The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-08-09
Woolly Wisp
by John HOrald Hamlin,

gave ulLI "cOllS re putd tlOH- IIc
fan not always fiocked with Virginia s
denize rs, yet he lived there when that
place Feeked Of wild. western life, and
.the sheep seemed not at all out of his
element on the gay Comstock Lode,
SGolly was a derelict, a lone lamb
when first he entered Virginia's pre-
eincts, abandoned by a careless shep-
herd and pursued by coyotes into the
very heart of that busting mining
camp. The miners were just chang
ing shifts when the Iambllin darted
down C street. night shadows threw a
gloom abroad. and the diminutive. fit
ting white object mystifed the miners
as they trooped homewards. One
1hick-toneued individual shouted out:
Look at it, boys. 'Tis a viii o wisp!"
The "wisp" b.eatsd pitifully, and the
merry men laughed loudly as they be-
held timid lamb. Not will O. wisp,
isiimps, 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 Fjrginia's circles. No one person
claimed him. He was public prop
erty, and consequently Woolly's
bringing up lacked certain proper
sion 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
cIined 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
aeQu;sition in shoe leather made glad
his heart-a glaring saffron shade, and
so1es that squeaked in a minor key,
thus attracting not only the eye but
the ear as well.
Waaolly Wisp stood in side street
one bright morning. The hang of his
head oespoken dejectedness; a bat
tered tin can, suffixed, explaining his
bad mood. Wooly frequently ratified
1in-e@are through the precipitous
streets on Mt. Davidson's slopes. 1t
always ruff1ed his temper, which was
preft9 average bad at it's best. While
bro~Jing in this ugly state of mind, a
tasz, spare man with wildly yellow and
noisy shoes adorning his pedal extrem-
lties seueaked by in inso,ent complai-
sance. Woolly stamped his fcot; the
can elattered behind him-off he went,
moi like, but in reality, battering
ram Prof Wfgstie sprawled quite
across c street. Many of his irrepres-
sibIe pupils gathered about the fallen
owner OF yellow shoes and lost dignity.
Woolly Wisp tarried not, but continued
seon his career al a rafting pace.
After that star performance OF the
sheep, 10 youth in any OF the Virginia
~clIqaes' ever again attached things
10 his tail. He was, in their eyes, a
creature to be revered is the hero who
~downed" the terrible Wigstie. In such
guise WooHy 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
Aouse. The truce established between
himself and the school children oc-
cured a a 90 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
edge, in a house that looked three sto-
ries high, front view, and a mere shed,
back view. The steepness of the side
hill site accounted for this disparity.
The small front yard blazed with big
sunfiowers and brilliant dah,ias.
Wool,y admired this rare gardenspot,
and forced an entrance one luckless
The professor, returning
from sch ool, espied the trespasser;
his wrath nared 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 moment when the race seemed
lost to Prof. Wigstie, dire calamity
befen 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 $780, 900 900
worth of silver and gold from the
heart of Mt. Davidson necessitated a
wonderful amount of excavation. To
say that the whole mountain is honey
co1nbed is plain statement Of truth.
A force of men picking in a tortuous
drift heard muff1ed 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
aciated-looking sheep met their
surprised gaze. One of his horns had
been broken off; he appeared slightly |
h.