The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-02
AWOTAN'S STORY OF PIONEER

4 WO0ANN SIOkY VI FlONEEk
LIFE, ]
Domestic Scenes in the Far West.
The Milwaukee Evening WIsconsin
publishes the following from . lady
Il Isn't an idle!th,ng 10 BE- . pioneer.
Il looks easy enough and Idle enough,
no doubt. A man coming from the
rocky, taciturn soil Of New England,
where an aors has to be tickled, not
only with the hoe, but with guano
and ssmuck and ard work.. before it
laughs with = harvest, seems to ex-
psot that the prairies Of the West
win afford him spontaneously great
grain crops, orchards of fine fruit,
and al the vegetables Of the temper
ate zone.
Iknew one much expecting pioneer
who took it very hard of the West
that Ayrshire COWS aud Chester
white pigs were not to be found run
ming wild, and to be had for the mere
lassooing. The native animal6 struck
him 90 direct insult from the region
to which he had 20 fondly emigrated.
"What can be expected Of . country
whore the pigs noses are TWO feet
long 2" he tragicalIy asked. And
with IN injured sir he repacked his
valise and returned to his stone-fen-
ced 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 reports OF orr thousand bushsl
wheat crop, while he is buying his
family -four 1t fourteen dollars per
bsrrel.
The moral Of this ID, whoever per-
mits the nose of q mongre! pig to
brighten HIM from the path Of pro-
gression, had better never undertake
pioneering.
4 STORY OF A PIG.
Next to possessing no pig what
ever ID possessing ono with two-foot
nose. Because there was no other
class of pig to DO bad Will bought
one Of this kind. He was . young
animal and did not have = two-foot
nose, for the simple reason that his
entire length amounted to but TWEEN.
ty-f0ur inches. But his nose prom.
ised we'll. His ears were stationed
precisely in the center Of his twenty
four inches. From thence he sloped
on ono hand into nose and on tho
other into tails tail devoid Of curl !;
for tho native pig in his struggle for
existence has too much roofing on
hand to pay much regard to his per-
sonal appearance.
Our pig, whom Tena straightway
named "lchabod," was rather slimly
built, and his legs were indicative Of
speed and agility rather than Of ham.
But Iohabod had . iine appetite, and
he knew how to lift up his voice at
lunch time in . style that argued
we'll for the future regularity Of his
meals. Will made pen for him in
the center of q romantic group Of
oaks; and because he was 90 appeal
insly small, and tho dead grass had
been eaten for . wide space by fires,
Tens and / gave him . generous
bundle Of straw from our own pie
thoric bed.
We regarded HIM = hs stood with
his fore feet in the. trough, eating
with artless eagerness his frss din.
nes, and speoulated upon the breadth
his narrow shoulders would soon
take on, and the speed with which
his lesn form would sooD be convert.
cd into sugar-cured hams and spliced
sausage. Tena thought it was cruel
to regard him in this way. Tena has
that element of sweetness and ton.
dsrness which is very lovely in pic.
nser life, when combined with heal
thy common sense, and / told her 60
Weeks passed away, ana Ichabod,
in spite Of his ample Fare, could still
SEQ out of his eyes, and never for
once thought Of sitting down in that
helplessly fat manner exhibited in
the pig.portraits Of the agricultural
papers. But any ono could see that
his nose grew famously; and his mp.
petite continued 90 line, aud there
was twinkle OF vivacity in his hazel
eyes, and his voice rang out 30 ia.
mously-imparting, IS Tena said,
such N sir Of life TO the otherwise
pastoral quiet of our farm-we could
forgive lin fer remaining % tenaci
ously lean.
"He hiss . capital constitution
anyhow" said Will, "for what ordi.
nary pig could stand on his hind feet
and calf for refreshments in such q
sonorous voice for the length Of time
he does without ssnsibly falling
away? I can't SEQ that he is one whit
thinner than he was tho day ]
brought him home"
"And then he's 30 knowingly" ex.
claimed Tena; "tho moment be hears
tho door open, up comes hill nose to
$50 if any ono is bringing hia' dinner.
And he always watches you ont ol
sight when you 90 away"
"Oh, very knowingi SUCH . head
such brainsl" responded Will. 81
only wish had time TO teach him
to play cards. I am perfectly sure
he would be moro of . success in
that line than in pork" a
'Ssnssges need not be Very fat, =
said L dAnd if Ichabod's health re.
mains snimpaired, maybe, by next
Christmas, We" 3aiil
eve viii be certain Of . couple Of
spare ribs 81 leastl Don't csIunt on
anything moro. Lot our 4expecta-
tions bo moderate, and ..then our dis
appointments viii never b ssveFs, y
said Will, with = look Of wisdom.
Gwen spare ribs will be pleasant
after 80 much bpari" said Tena
$50 much beer!" Why, child, we
have not had fsouthfhl Of boar for
two daysi" said 1.-the chief cook
indignantly.
~ Nyv,cu ,rn nEAR.