The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-10-03
A WOLF
ON ICE
By CLARA INEZ DEACON
6Copyright.)

| shores or BIRCH lane, anu Inc wives
Of IL of them were gossiping about
Miss Ally Parsons, the adopted
daughter of old Mrs. Parsons, the wild
ow. If Mrs Parsons had also Cos
siped it would have rounded out the
| dozen.
| 1t wasn't scandal, but gossip, though
| there was a tinge of meanness in IT.
Whenever two or three of the wives
got together a listener might have
| overheard such sentences as.
who does she think she is, any
| way?"
she feels herself too good for any
one around here"
That's what comes from sending a
girl off to be educated"
IF was Burt Hazleton | wouldn't
look at her twice"
What is she looking for-an an
gel?"
And whenever two or three hus-
bands got together listener might
have overheard such sentences as:
Heard your spotted COW was ailing,
Jim?"
Wish we would have about six
inches more snow"
Have you fellers read what the
New Jersey weather prophet says
about a late spring."
That's the difference between the
sexes 1t has always been that way
| and will be to the end of time.
Just because a cousin of the widow
Parsons died and left little girl
twelve years old named Ally, there
was gossip. Who was the cousin?
What did she die of? Why didn't some
one else adopt Ally? Was the child
going to be petted and pampered and
various other things. That gossip
died out, and then, when the girl was
sixteen and was sent away to school,
there was more of it.
She came home at eighteen and the
talk around Black lake raised the
water foot higher in three days.
Burt Hazeton, son of a county sup
ervisor, justice of the peace, chairman
of the school board and the one who
always furnished hay and straw to
every circus that came to the village
three miles away, knew Miss Ally be-
fore she went away to school, and fell
in love with her after she returned.
He asked her to marry him, and she
did not Jump at the chance" as they
put it. On the contrary, it came to
be understood that she felt herself
above him She was going to marry
gentleman, thank you, or she
wouldn't marry at all No. making
soft soap, feeding pigs and peeling pc
tatoes for her.
Was there any truth in all the Cos
sip? Just grain or two. Miss Ally
had received a fair education, but she
had not become stuck up" She had
always liked Burt Hazleton, but she
was noA in love. He had not asked
for her heart. Sometimes it requires
a shock to develop love in either sex.
That was all there was to it, but those
II women were having more de-
lightful time than they could have got
out of II combined camp meetings.
Black lake froze up in the winter,
like all respectable and well behaved
lakes, and there was always fair skat-
ing Sometimes the skaters were in
crowds-in couples-Cr alone. Since
hev return Miss Ally had skated with
the crowd, with Burt and by her lone
some.
On this particular evening she was
out alone. During the afternoon old
Mrs. Hedges, who had rheumatism in
everything except her tongue, had
called to pick at her and get food for
further gossip. One of the many mean
things she had said was that II she
had daughter who felt herself too
good to black the kitchen stove she d
lock that daughter up in the smoke
house until sac had learned that she
was no better than other folks.
Another was that the girl who had
a few good looks and a little educa-
some one way above her on tina. ac-
count. was going 10 get badly taken in
and done for. She might marry, but
she'd find out afterwards that she had
married a lightning .od man instead
of millionaire.
Farmer Jackson owned fool dog.
Everybody around Black lake, includ-
ing farmer Jackson himself agreed
that he was fool dog They said he
didn't know enough to bury bone or
bark at a hog. There were many fool
things that fool dog did to make talk,
hut he went right on in his upward
career az If his skull contained the
brains of wise old canine. This fool
| dog had finished his supper and was
Ioafing about when he heard the ring
of skates from the lake. Without
claiming any credit for acumen, he
| inferred that some skater was abroad
and he went down to the shore to see.
Yes there was a girl gliding along
| half n mile away. She was all alone
| and must be lonesome. The company
| of fool dog was better than nothing
| and away he sped
Miss Ally had been told years be-
| fore by an old woman that in pioneer
days pack of wolves had caught a
man crossing Black lake on the ice
| and pulled him down and devoured
him, and that just two acres of the
| surface we're covered with blood
bones. boot-logs and trousers buttons
This story required to the lonely
skater as she headed this way and
that, and Just at that instant the fool
dog arrived. He arrived on the run
and he had howl to let out as he
sprang on the girls back and sent her