Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1912 — A WOLF ON ICE [ARTICLE]

A WOLF ON ICE

By CLARA INEZ DEACON

(Copyright.)

There were 12 farmers around the ehores of Black lake, and the wives es 11 of them were gossiping about Miss Ally Parsons, the adopted daughter of old Mrs. Parsons, the widow. If Mrs. Parsons had also gossiped it would have rounded out the 'dozen. " , It 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, anyway?” “She feels herself too good for anyone around here.” “That’s what comes from sending a girl off educated.” “If I was Burt Hazleton I wouldn’t look at her twice.” “What is she looking so angel?” And whenever two or three husbands got together a 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. It has always been that way and will be to the end of time. Just because a cousin of the widow Parsons died and left a 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, afad 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 a foot higher in three days. Burt Hazleton, son of a county supervisor, 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 before 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 a gentleman, thank you, or she wouldn’t marry at all No making soft soap, feeding pigs and peeling potatoes for her. Was there any truth in all the gossip? Just a 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 not 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 11 women were having a more delightful time than they could have got out of 11 combined camp meetings. Black lake froze up in the winter, like all respectable and well behaved lakes, and there was always fair skating. Sometimes the skaters were in crowds—in couples—or alone. Since her return Miss Ally had skated with the crowd, with Burt and by her lonesome. 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 furthef gossip. One of the many mean things she had said was that if she had a daughter who felt herself too good to black the kitchen stove she’d lock that daughter up in the smoke house until she had learned that she was no better than other folks. Another was that the girl who had a few good looks and a little education, and who figured on marrying some one way above her on that accounts was going to get badly taken in and done for. She might marry, but she’d find out afterwards that she had married a lightning rod man instead of a millionaire. Farmer Jackson owned a fool dog. Everybody around Black lake, including farmer Jackson himself, agreed that he was a fool dog. They said he didn't know enough to bury a bone or bark at a bog. There were vzujny fool things that fool dog did to make talk, but he went right on in’ bis ypward career as if his skull/ contained the brains of a wise old odnine. This fool dog, had finished Jits supper and was loafing About When he heard the ring of stages from the lake. Without -rtalfnfng 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 a mile away. She was all alone and must be lonesome. The company of a fool dog was better than nothing, and away he sped. Miss Ally had been told years before by an old woman that in pioneer days u npack <f wolves had caught a man crossing Black lake on the ice and pulled him down and devoured him. ftnd Jußt two aCTes surface were covered with blood, bones, boot-legs and trousers buttons. Thia story recurred to the lonely skater as she headed this way and ,h*t. and just at that Instant the fool dog arrived. He arrived on the run. and he bad a howl to let out as be sprang on the girl’s back and sent her sprawling. She uttered a wild yeU

and scrambled up. But for her fright she must have seen that It was only a dbg, but she thought only of wolves and how to escape from them. She dashed for the far end of the lake, and the fool dog followed. Of course he followed! He wanted to be company. Now and then he nipped at the girl’s skirts, but It was only in fun. Miss Ally didn’t scream for help. She couldn’t spare the breath to do it. She would get ashore first. She seemed likely to succeed when the canine headed her off. Then she made for the left-hand shore. He headed her again. It doing It he went into an air-hole, but he didn’t mind that in the least It only made him run the faster when he had scrambled out How long can a girl keep up a skating clip when pursued by a ferocious pack of wolves? Miss Ally had seen only one, but the other 30 or 40 were somewhere close at hand, of course. She thought she had been flying for half an hour at least when the fool dog brought things to a climax. Seeming to be afraid that she would overtire herself he got in front of her and down she went and fainted away. Some one down at the foot of the lake had also come bn the ice for a little whirl. He was mad and wanted to work the feeling off. That rfternoon the old man Schemerhorn had saldto him: “Burt Hazleton, have you ever stopped to think that there are over 3,000,000 sorrowin’ married men in the United States alone?” “No.” “Wall, you just work your brains on that” “What are they sorrowing about?” “You might think It was because they ain't as rich as John Jacob Astor, but you’d be wrong. It’s because they are married to wives who are educated —wives who can tell you all about Cicero, and yet don’t know when a ’tater Is done through. Beware of ’em, Burt They will wreck the life of any man.” The best way to work off . the madness was to go straight up the middle of the lake and dig as hard as possible. Burt was doing this when he came across an unconscious girl and a fool dog was jumping back and forth over the body at times, and then varying the performance by chasing his tail in a circle around it “Ally, and how came she here!" The fool dog cavorted all around in reply! Young Hazleton knelt down beside the girl and shook her and talked to her and chafed her hands, and by and by she sighed and opened her eyes to ask: “Haven’t the wolves eaten me up!” An hour later, as they leaned on the gate at the Parsons home, Miss Ally said: “It was only a dog, instead of a wolf, but I’d fainted, and you camo along, and I came to, and —and —" “And you love me?” “Y—yes.” And three days later old Mrs. Hodges cracked the ice of Black lake In 50 places as she ran in on those ten other wives and exclaimed: “Well, what do you thlk now!" “What!” “Jackson's dog Is a fool —Burt Hazleton and Ally Parsons are fools —I’m a fool and you are a lot of fools, and there’s going to be a fool wedding next June to which all the fools In the county will be invited!”