Show TALES OF YANKEE ENCHANTMENT ENCHANT ENT HOW NED ND KILLED TEE TH BIG IG BLUE WOLF Maine Mabie Boy Who Won Wone Seward Beward ard of 1000 BY CHARLES LOOMIS CES Copyrighted by the Author Autor Charles Ch rles Battell Batte Loomis You Tou boys who live in cities cites dont know kow what a nuisance wolves can cante make te of themselves when they tey set their ther crafty minds to it i and even those of you yu who live lve in n the te wolf country or who have read rd the ripping good goo stories storIe about abut them by Ernest Eret I son sn can can have no ho idea of the trouble I that the blue wolf of Ocean county state stae of Maine raine caused to the farmers farers thereabouts Ocean county may may be said to lie just 10 miles mies due east eat of Portland and if look lo it up on the map you will wi understand me meThe meThe meThe The selectmen of Tatham had of offered offered offered a standing reward of 1000 00 to the theman theman theman man woman boy or girl who would bring brin in that blue wolf wol dead or alive alve The wolf wol stood eight feet high in her stocking feet fet and it make a bit bitof bitof bitof of difference to her whether mamma had ha a headache or not when she felt like coming in and eating up the ca canary c canary I nary nar or the goldfish or the horse or U a whole flock fok of sheep why she did it it and ad there was WiS no 0 sheep dog so brave nor any ay marksman markman so s sure that he I was wu able to damage old as she was called cle Why she had laR enough lead in her to sink a ship but she se grew gew fat on lead and n cried for fo more when the farmers i got gt tired tr of shooting at her herI Its I singular that no one suspected that Clat she was an enchanted wolf Of course cour you knew it i as a soon sn as you be began 0 began gan g to t read rea this but only be because b because cause cus of the th name nam of this series Those Tho hardheaded Maine farmers never thought of ef being bein enchanted even when hen they considered her preposterous preDO color which shaded shade from light lightblue lightblue blue at the tip tp of her tail tal to marine marineS blue bue at h hr r collar clar and a greenish blue around her wickedly scarlet eyes One day she came down like Sen army amy on a sheepfold and spoiled spie fort eight legs of mutton which gave the alarm aar by crying Bait Baa Ba Baitin in twelve different tones there being bing voice to every four legs as a is usual with wih mutton and other roasts It I was wa the morning after this slaughter ter among amon the th sheep that Ike the th scissors sis sors sr grinder suggested sur eted to little Ned Soule Sule that the wolf was wa enchanted Ike tramped all al over Maine and nobody knew kney where wh r he lie had originally come from put hut he was wa popularly supposed to t be 13 10 years old and ad he himself said sid that he remembered the battle battie of Bun Bunker Bunker ker Hill Hi very verv well wel which if he had stopped stopp to think was wa ridiculous be because because cause caus the battle of Thinker Bunker Hill Hi was wa fought in seventeen s hundred and andr ander er erWell Well as a I was wa saying he stopped at atthe atte atthe the te to sharpen their scissors and ad when little Ned Ne told him how his fathers fth rs flock finek fk of a dozen sheep had bad i F I r r I POOR POOH J CO STOP ROLLING OL vanished vanish Ike said the wolf olf was wa op chanted cha Ct His HJ head hea was w always alway shaking and ad hi his J J voice oloe wic WM was w a as wheezy Cheesy wy as a a pump windlass that t at needs neds oiling That wolf aint no D wolf its Is enchanted and no one but a perfectly brave boy can c kill kU it it He dont mind men no nom moren m reu a bad b boy by minds his mother Now if I you get gee s two companions an a go up to Tatham Four Corners youn find finda a holler log right beside the sign post post Creep through it to the th country count of the Blue Wolf Volf and YOun come to to a helm tree tre 2 feet high The boy that re lies le on himself an a clear grit will wi climb on the top and hell hel find there therea a crim arrow arow an arrow arow with a blue tip tp and nd a one Then each ch boy must take an arrow and armed with a bow of his own make malt he h mast must seek the wolf The rest you must do you yourself but the te teal real brave braye boy boyT T 9 e F will wl bag the blue wolf There TherO take that scissors to your you ma mo and tell tel her heris its dull is a quarter beuse because it was very ver dul After Aft r Ike Te bad gone down the road with his Ne went off of to hunt Newent up Carroll Orrol Milliken and Jed Wads Wadsworth Was Tads worth and finding them he told tol them Ikes story stOr without delay Ill Il bring brins in old tomor See if I dont dont said Jed boast boastfully boastfully fully Im Im most afraid to gO so but if you fellers can go g I guest guas g I can said Car Carrol Carrol Carrol rol his rosy cheeks growing several ro gowing shades shae paler at t the thought of his Cerulean Highness That afternoon they made bows out of hickory wood and strung stung strung them tem with whip cord ord The next morning early the te day being