Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-02-09
OUR PORKER.

VIC were at breakfast
yes, my dear said Mrs. Dobb, "a
pig; we could keep one just as well
as not, and it would be quite little
item of saving, when meat is so
high
why, Susan, you'd have to buy
food for it-corn and apples, and l
don't know what all-it would cost
more than it would come to-
No. persisted my wife, 1T would
not, James. Father always kept a
pig
'But he lived in the country
That makes no difference; l was
talking with neighbor Jones about it
over the fence, yesterday, and he
said we threw away swill enough
every day to keep ten pigs
Il should like to know what Jones
knows about our swill, said l.
'Why, he judged from his own ex
perience; he keeps a pig
'And while we are on the subject,
Susan, I'll Just take the opportunity
to say that | do not approve of your
flirting with married men over the
fence
James, do be serious. Flirting in
deed-with pigs and swill for a ba-
sis of conversation. You just want
10 vex me!'
'Oh, pigs are a pretext; anything
will do for pretext when a woman
is determined to fiirt. | knew wo-
man once who tried TO use a portrait
of her dead grandmother as a pre-
text for a Irritation. And as for
Jones'
Now James you shall not go on
in that way: before the children,
too; look at Nellie's eyes
perhaps you'll pretend, l contin-
tinued, that Jones didn't bring you
a bunch of his Isabellas at the same
yes, and you ate the best part of
them last evening yourself, for you
know | saved them for you; and you
know Mr.. Jones' grapes are much
superior to ours; Pm sure I'm only
too thankful for all he gives me;
will you get pig for me or won't
you?
'Oh, if you ask 1t as a favor, Su-
san, of course / will. I'll get you
anything that will be source of
pleasure, you know; but if you want
pig for pet, don't try to pretend
it's for econOmy's sake
"A pet, pOuted Susan, 'how ridic-
ulous you are! l detest pets
Then why don't you avoid them,
my dear?'
'What are you driving at? 1 don't
know
'Why, you are in one now. Be
calm. The coffee will get cold.'
Now, if there is any eatable ami
NAL know less about than do
about another, it is a pig. Iremem-
bered having seen pigs alive when l
was boy, but since | grew up my
knowledge of the species has been
confined to the porcine corpses l
have seen suspended from hooks in
the market places, and to certain
works of art in which they had been
Representations in landscapes, |
may remark; so if there had been
market for live pigs adjoining my
studio, l could not have selected an
available one from the lot. thought
about it a good deal during the day
and the result of my meditations
was, on my homeward way in the
afternoon | made circuit around
by the residence of Peter Won Popp
"a Dutchman who I employed to
take care of my garden, and do such
other heavy work as might be neces-
Sary about the house from time to
time. On consultation found Pc
ter was just the man for the bust
ness. He had a brother who kept a
small farm up in the vicinity of
Schraalenburg, back of the palisade
on the Hudson; and Peter said:
Next week 1 goes oop to see Hans,
and my wife goes along, too, so |
brings you a pig home, Mr.. Dobb.'
'Goodp said 1. Pll pay your fare
for your trouble, Peter, beside the
price of the pig. A good one, now!
None of your snub-nosed, pugs-eyed
fellows, you know-a sleek, intelli-
gent one
'Yah,' said Peter.
A few days later the pig came. l
was just leaving the house to go
down town, when | met Peter with
pig in a bag.
q got him. Peter remarked, very
unnecessarily however, for the pig
announced the fact in his own be-
half. Nothing but a good pig could
have squaled so.
Where will 1 put him?' asked Pc,
ter.
PUT him in the barn. said |.
There is a barn attached to our
house but theirs is nothing in it; an
imated by desire to put the barn
to some useful purpose, bought a
COW and put her in there last sum-
mer, but she gave no milk after the
second week, and so l sold her. |
was glad l had another tenant for
the barn.
But Peter shook his head. That
wouldn't do; a barn was no place
for a pig; l would have to build a
pen, he said.
1T would hardly do to let him run
in the garden, l suppose said,
musingly. Can you build pen, Pc
ter?'
Peter said he could, and so sent
him off after tools and materials
having the pig tied to tree by one
leg. My family gathered about the
new conner and viewed him with
great interest. He was little fel-
low, but healthy, as was proved by
the capacity of his lungs.
Mercy, cried Susan, what noise
ne makes. He must be hungry,
James Susan's experience with ba-
bies encouraged her to this cOnclu-
sion.
4 know what will make more
noise than that, said my Fred, with
a roguish twinkle in his eye.
what is it?' l asked, to encourage