp tarried not, but continued
on his career at rafting pace.
After that star performance of the
sheep, no youth in any of the Virginia
"cliques" ever again attached things
to his tail. He was, in their eyes, q
creature to be revered as the hero who
"downed" the terrible Wigstie. In such
guise Woolly commanded all due re-
spect from the younger generation, and
his future popularity was assured SIM
ply by that one daring act.
Woolly wasn't traditional lamb, for
he never ventured near the school
house. The truce established between
himself and the school children oc-
CURED at too recent date to carry any
weight with him. He distrusted impul-
sive youth, and many times he betook
himself to the outskirts of Virginia
CITY that he might be entirely out of
sight and hearing Of rough youngsters.
Prof. Wigstie lived near the towns
rdoe. in house that looked three sto-
ries high, front view, and mere shed,
back view. The steepness of the side
hill site accounted for this disparity.
The small front yard blazed with big
sunflowers and brilliant dahlias.
Woolly admired this rare garden-spot,
md forced an entrance one luckless
afternoon. The professor, returning
from school, espied the trespasser;
his wrath fared forth, and he bore
down upon the sheep in a frenzy.
Woolly realized that safety lay in
flight, and he Immediately took that
course. Away went pedagogue and
ram, careening down the mountain.
At a moment when the race seemed
lost to Prof. Wigstie, dire calamity
befell the pursued An old mining
shaft. partially obscured by sage
brush. yawned directly in the sleeps
path. He disappeared down its black
depths. No sign, no sound could Prof.
Wigstie detect of the ingulfed tor
ment.
Good enough! That blasted beast
Is a hoodoo, and it's good riddance Of
this petted Woolly Wisp."
The removing of the $700,000,00O
worth of silver and gold from the
heart of Mt. Davidson necessitated
wonderful amount of excavation. To
say that the wnole mountain Is money
combed is plain statement OF truth.
force of men picking in tortuous
drift heard muffled ba-a, ba-a. They
stopped work; caught the sound again,
and. with few strokes of picks, broke
through into an old shaft. Rather an
emaciated-looking sheep met their
surnrised gaze. One of his horns had
been broken off; he appeared slightly
dazed..-sut they recognized in him the
mysteriously disappeared Woolly
Wisp.
"Poor Woolly! You're sorry sight,
but we are right glad to see you
again." said Slimps, he who first dis
covered this will O. wisp.
1t didn't take long to get the sheep
out of his underground prison, nor did
a .opsume much time for him to re-
ra;r h;s normal spri,s msx