Lincoln County advocate. (Canton, Dakota Territory, [S.D.]) 1876-1877, 1877-01-17
OUR PORKER.

~ ~ q ~AVAAAAVA
"a pig" I exclaimed in great aston
ishment, pausing in the act of helping
Nelly to a slice Of the steak. We were
at breakfast.
eyes, my DEAR" said Mrs. Dobb, "a
pig. We could keep one just as we'll
as not, and it would be quite q 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 ALT would cost
more than it would come to-
"No," persisted my wife, cit would
not, James. Father always kept a pig"
"But he lived in the country"
"That makes no difference. I 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"
II should ike to know what Jones
knows about our swill," said I.
"Why, he judged from his own ex-
perience, James. He keeps pig"
"And while we are on the subject,
Susan, III just take the opportunity to
say that do not approve of your fiirt-
ing with married men over the fence"
"James, do be serious Flirting, in
deed-with pigs and swill for q basis of
conversation. You just want to vex
mep
"Oh, pigs are pretext; anything
will do for 3 pretext when a woman is
determined to flirt. I knew a woman
once who tried to use portrait of her
dead grandmother as pretext 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 eyesw
"Perhaps you'll PRETEND" I con-
tinued, "that Jones didn't bring you a
bunch of his Isabellas at the same
eyes, and you ate the best part of
them last evening yourself, for I
saved them for you, and you know
Mr.. Jones grapes are much superior
to ours; I'm sure I'm thankful for all
he gives me. Will you get a pig for
me or won't your"
ooh, if you ask it as favor, Susan,
of course l will. I'll get you anything
that will be source Of pleasure, you
know; but if you want q pig for a pet,
don't try to pretend its for economy's
sake"
GA petl" pouted Susan. elbow
ridiculous you are! I detest PETS"
"Then why don't you avoid them,
my dear?"
"What are you driving at? I don't
know"
Why you are in one now, Susan.
Be calm. The coffee will get cold"
Mrs. Dobb gave me despairine
look, and then poured the coffee. Be:
fore I left the house I had promised
to see about getting pig.
Now if there is any eatable animal
know less about than I do about anoth.
er, it is the pig. I remembered having
seen pigs alive when was q boy, but
since I grew up my knowledge of the
species has been confined to the por.
cine corpses I have seen suspended
from hooks in market places, and to
certain works of art in which they had
been represented-not in landscapes,
may remark; so if there had been q
market for live pigs adjoining my stu.
dio I could not have selected an avail.
able one from the lot I thought shout
It good deal during the day, and the
result of my meditations was, on my
homeward way in the afternoon Imade
a circuit around by the residence of
Peter Van Popp, Dutchman whom
employed to take care of my garden,
and to do such other heavy work as
might be necessary about the house
from time to time. On consultation !
found that Peter was just the man for
the business. He had a brother who
kept small farm up in the vicinity of
Schraalenburg, back of the Palisade on
the Hudson; and Peter said:
"Next week I goes COP to see Hans,
and my wife she goes along, too, SO !
brings you pig home, Mr.. Topp."
"Good said 1. "Tll pay your fare,
for your trouble, Peter, besides the
price Of the pig. A good one, now!
None of your snub-nosed, pug-eyed
fellows, you know-a sleek, intelligent
one." z-E
"Yah," said Peter.
A few days later the pig came.
was just leaving the house to go down
town when I met Peter with pig in a
bag.
"Igot him." Peter remarked-very
unnece ssarily, however, for the pig an
nounced the fact in his own behalf.
Nothing but a pig could have squealed
so. - --sE..
"Where will I put him?" asked
Peter.
"Oh, put him in the barn." said L.
There is a barn attached to our house
but there was nothing in it. Animated
by desire to put the barn to some use
full purpose, I bought a COW and put her
in there last summer, but size gave no
milk after the second week, and SO I
sold her. I was glad 1 had another
tenant for the barn.
But Peter shook his head. That
wouldn't do. A barn was no place for
pig. I would have to have q pen, he
said.
!" It would hardly do to let him run
IN the garden, suppose" I said