St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-02
sALATHIEL's STORY.
Instructs the NeiDhborsssim S,cine Surgery
Tells Why Pork StUeits in the Barrel.

Inst9ucts the NeiDhborss I'm StCine Surgery
Tells Why Pork S,ceIts in the Barrel
81 don't guess nothing about it; I know
tbs SO, and that's all there is to it, said Sala
thiel Ward, taking out quid of navy plug
and shifting his position. SalathiePs re-
marks were occasioncd by discussion
among some of his neighbors and Boston
Globe reporter as to whether salt made pork
swell in the barrel. He came along and
Joined them in the debate at very opportune
time.
''Let me tell you" he continued, it was in
the fall of '72 that had shote just like I'M
to your'n deekin-looked near enough like
him to be his twin-and he wouldn't fat,
nary bit. l gin him more'n thirty bushels
o. meal, and be war poorer when | got done
than he war when fust begun. / knowed
what allied him at once. Twas black hol-
Ter tooth that wouldn't let him fat. So one
day just tux and yanked out the tooth,
and then / did something by accident like
that made me sure o. what Pm a-tellin'
ye."
'sWhat's that Artemas?" asked two or
three; this name, ARENAS, being one they
had given him because he had no resem-
blauce to the great humorist of that name.
swat till We hear. 1t war this way.
knowed as l had to put some salt in hole
cut on the back on his neck afore he would
lay on flesh any, so l caught him and got
his head right atween my shins, and, do you
believe me!- as soon as the critter felt the
knife a-cuttin' into his neck he made q
squeal and jump and went out from under
me quicker'r scat He jest ruined through
atween my legs and drawed that knife the
hui length on him. 1t cut purity cash clean
from his ears to his tail"
Il don't see whar that has got to do with
what makes pork SWELL, remarked an old
farmer, who was watching flock of crows
that had just alighted in his corn-feld.
''You jest hold turn till l git done, will
youa As l was a-saying, that cut was a bad
one, and the critter wasn't with sewing up.
So I jest hct up q kittie of water, and stuck
nv knife into tother side of his neck, and
dressed him and sailed him down. 1t was
mighty mean pork and no mistake, and
reckoned we should hev TO fare slim for pork
an cabbage that winter. By gosh, the rine
in some places war thcker'n the meat.
Howinsoever, l laid it down in salt, and
thought no more about it till Mirandy come
to me one day and SEE, SEE she !;
'Slath' the pork barrels busted
1 went down cellars and there, sure enough,
every hoop was broke clear'n two. 1 got
some new Norway iron ones over to the
blacksmith shops, and when come to take
the pork eout o. that barrel, by Jeems, if it
hadn't growed in thickness nearly double. 1t
was in big, white chunks goods you can buy
at the store. / fixed up the barrel, put in a
lot more salt, threw the pork back, covered
it with pickle and left it be. Wen, sir, by
hockey, that pork kept or a-sweilin' and grow
in till it overrun the barrel, and had to get
another to hold it all. It was white, and fat,
and clear, and some on it would cut upwards
o. six inches"
''That is queer said the nervous farmer;
show do you account for its''
81 account fur It il this yer way. reck-
on that hog was sich big eater and he ct so
much that my thirty bushels Of meal passed
into his meat afore it swelled- 1t didn't DO
him no good, you see. It was jes' lying
locked up in the system awaitin, and when
the salt got in there it turned the meal into
fat and busted my barrel-r
s'We1l, L do declare, said chorus OF voices,
as the farmer hastily departed, leaving Sala-
thiel by the roadside alone.