The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-11-28
OUR STORY TELLER.
THE WRONG PIG.

ibS UhONW ItUs
Old Doctor Johns lived in the little
village Of Honeyhurst, and for forty
years he had been the sole physician in
the district where he resided. No one
cared to enter the lists against him in
that locality, for the simple inhabitants
fully believed that there was not such
another master Of the healing art in the
known world, and so he drove his red
wheeled gig over the lanes and bv-ways
of the countryside without a rival, and
dared and bullied the inhabitants in
his rough and kindly fashion to his
hearts content.
The doctor lived in a great rambling
house halfway down the village street,
with wide expanse of lawn in front,
and his little brick Office i'm one corner
next to the sidewalk. His wife had
died many years ago, so his household
was conducted by housekeeper. But
rs the doctors family was small and he
loved society, be was hardly ever with
out student, to whom he taught the
healing art in the back office. Thus it
WAS that Charlie Horton came to Honey
hurst to study medicine with the doctor,
him, occupied the back office and the
northwest chamber. fle came from a
town somewhat distant, and was un-
known to the town folks, and, like every
stranger who came among them, was
made the subject of much critical ex-
animation, as he walked up the broad
aisle of the village church the Sunday
evening after his arrival.
Well. doctor, how are you?' said
Farmer Smith, as he leaned over the
gate of his cornield next morning as
the doctor came driving by.
"Ah, SQith, how do you do ?" replied
he, as he Grew rein upon the gray mare
and stopped. ~ g How's your folksw
"Toler'ble, thank'ee; wife's little
ailin' this mornin'. See you've got a
new young man; seed him yesterday
at church. Coin to make doctor out
O. him, ehT' Oh --
g Yes, / think so" replied the doctor.
Think ye amt got the wrong pig by
the ear, eh, doCtorY said the farmer
laughing. e6
Well, don't know" replied the
village Escudapius: can't tell yet"
Now, 'getting the wrong pig by the
ear" was one OF the doctors great ex.
pressions, in fact his favored one. Like
Shakspeare's Justice, he1was "full Of
wise saws and modern instances" and had
proyerb or apt quotation upon every
occasion. With him, if man made d
mistake, " it was getting the wrong pig
by the ear" Of course this peculiarly
was well known through all the country
about where he practiced, and hence
NI... .f,N. &c II L
Time passed on, and Charles Horton
became fully domesticated in the doc
tors household. lie was a fine young
fellow, somewhat over-confident, per
haps, and needed the rein little. This
the doctor was not slow to put on, and
he mingled his instructions in the heal
ing art with admonitions about getting
the wrong pig by the ear" ntilaCharle'
was heartily tired of the homely proverb
But he was good fellow, nevertheless
and great favorite.
Two years passed away, and Charles
studies with the Old doctor we're drawing
to n close, when suddenly the idea
popped into his head that he would &c
to Paris and finish his medical educa
ton with q course through the CONT
nontal hospitals. DIR. Johns pooh
poohed the idea, and thought it utterly
useless. @
"Why, boy" said he, ".what do you
want to go galivanting off to France for
What bee have YOU got in your bonnet
now? Can't you be satisfied with home
learning, but must 60 and tack on some
new-fangled foreign tomfoolery, that
will knock all your sensible knowledge
out OF your headY Go to Paris? Non
sense! Don't get the wrong pig by the
carp
But Charlie was not to be talked out
of his new idea. He was bound to &C
To Paris to study and see the world, anc
so one day he packed his trunks, bad,
his friends goodbye, and, mounting the
stage coach, was wheeled out of tn,
village world
But before going, the old doctor callec
him into his Office, and, shutting tn
door, thus began:
"Now, Charlie, you are off to foreigl
parts, and l hope you will enjoy your
self. Stick TO your books, and get wha
knowledge you can out of those fellow
over there, although L don't suppos
they know 80 much more than othe
people. But, nevertheless, you may lear
low buiiES. uOll Y buppOSc YOU
be apt TO go acting, as you have bee
too we'll brought up for that; and noN
I've got something here that i want yo
to take with you. It's recipe that
has taken me good many years to fin
out. You will find it of great value i
your practice. 1t will cost you fv
pounds"
And the doctor, with a very grav
face, held out huge yellow envelop
sealed with red wax and tied with
blue ribbon.
Charlie was rather tired of this lonI
winded harangue, for although he like
the doctor, he considered him somethin
OF an old fogy. But the Offer of tn
recipe excited his curiosity. What ws
II? So he paid the FIVE pounds, an
became the possessor Of the huge Ell
velope and its mysterious contents.
+" Take good care of it, Charlie, an
don't open it until you are out of I'll
country" .....
A day or two after, when at his hot
at Folkestone waiting for the steame