Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

     A remarkable wolf-story is that told by Mr. Christ Pahl, of Buffalo Township. He brought a wolf’s skull into the country Auditor’s office, and said he had prepared it for the zoological cabinet in the Academy. He stated that the wolf was captured when a cub, had been raised at his house with a dog and a cat, and that these three were as friendly as could be,-in fact the wolf seemed as tame as through he belonged to a tribe of domestic animals except in one particular, he would devour chicken’s, and no amount of punishment that would leave him alive could cure cure him of his love of poultry. Mr. Pahl had a son 10 years of age, between whom and the wolf there was a most constant intimacy and warm friendship; they would wander all about the farm together and frolic every day, but love for the boy had no effect on the wolf’s taste for fowls. When the beast’s food was brought to him he would scatter it about him, and then lie down with his face resting on his fore paws feigning sleep; a company of hens would surround him and eat his food, and woe to the biddy that came within reach of his paw; she was devoured in a trice. There was no help for it; the wolf must be killed or poultry-raising must end on the farm. So Mr. Pahl fired a charge of large shot at the wolf, but did no more than wound him in the thick hide of the neck, and he put off for the woods. The farmer and his men followed him two miles before getting another pop at him, and then he was shot in a hind leg. He crawled into a thicket, and the hunters, thinking he was done for, went home. The very next morning the wolf came to the kitchen door of the farmhouse, when the family were at breakfast, and scratched for admission. The boy was delighted, ran out, and boy and wolf had the happiest kind of a time all day. Mr. Pahl resolved to spare the wolf for his boy’s sake, but the very next morning the wolf was at his old trap for the chickens, and he devoured two roosters. And he was killed in slaughter. He had grown to nearly the size of a Newfoundland dog.