The daily gazette., 1878-11-14
THE WRONG PIG.
BY F. D. n.

Z Old Doctor Johns lived in the little
tniage OF Honeyhurst, and for forty wears
~ mad been the sole physician In the
district where he resided. No one cared
70 enter the lists against him in that To-
cality, for the simple inhabitants fnIIv he
heVed 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 by-ways of the
countryside without rival, and dared
aud bullied the inhabitabts in his rough
and kindly fashion to his hearts content.
The doctor lived in great rambling
house halfway down the village street
with wide expanse of lawn i'm front
and his little red brick Office in one cor,
ner nextto the sidewalk. His wife had
died many years ago, so his household
was conducted by a housekeeper. But
as the doctors family was small and he
loved society, he was hardly ever without
q student, to whom he taught the heal
ing art In the back Office. Thus it was
that Charlie Horton came to Honeyhurst
TO study medicine with the doctor, and,
as his predecessor had done before him,
occupied the back office and the north
west chamber. He came from a town
somewhat distant and was unknown to
the town folks, and like every stranger
who came among them, was made the
subject of much critical examination, as
he walked up the broad aisle of the vii
lage church the Sunday evening after his
arrival.
"Well, doctor, how are you ?" said Far
mer Smith, as he leaned over the gate of
his corn-feld next morning as the doctor
came driving by
"Ah, Smith, how do you do?" replied
he, as he drew rein upon the gray mare
and stopped. "How's your folksP"
"Toler'ble, thank'ee, wife's a little
ailin' this mornin'. See you've got new
young man; seed him yesterday at
church. Coin to make doctor out O.
him, eh ?"
"Yes, think so," replied the doc
tor.
"Think ye amt got the wrong pig by
the ear, ell, doctor?" said the farmer
laughing.
"Well, don't know" replied the wi.
lage Esculapius; "can't tell yet"
Now, "getting the wrong pig by the
ear" was one of the DOCTORS great ex-
pressions, in fact his favorite one. Like
Shakespeare's justice, he was "full o
wise rumors and modern instances" and
had proverb or apt quotation upon every
occasion. With him If man made mis-.
take, sit 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 the
quotation of Farmer Smith.
Time passed on and Charlie Horton
became fully domesticated in the doc.
tors household. He was a fine young
fellow, somewhat over-confident, per
haps, and needed the rein little. Thi:
the doctor was not slow to put on, and he
mingled his Instructions in the healing
art with admonitions about s'getting the
wrong pig by the ear" until Charles wa:
heartily tired of the homely proverb.-
But he was a good fellow, nevertheless
and great favorite.
Two years passed away, and Charlie:
studies with the old doctor were draw
ing to close, when the idea suddenly
popped into his head that he would e
10 Paris and finish his medical education
with course through the continental
hospitals. DIR. Johns pooh-poohed th'
idea, and thought it utterly useless.
"Why, boy" said he, ''what do yol
want to 60 galivanting off to France for
What bee have you got in your bonne
now? Can't you be satisfied with hom'
learning, but must go and tack on som'
new tangled foreign tomfoolery, that will
knock all your sensible knowledge out o
your head? Go to Paris Nonsense
Don't get the wrong pig by the carp
But Charles was not to be talked ou
of his new idea. He was bound to 60 t
Paris to study and see the world, and Sc
one day he packed his trunks, bade hi
friends good-by, and, mounting the stag
coach, was wheeled out Of the villag'
world.
But before going the old doctor called
him into his office, and, shutting the dool
thus began: @-l ~ -
"Now, Charlie, you are off foreigl
parts, and hope youwlll enjoy yourself
Stick to your books, and get what know
ledge you can out of those fellows ovel
there, although l don't suppose they
know so much more than any other peo
Pile. But nevertheless, you may learn g
few things. don't suppose you'll be ap
to 90 acting, as you have been too wei
brought up for that and now I've 60
something here that want you to tak'
with you It's a recipe that it has takel
me a GOOD many years to find out. Yol
will find it of great value In your prac ice
1t will cost you five pounds"
And the doctor with a very grave face
held out huge yellow envelope seale'
with red wax and tied with blue rib
bon.
Charlie was rather tired of this long
winded harangue, for although he liket
the doctor he considered him something
of an old fogy. But the offer of this re-
cipe excited his curiosity. What was 1t
SO he paid the five pounds, and became
possessor of the huge envelope and it
mysterious contents: =.
"Take good care oft, Charlie, and dom
open it until you are out Of the coun
try"
A day or two after, when az his hote
| -. Ea,I.aatnna waiting for The Steamer. In