The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-10-20
Our Young People
nv Pig.

but what 40 say Is CnaC meant
to do right. But that don't make
any difference. 1t never does. L
try to do my very best, and then
something happens, and am
blamed for it. When 1 think what
disappointing world this is, full
of bamboo canes and all sorts of
switches, feel ready to leave it.
1t was Sues fault in the begin
ming; that is, if it hadn't been for
her it wouldn't have happened.
One Sunday she and l were sitting
in the front parlor, and she was
looking out of the window and
watching for Mr.. Travers; only she
said she wasn't, and that she was
just looking to see it was going to
rain, and solemnizing her thoughts.
l had just asked her how old she
was, and couldn't Sir. Travers have
been her father if he had married
mother, when she said:
Dear me, how tiresome that boy
is. Do take book and read, for
gracious sake" l said:
''What bookT' So she gets up
and gives me the Observer, and
Says:
There's a beautiful story about
good boy and pig; 10 read it
and keep still you know how,and l
hope it viii do you some good" -
Well, 1 read the story. 1t told all
about a good boy whose name was
James, and his father was poor, so
he kept pig that cost him 20 cents,
and when it grew up he sold it for
$50, and he brought the money to
his father and said:
''Here, father take this. Oh, how
happy am to help you when you're
old and not good for much, and
his father burst into tears, but l
don't know what for-I wouldn't
burst into tears much if anybody
gave me $30-and said:
"Bless you, my noble boy; you
and your sweet pig have saved me
from a watery grave" or something
like that.
1t was real good story, and it
made me feel like being likewise.
So 1 resolved that would get lit
tie new pig for % cents, and keep
it till it grew up, and then surprise
father with $29, and keep one for
myself as reward for my good con-
duct. Only 1 made up my mind
not to let anybody know about it
till after the pig should be grown
up, and then how the family would
be delighted with my "thoughtful
and generous act!' for that's what
the paper said James act was.
The next day went to Farmer
Smith, and got him to give me
a little pig for nothing, only l
agreed to help him weed his garden
all summer 1t was beautiful pig,
about as big as our baby, only it
was a deal prettier, and its tail was
elegant. l wrapped it up in an old
shawl, and watched my chance and
got it up into my room, which is on
the third story. Then 1 took my
trunk and emptied it, and bored
some holes in it for air, and put the
pig it.
had the best fun that ever was,
all that day and the next day, tax
ing care of that dear little pig.
gave him one of my coats for bed,
and fed him on milk, and took him
out of the trunk every little while
for exercise. Nobody goes into my
room very often, except the girl to
make the bed, and when she came
shut up the trunk, and she never
suspected anything. 1 got a whole
coal-scuttleful of the very best mud,
and put it in the corner of the room
for him to play in, and when heard
Bridget coming 1 meant to throw
the bed-quilt over it, SO she wouldn't
suspect anything.
After l had him two days l heard
mother say:
Seems to me l hear very queer
noises every now and then up
stairs
| knew what the matter was, but
l never said anything and l felt so
happy when 1 thought what a good
boy l was to raise pig for my dear
father.
Budget went up to my room about
s o'clock one evening, just before !
was going to bed, to take up my
clean clothes. We were all sitting
in the dining-room, when we heard
her holler as if she was being muir
dered. We all ran to see what was
the matter, and were half way up
the stairs, when the pig came down,
and upset the whole family and piled
them up on top of himself at the
foot of the stairs, and before
we got up Bridget came down
and fell over us, and said she had
just opened the young masther's
thrunk and out jumps the ould Sa-
tan himself, and she must see'the
priest or she would be a dead
woman.
You wouldn't believe that, though
l told them that was raising the
pig to sell it and give the money to
father, they all said that they had
never heard of such an abandoned
and peremptory boy, and father
said:
"Come up stairs with me and I'll
see if / can't teach you that this
house isn't pig PEN"
1 don't know what became of the
pig, for he broke the parlor window
and ran away, and nobody ever
heard of him again.
I'd like to see that boy James. L
don't care how big he is. I'd show
him that he can't go on setting
good examples to innocent boys
without suffering as he deserves to
suffer- Jimmy Brown, in HarPer's
Young People. .
A SINGULAR Sentence.