Year: 1872

ID that as 1t approached began to be
en ther uncomfortable and as the m
he ster would dart back a new pang
bis horror would assail the heart of
w. mother, who, with feelings that C
Ct not be described, was watching
ce motion on which depended the life
ed her child


,n. Suddenly one of those wild, fl
st gusts of wind that sometimes !
ly cedes o storm, came whirling do
" the chimney, and scattered spa
nd about the room, to the visible ter
an and disgust of the wolf, who sid
r. toward the door, and Just as NJ
ut Sloey was Experiencing a delight
b. hope that the monster would 90 aw.
At the fierce gust slammed the door
70 with lorsd bang, and the heart of ,
!. mother sshnk within her as sSe =
4 that the ykolf was a prisoner WI;
u The mt *


d Horror-stricken at thensituation
Is affaiss, Mrs. Sloey watched, with
n sinking heart, the movements of 4
,s wolf, who finding himself thus cage
e began to move anxiously about Il
= room, no longer seeking 80 much {,
y food as for a chance to escape, but
this moment wha. was the horror
e the mother to see her boy, awakene,
i no doubt, by the noise made by IL


slamming Of the door, rise up in be
f, and call her to come to him.


q At the sound of the child's voic
, the wolf paused near the center {


the room, and fixed his eyes upon th


little fellow, who, all unconscious {
a danger, was calling for. his mother
The red tongue still protruded, an


the white teeth glistened in the fire
,, light, as the monater, half fearing
. spring, crept nearer the bed to take
better lock at his prey. ..


Halffrenzied with the terrible dan


ger of her child, the mother determ
ined to sacrifice her own life, if nee,


be, for that of her boy. A plan ha,


suggested itself to her, a mere hop
as it were, and she grasped it will


all the eagerness that only those 81


situated can know.


| Unfolding the quilt and laying i


across her arm, she prepared to de


scend the ladder. The wolf wa:
almost at its foot, and the bed bat q
short distance away. The monster
saw her coming, and withdrew hi:
gaze from the child and fixed it upon
his new victim.


When half way Gown the ladder,
the wolf made spring at her; this
was the moment for her to execute
her hastily formed plan, and throwing
the quilt, she enveloped the wolf in
its folds, who not fancying this cover
ing, commenced backing toward the
other side OF the cabin, striving to
get rid OF it, but in vain. Now was
the moment for action; and springing
to the bed she clasped her child in
her arms and sprang up the ladder,
unharmed by the wolf, who was still
struggling in vain endeavors to rid
itself from the quilt. With one hand
she threw the ladder back into the
room, and then q cry OF thankfulness
tell from her lips at the success that
had attended her efforts to save her
child.


The boy not knowing the meaning
OF this behavior on the part of the
mother, and somewhat frightened
withal, began to cry; and while she
tried to hush him into silence again,
she did not take her eyes from the
wolf, who, completely blindfolded,
was spinning about the room in the
most eccentric manner.


1t was more by its subsequent
action than by the fortunate throw
Ing of the quilt by Mrs. Sloey that
the wolf became entangled so hope
lessly in it. At first she watched his
actions with satisfaction, but as each
circle brought the wolf nearer the
fire, a new terror took possession of
her heart. Should it blunder therein,
as it seemed fated to do, would not
the cabin be set on fire thereby and
a death as horrible as the one from
which she had just rescued her child
be their fate. Trembling with fear
she watched every motion, and at
last that which she feared occurred.


Each circle, as tue wolf frantically
epdesyored 10 free itself from the
covering, had brought it nearer to
the Gre place, under the mass of
glowing embe-s. A howl of rage
and pain followed as it sprang out
again upon the floor, its covering a
sheet of fire. Another bound and it
landed upon the bed, where, by a
frantic effort, it threw off its fiery
cover, and uttering yelps Of pain it
sprang again to the floor and rushed
around the room for a chance to
escspe.


The bed was all on fire in a mo-
ment, and Mrs. Sloey uttered cry
of despair as the flames caught in
every direction and a dense volume
of smoke rolled up through the aper.
ture in the lott. ....-.


"Father in Heaven, must we per.
ish! exclaimed the mother as she
pressed the child to her breast.
aRusband, husband! why do you
not come and save your wife and
child from this horrible fate2''


No answer to the frantic eiacula-
tion came to the ear of the distracted
woman save the cracking of the
flames as they caught upon the dry
wood Of the cabin, and sent their
forked tongues up to the spot where
sbe stood, while her ears were filled
with the sharp cries OF the wolf as it
ranged round and round in its vain
epdeavors to escape, while ever and
anon the flames would catch upon the
the fur, where it was not already
scorched off in its frst attack with
the fire, causing it to utter a howl OF
agony.


Although death stared her in the
face, Mrs. Sloey was not a woman to
give up so long as there was chance
for life left to her. AS we have al
ready said there we're no windows in
the loft, so that avenue Of escape was
denied her. The roof was covered
with hewn plank fastened to the
bridge pole and the top log of the
sides ny means of stout wooden pins.
To remove one or more Of these was
her only chance of escape, but to do
this with her own unaided hands
seemed to be impossible. Half
clicked by the smoke, and her child
clinging to her and crying with all Its
power, she felt about her to find some
instrument to aid her in the accom-


plishment of her purpose, but all she
could find was 8 stout stick of wood
that her husband had placed there tc
season for an axe-helve. Inserting


this between the log and cne of the


planks, she essayed all her strength
to raise it from its place, but withou


success. Finding this one immova'
BILE, she tried another, with like result
Hotter and more sitting grew tn
air about her, louder cracked tn
flames below, and fiercer became tn


cries Of the imprisoned wolf, Will
, the cries OF her child rang above all
and rendered herwell-nigh desperate


Hope was fast leaving her. But on
more plank untried. and she ha'
gone the length Of the front side o
, the cabin. With the energy born Q