Year: 1879

his generosity. Often and often Il


lightning-rod canvasser has freely


offered me go to call off my dogs. -


my wolves I mean.-and there was


one liberal individual came round u


few weeks ago and pressed upon


me his pOcket-book and watch and


q new spring 0vercoat that he had


only worn twice, as a token of his


esteem and admiration for my frank


aud manly character. Oh | tell you


them wolves pay for themselves ten


times over in the course of year !!


"And as for tramps-well, one
day two tramps came to my house
and, as the post wasn't built to ac.
commOdate more than one caller,
you can imagine the result. The
tramp who pre-empted the top of


that post~-wasw dumbys lind ~ the
time happened to come down from
the medder lot where I was blowing
the other tramp had been eaten be.
yond all recognition, and the hair Of
the one OH top of the post had turn.
ed white as milk-punch. I'd rath.
er have paid $40 than have that
happen, for Gen. William L. An.
dersOn, the wolf that was on duty
at the time, died Of Indigestion in
less than four hours. Well, took
the other tramp down, and lie male
signs that he wanted to be given u
knife, and then he went and carved
some sort of hieroglyphic on the
post of my front gate,-a triangle,
a circle, and some other mystical
inscription. From that day to this
there never has been a tramp in-
side of my front gate. The country
may DO swarming with them, but
when one of them comes to my front
gate he looks at tho Licroglyphic,
drops the latch, and breaks over the
hill in a way that would make
O'Leary or M'Leavy sick, with his
hair standing on end. Curious, aint
it 2"


"But," said the Tribune reporter,
"what made you go in for wolves ~


"Stranger," said that brawny
and bearded man, as his powerful
frame trembled with emotion and a
pearley tear meandered down his
cheek, stranger, 1 was married
once. All, may well say l had
wife. That woman's executive abil.
ity was immense. The atmosphere
was full of oxygen when she was
round. And of pot-lids and things
If you could have seen her on a
bright, bracing day, with all her
acknowledgement a strange dog
a coming out of the back kitchen
door a neck or maybe half length
ahead of a flat-iron, and the neigh.
bor's cat, with her tail as big as an
electrified muff, laying herself along
the ground in her hurry to get home
without stopping to lick the boiling
pork fat off bald place on her back,
and a gray. headed old tramp sail
ing majestically over Il fence five
feet high as if he had the pinions OF
an eagle, you could have apprecia-
ted her passion for order and peace.
After she died took it greatly to
heart,-the doctor thought I'd new
or get around again, and luckily I
thought of the wolves. Those live
ly, innocent creatures remind me so
of my Sarah Samantha when see
them gamboling about that post or
ranging up toa strange dog who
labOrs under the hallucinati0n that
he is in some on the fight, that it
brings tears to my eyes. ! see that
you are affected, d,-perhaps you, too,
know what it is to have loved and
lost, to have laid her away under
the clods of the valleyi just you
get wolf Or two,-it'll pain you at
first, and recall your great loss, but
after a time you will feel more rec
onciled, and the animals will only
remind you of what was brisk and
lOvable in her.


"Well, goOd-by. If ever you
happen to be visiting my part of
the State'-bere he gave the Trib.
une reporter his address-"drel'
round and see me, and I'll show
you my wolves. II you see any ono
upon the post don't come in, for
there is only room on the post for
one, and it is apt to irritate William
NJ. Springer and make him un-
friendly towards strangers to see
man on that post that is SO near,
and yet SO far, as the poet says.
You won't have long to wait, for
Pm always on hand, or else the
hired man is, as soon as any one is
observed to be on the post or heard
to yell. If you come in by way OF
the post, don't forget to yell-we'll
hear you then, sure. And if ever
you are thinking of going in for
farming, take my advice, and don't
squander your substance in agri-
culture-move right into sheep
grazing country where there's
bounty for wolf scalps and good