Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-11-26

municated his intention to those honest gem
tlemen-his brothers in-law. They were very
much mortified at what he told them; but in
vain. AT last they said:
owe will let you go on the following con-
ditions: we will give you swine, and If to-
night we contrive to steal it from you, you
shall pay us two hundred roubles, or remain
in our service till you have gained for us that
amount; and, if we are unable to steal the
swine we will pay the same sum to you"
every good" replied Tim, 81 will see
whether you can steal the swine away from
me-"
Then he loaded cart with his property,
and set off with his wife to the house of his
father
AS soon as he got home he mixed up in the
trough mess of barley meal and wine for
the pig, who, after gorging herself with it,
became senselessly drunk. Tim, then, dress
ing her in a sarafan, or woman's long night
gown, placed her on the petsche or stove in a
corner, where she stretched herself out and
lay without motion. He then went to bed
with his wife in the chamber above. They
were scarcely asleep when the thieves arrived
and searched in every nook and corner round
about the houses but, not finding what they
were in quest CT, they repaired to the kitchen,
and, listening, heard something snoring.
Forthwith one of them crept in, and moving
about softly touched the swine, but, feeling
the night-gown at the same time, he jumped
out of the kitchen almost frightened out of
his wits
"Who are your" cried his comrade.
''Your BROTHER" he replied. "Oh, got
into such a scrape! The thing which is snor-
ing in the kitchen is the old beldame, Tins
mother. l took hold of her by the side, but
so softly that did not wake her, and such
stencil. came from her that | really thought l
should have tainted. Now, what to do don't
know-but, stay! l will go and ask my sister
where the SWINE is Perhaps she will tell me
whilst she is DOING"
He then climbed softly on the top of the
chamber, removed Il board from the roof, and
poking his sister gently with his stick, said:
''Wife, where did we put the sow?"
"Don't you remember" said she, ''that we
placed her in the Kitchen on the petsch,
dressed in night-gownp
No sooner did the thief hear this than he
sprang like mad man from the roof, and,
rushing into the kitchen, dragged off from the
petsch the drunken swine. He and his bother
then lugged her away from the house, and,
when they had got to some distance, they tied
her feet together, and thrusting a stick under,
they carried her off on their shoulders at full
trot. This riding on stick-which was very
different from lying in a Cradle-soon brought
the sow to her senses, who began to behave
in very obstreperous and disagreeable man
ner, and the faster they went the more OBJ
streperous and disagreeable did she become.
The thieves now began to repent of the eXpe-
dent which they had devised for bringing
back Tim to their society; but, fearing to
lose two hundred roubles, they bore all the
nuisance of the swine, and FASTENED on their
way.
Tim awoke in little time after the swine
had been carried away, and, being quite
drowsy, clean forgot what he had done with
her.
"Wife wife! ' cried he, jogging his bed
fellow on the side with his elbow, "where did
we hide the swine?'
GLOW long is it," said she, ''since you asked
me that? Did not tell you that she lies ON
the petsch in the night-gown?"
''When did you tell me that?" cried he.
"Not long ago." said she; ''but no doubt
you were drowsy."
''Now, farewell to our swine !" said Tim.
''No doubt they have taken her away" And,
springing from the bed, he ran into the kitch-
en-, but found no swine upon the petsch. Tim
felt his knees quake under him. But the
prospect of living with thieves, as their slave,
compelled him to cast aside all useless des-
pondency, and to seek remedy for the mis-
fortune. Flinging himself upon his horse, he
galloped off, in the hope of overtaking the
travelling swine, in which he succeeded. He
came up with the party just as they were en-
tering the wood, and rode gently after them;
the night, which was exceeding dark, prevent
ing the thieves from seeing him. By this
time they were excessively weary, and, wish
ing to take some rest, they flung the swine
upon the ground in rage, and one of them
said =
"What weight! 1t is enough to kill one
Yet one must not mind toiling when two hun
dred roubleS are at stake"
'Quoth the other:-
81 would almost give up the roubles for
horse or something to carry this load of car
rion for u.s."
Concluded tomorrow