Saturday Saturday they left home without saying a a word to any anyone one and andst sat st out for Tatham Four Pour Corners It I was wa at the fag fa end ed of the winter and Ir Jg AR r 1 I HE E WENT FY FEET FET BEFORE HE H E FELL FEL the roads were frozen here and snow covered there but they mind the mud and they liked the snow Each boy had made his own preparations for forthe forthe forthe the coming events Ive Ive coming got a contraption take me to the top of that elm quicker n scat said Jed JedI I 1 hope mine will wi work said Car Carroll Carrol Carroll roll rol Little Net Ned said sd nothing nothing Litte Ned At the sign post ost at the corners c lay laythe layte laythe the te hollow log and into ino it i crept Car Carroll Carrol Carroll roll rol It I was a tight squeeze eze for he was wasa wa waa a chubby boy but he managed to work his way Wa in and then Jed went after him and as 8 he was wa slim he had no trouble It might have frightened some boys to I notice that although the th two boys were each four fOr teet high and the trunk was only six feet long they wa come out at the other end but Ned ed quite know ow what fear was so in he went wentA went A moment later all aU three boys found themselves in a field feld starred with wih meadow ow crimson daisies so that the me looked aflame with the flowers fowers In the middle of the field feld grew geW the great elm elmIt its top seeming to the clouds It Oh how easy ey how easily easily and he hefted sang Jed boastfully easy eay Je fitted to his knees knes climbers made of with sharpened leather lether garters placed pl ed wit horse hors shoe nails He sprang nas at the trunk and went up about abut ten feet fet and then he came down so hard that all al climb was wa knocked out of him and he set st bis his teeth and limped painfully away from the tree with wih nothing to say for a wonder Its Is hard work but I think rubber sleeves sleeve will wi do it for me I cant slip with wih them the on said sid Carroll Carrol He went fifty feet fet before he fell tel and andis its is a wonder vonder that he break every bone in his fat body for he came down like a pile pie driver Im Im afi a ud id I cant do it i as all al j I have is i my two hands said Ned but buthe buthe buthe he went manfully to work and to the great geat wonderment of the bigger boys he that tree as easily as if it had been ben a fruit tree When Vlen he reached the top he found three branches brahe that were shaped exact exactly ly like arrows arrow even to o the feathering One had a a white point one had a blue point and the other a red point I r bony the red one yelled Jed from below And I guess gue Ill Il take the blue one said Carroll Carrl and that left Ned with Hobsons choice or the white one Per Personally Personally Tie he e would have liked the red redone redone redone one but he want to make a fuss so he broke the three arrows from the tree and threw them down and then he slid sUd down the trunk and fortunately reached the ground gound without falling taing al although although although though his hands and knees felt warm from the te friction Thata the highest tree I hats highet tre ever climbed said Ned with wih pardonable pride If I I slipped began Jed But we o did slip all broke in Carroll Carol and it Was wa Ned who got the arrows arrows Now lets sart for the wolfs den Before them rising to a great geat height heig t lay ly a steep hill hi which they no noticed noticed tc before Jed rushed at it I with wih his usual over overconfidence overconfidence confidence and found himself sinking up to his knees in mud Carroll Carrol ran to his assistance but became mired him himself himself himself self So Ned said sid hI I guess gues it will wi have to be taken ter slowly and with that he gave them each a hand and bucked bucke the hill hm head down and sturdy steady stride and in a minute it began to rise ris like a billow blow and the three boys found themselves at the top And there what a view disclosed itself For at least let three miles mies in fr nt of them the te descent de Ent was steady teady and the te whole country was Wf covered with snow and with an n ice crust the very best bt bet kind for coasting Oh if w we only had ha our sleds said Carroll Carrol I the te matter with sitting down and sliding said Jed Ted preparing to do so Hold on said sid Ned theres a shin shingle shingle shingle gle gle On such a 8 glare gIare as s this do as a well wel as a a toboggan You boys make a double of or yourselves with wih the shingle under you and andl Ill Ili sit on you and well wel go kiting So Jed and Carroll locked Jed Carrol legs Jed Jd Jedon Jedon on his hi stomach and Carroll sitting down and the shingle under them Then with Ned in placeman this human toboggan they went kiHns down that hill bill bi cut cut t But they reached the foot of the hill hili hi they saw a pile nie of rocks right across across their path and there sitting in front of ora a cave was the wolf old Blue Blues skin sIn s in eating a 8 sheep Ned saw her first and adhe he said sald Quick boys unlock unok and roll ron ofT off of from the shingle or youl be b in the wolfs den In a minute Get Got