The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-02-16
aheeliug &tgistrr.
Pioneer Life-DOmestie Scene In the
Far West.

One copy, D mos Loo Ten copies, W. S.0
Pioneer DOmestie Scene In the
Far West.
A writer in the Milwaukee Wisconsin
observes.
1t isn't an idle thing 10 pioneer. 1t
looks easy enough and idle enough, no
doubt. A man coming from the rocky,
taciturn sol of New England, where an
acre has to be tickled not only with the
hoe, but with guano and "muck and
hard work" before it laughs with har-
vest, seems to expect the prairies OF the
West will afford him spontaneously
grain crops, orchards of fine fruit, and
all the vegetables of the temperate
zone.
knew one muchexpecting pioneer
who took it very hard of the West that
AYRSHIRE cows and Chester white pigs
were not to he found running wild, and
to be had fofthe mere lassoing. The
native animals struck him as direct
insult from the region to which he had
so ieLdly emigrated. What can be
expected Of country where the pigs
noses are two feet longY' he tragically
asked. And with an injured air he re-
packed his valise and returned to his
stone-fenced acres in New Hampshire.
We had good laugh at him, or rather
after him, and we take much satanic
pleasure, even now, in sending him re-
ports of our thousand bushel wheat crop,
while he is buying his family -four at
| $l4 per barrel.
The moral of this is, whoever per-
mits the nose Of a mongrel pig to
frighten him from the path OF progress
sion, had better never undertake pio-
neerlng.
Next to possessing no pig whatever is
possessing one with two-foot nose.
Because there was no other class Of pig
to be had, Will bought one Of this kind.
He was a young animal, and did not
have a twoioot nose, for the simple
reason that his entire length did not
amount to but twenty -four inches. From
thence ne sloped on one hand into nose.
and on the other into tail-a tail devoid
OF curl; Tor the native pig in his strug-
| gle for existence has too much roofing
on hand to pay much regard to his per-
Sonal appearance.
Our pig, whom Tena straitway named
Ichabod," was rather SHINY bullt,and
his legs were indicative Of speed and
agility rather than of ham. But lcha-
bod had fine appetite, and he knew
how to lift up his voice at lunch time
in style that argued well for the future
regularity Of his meals. Will made a
pen for him in the center Of romantic
group of oaks, aud because he was so
appealingly small, and the dead grass
had been eaten for wide space by fires,
lena and ] gave him a generous bundle
of straw from our own plethoric bed.
We regarded him as he stood with his
ioreleet in the trough, eating with art
less eagerness his first dinner, and spec
ulated upon the breadth his narrow
shoulders would soon take on, and the
speed with which his lean form would
soon he converted into sugar-cured
hams and spiced sausage. Tena thought
it was very cruel to regard him in this
way. Tena has that element Of sweet
ness and tenderness which is very lovely
in pioneer life, when combined with
healthy common sense, and told her so.
Weeks passed away, and Ichabod, in
spite of his ample fare, could still see
out of his eyes, and never for once
thought Of sitting downin that elpless-
" fat manner exhibited in the pig-por-
traits OF the agricultural papers.
Even spare ribs will be pleasant after
so much bear" said Tena.
$50 much bear! Why, child, we
have not had a monthful of bear for
two days" said the chief cook-in-
dignantly.
1t had been a new sensation in our
ruisine-this barrel Of bear! He was a
fat little four-hundred FOUNDER whom
Will found loafing about big tree on
CRYSTAL Creek. He was fat and happy;
but there might have come time when
honey had been scarce. and bear had
been lean and wretched; so Will put a
bullet between his eyes, and saved him
at once and forever from the futures I'M
guessed sufferings.
Bear is good. Bearsteak very good.
In the mere fact of eating bear there is
something robust and vigorous. Will
was tranquil, but | knew that in his
innermosi soul he rather enjoyed asking
Tena and il we would "have another
bit of the bear.
We had roasted bear, potted bear,
bear pie, broiled bear, hashed bear. cold
broiled bear, and every form OF bear
known and unknown to established
cooks, and aside from these dishes there
were about two hundred pounds Of bear
sailed down ina barrel. 1t was this
sailed bear to which Tena had alluded.
Sailed bear is not quite so good. 1t
is inclined to be hard, and the salt takes
the "gaminess out OF it. But with re-
lief Of prairie chickens, Sunday mess
of trout the portable bit Of ocean that
lies enwrapt in Goldfish, and the perspec-
tive sausages from Ichabod, we found
occasional sailed bear very endurable,
and never shall forgive Tena the tone
of reproach with which she alluded
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