Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-09-28
HOW JIM DUDLY HELD THE
CREASED Pig.

son, yes, that scrape with the creased
pig? They were telling you somethin'
about it, Ell? Wal, that was y burned
race, and came mighty nigh havin' to
git out of the village OH account of it,
too, now can tell you. Down on me
Thunderation | reckon you'd thought
SO if you'd heard 'em hollerin' a doc
tor was nev,r so down on an old mid
wife as they were on me arter that race.
especially Parson C5olridge; he was one
of the principal sufferers, you see. 1t
was May Day amongst EN-, and the
whole village seemed to be out thar en-
.joyin' themselves.
They had sack races and wheeibar.
row races. That was the day blndfold
Sam Moody ran the wheelbarrow
through Dut,'s show window, and thar
was a creased pole standing thar with a
ten dollar sreenback tackled on top of
1t. The hungry cusses were standin
round thar lookin' up at the hutterin
blll Ike dogs at a coon on a tree top. |
try the pole, but when they
Isht out the creased pig, a burned
,at slabsided black hog, Just III good
ilnning order, got sort of interested
IN the performance. The pigs tail was
kmore n a foot long, and it was >oaped
and creased pntil it would slip through
a fellow fingers like newly acquired
fortune.
Several of the fellers started after him.
but they'd just make one catch and be-
fore they were certain whether they
hada hold of it they would 90 one way
. and the hog would 90 another, and then
the crowd would holler | was standin
thar a leanin over the fence watchin of
'em for some time, and | noticed that
the pig was in the habit of formin a
sort OF ring with his tail. leastwise he'd
kind of lap it over like so that it cen
most formed a knot-all it lacked was
the endin' through. i cal'latei that a
teller with pooty nimble fingers could
make a knot on the critters tail by lust
shppin his fingers through the ring and
by gettin hold on the end Of the tail
and lullin it thu ough he'd have plaguy
good knot that would prevent his hand
from slippin OFT. Arter thinkin over it
for some time | concluded if | could
git up bet that would pay for the
hardships that feller would be likely
TO ext erience would try him catch
anyhow.
Sol says to Jake SwaAsey, that stood
along side me, Jake, believe that |
can hold that burned pig by the tail un-
til he gins out
g Hold = he ses, surprised like and
raisin his eyebrows just that way,
whats the matter of ye? Ye mout as
well try to hold the devil by the tail as
that deuced clover rooter.'
"Wal," ses |, hold on till | tell YOU
somethin.' So went on and told him
what cal'iated to do, and after while
he ses, Wal, go ahead, jim, III back
ye. reckon we can GIT any amount of
odds SO long as we keep the knot part
OF it to ourselves"
So ! pulled Off my coat and gin it to
Jake to hold, and .jumpin on to the
fence, hollered, IN bet ten to twenty
that | kin mold on to the pigs tail till
he gins outW
Gosh and tishhooks! you ought to
have seen EN- slgnaiin and holdin up
thar aands and hollerin. 49,
II take that bet, I'll take that bet,
81 Dudly." got rid of what money | had
about me pooty soon, and Jake was
just a spreadin out his greenbacks like
a paymaster, and arter he exhausted hi,
treasures he started after his sister tc
git what money she had. hollered tc
come back. | WAS afraid he'd tell he,
about the knot business, but he WASH
no fool and knew too well what gals ar,
at blabbin, to trust her with any pawn,
ecret.
Old Judge Perkins was thar, iolly a
school boy on; the last day of school
<, He was hoidin of the stakes and hi
pockets were crammed full of green
backs. He :wasra pooty good friend o
me, and he .couldn't conceive what i,
thunder | was bettin on.
1 Il" Dudly," "ses he, kind of low that wa,
! and confdentially like, " creased pig
tail is pooty slippery thing to bull,
hopes on."
"Never mind, Judge" ses /, "withou
the tail pulls out the hog and are a irwin
TO split the same current of air for th
:. next halt hour reckon" and with tina
(. Inyyed over 10 whar the pig wa
Z stanriia hstenin to all that was gwin
\: on. fooled around him q little unit
: ! got. .hetwixt him and the crowd. am
when he Topped his tail over as / wa
tellin ye made one desperate lung,
and I'll swan | made go of it the firs
time just hauld the end throup
while he was turnin round, and grabbi
hold above my hand rolled it down in,
the tightest knot you ever sot ewes O,