your bows ready and shoot steady fhe The boys bOYR minded instanter and the three tree went ent rolling to one side sid while I the shingle sped on alone and hit the thew wolf w lf square in the nose That was wa unlucky because she had hadnot hadnot hadnot not seen sen them before being too busy with her dinner But now she looked up and saw saw them and let out a a howl that shook the lull hill li and that staved stared in inthe inte Inthe the te boys minds for many a long day Ill Il fix lix fx him said Jed and ad he fitted his red re arrow as he rolled and fired fred point blank at the monster But But bless ble you the te arrow never went near the te wolf wol at all al but overshot the the mark and went over the rock and at atthe atthe the same me moment out from tie the den came jr ir as large as a a St St 1 Bernard and as ferocious as a blood bloodhound bloodhound hound houd Add AId poor Dor Jed ed stop rolling but slid sUd and nd rolled i into the te arms of ot the te whelp who fetched him such a ablow ablow ablow blow on the head he that that it laid open open his hi scalp and closed clos his mouth for he fainted tainted with pain pai and fright fright I dare say that Mrs A told her son sn that have an extra ext nice dinner in a few minutes minute but for fr the present they ther must leave Jed alone and try to get gt a breakfast and lunch out of the te other ot r kind little boys who had invited themselves to visit them and and andI I stay say for meals mel Certainly Jed JAd was v not touched after his head h 8 had been ben dam damaged da damaged aged but Mother made ready for Carroll Carrol who with trembling lingers was wa fitting the te blue shaft into his bow w He had h managed manae to stop rolling a rod or so s above above her den He looked around but he was wa alone Little Litte Ned Ne had ha dis disappeared disappeared appeared Carroll Carol was wa too to badly scared seared to take accurate kim Him and and whereas wh ros he meant ment to hit hi Mamma he be keeled keele over OYE the whelp who fell tel on its it side with wih a fierce yelp yep When Wen saw sw her baby go godown gOdow godown down dow she ripped out a hideous howl that sent Carrolls blood down below bow freezing She bounded at him with her jaws wide open and her red tongue tonge lolling and her scarlet eyes eye blazing re like fire fre brands A few yards more and it would have hove been ben all aU up with the te poor poorboy poorboy poorboy boy because the blue wolf was wa not thinking of food now only of the loss of her whelp But just as a she leaped upon him a white tipped arrow fol followed followed followed lowed in her wake and caught her in inthe inthe inthe the small saU of the back which is a i I blue wolfs most able spot spot and she reared up on her haunches howling I horribly Carroll Cal rolled out of reach of her terrible paws and ad saw Ned above the wolf volf den fitting his own white arrow into the te bow bw for fr the end ending ending ending ing of the wolf wol He had ha managed to past pt the mouth of the den and ad climbing the rocks behind it he had found eds red arrow This had come in handy to save Carrolls Carrols life Ufe and ad now the white one carefully aimed aime and ad Sept sent with wih a good will wl entered enter the wicked brain of the big blue wolf wal and the farmers faes of Ocean county were free to keep all al the sheep they tey cared cr to Jed had ha meantime recovered revered con consciousness and rose r to his feet saying Wait ai till tl I get another chance chance but just then he saw sw old Mamma Blue and her offspring lying on the ground gound and knew that his share mare in the fun was wa over oyer Youve saved sved my life lie said sid Carroll Carron Carrollto to Ned Ne but Net Ned Ne laughed in i a shy wa wo woI and said sId I wish ish we could coast coat home I with these the wolves wolves As A he spoke the ground gund gave indica indications indications ton of rising as W it had bd done on their way wy there Quick wIte witt Ned Ne made I the boys pull pun the baby wolfs loIs carcass on to the other and then all al three boys sat st down on them and in a jiffy the ground gound rose r Lit ait least leat a thousand feet and tilted tie the hill hi the other way Of course coure with wit such sch a slippery crust of frozen snow the bodies bie of the wolves were as good god as a sleds and a little shove started them off of and they tey went down dow like a meteor and in some unexplainable able way they never stopped sto ped until they reach reah the te town hall hail hal at Tatham It I being Saturday the town was wa full ful of farmers who had come in to do their shopping and when the three boys came coasting down Main street on their new newfangled newfangled newfangled blue double ripper why the whole town went wild wid and nothing was too good for Ned and his friends frends And I want to tell tel you that Ned di divided dIvided divided vided the reward equally with Jed and Carroll Carrol so that each eh boy by had ha 13 And the tle wolves blue skins are on the front wall wal of the te town hall hal as asan any an one may see se who drives drIve through Tatham |