Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01
THE THREE PIGS.
A Story for the Little People of the
Household.

A story Tor the Little People OF tn'
| Household.
| Written by prominent Member of the Sac
ramento Bar for the New Years RECORD
| UNION.
The following story has been handed
| down by oral tradition through severa
generations of the writer's family, but, SC
| far as he is informed, has never yet ap
peared in print. That it does so now is
due, not to the approval of adult criticism
but to the singular fascination it has always
| seemed to possess for the infant minds
| fact which is no doubt attributable to its
sound morality and the strict poetic justice
| melted out TO the various personages con-
cerned. Let it be remembered, then. that
this is a story for very young people, and il
any person of maturer years and more
| attempting to do so, feels inclined TO stop
his subscription to the RECORD [ MON, he
| is advised to first try the following expert
ment Take a small boy Tor girD of from
| three to five years of age, put him COM
| fortably to bed, and in the awaking inter
val that ensues read him the story with
some slight attention to dramatic effect
! If after this you are not required to do the
same thing over again every night for &
year or such shorter period as any remnant
of your patience may endure-then your
experience will differ from that OF Other
people. So much by way of preface Here
is the story:
Once there were three pigs that had each
lost his mother. One was big pig, one
was a little pig, and the other was middle
sized pig.
These pigs, because they had no mother
got very little to eat, and were often very
hungry. In the long, warm summer days
they contrived to get along tolerably we'll
but as the winter came on and the days got
short and cold, they found they were going
to starve unless they went out into the big
forest where the nuts and acorns grew.
They had often heard that there were
plenty of nuts and acorn. in the big forest,
but they had always been afraid to GO
there, because they had heard that an old
bear lived in the woods and was very fond
of eating pigs. But at last they found that
they had either to starve or run the risk OF
DcIIlS CSilei SlllN 81 one 1ilbiHlHS llltN
started early and travelled on till they came
to the middle of the big forest.
When they got there among the thick
trees they found plenty of nuts and acorns
on the ground, and soon had as many as
they could eat When they got tired OF
eating they next began to think about q
place to sleep at night. After talking
the matter over they concluded they
would have to build themselves some
houses out of the sticks and leaves that
were lying all about them, and so they SET
to work getting the sticks and leaves to-
gether But when they tried TO build then
houses they found that they could not get
along very well working each by himself
and so the big pig said that if the Others
| would help him build his house he would
help them build their houses. This seemed
to be such good plan that they all agreed
it, and went to work and built the big
pig very nice house where he could keeT
dry and warm in the cold nights. As soor
as the big pigs house was finished, they
all set to work and built another Just like
it for the middle-siZed pig. Then the little
pig said: Now come and help me builC
my house"
But by this time it had got pretty late
and the big pig and the middle-sized pig
were tired, and had begun to get hungry
again, and so they told the little pig that
they really did not have time to help him
build his house; that it was getting dark
and they had to get some nuts and acorns
for supper before they went to bed
But" said the little pig, you got me
TO build your houses, and you promised tc
help me build mine, and want you to dc
as YOU promised. l can't build it myself
and if you don't help me | will have to
sleep out in the cold and dark all alone"
well" said the big pig, s. that won't
hurt you in fact, you will find it very good
for your health TO sleep out in the open
air, and when you get little used to it You
won't mind the cold
But" said the little pig am afraid tC
sleep alone out in the dark woods"
Then the others told him he was silly
| little pig to be afraid of the dark; and al
any rate they had no time to help hin
build house, and if he did not wish tc
sleep out of doors he would have to builC
one for himself the best way he could
| They then went off and commenced eating
| acorns, and left the little pig to look out fol
himself. He did not know what to do
and so he Just ran about among the trees
| souealing and crying While he was run
ming about in this way he happened to see
a large tree that was hollow inside, ant
| had a little hole in il just large enough fol
him to 90 through. The little pig crept il
| through this hole and found that it was
soft and warm and dry in the hollow OF the
! tree and he at once made up his mind tC
| have it for his house. Then he went anC
ate few acorns, and afterwards went tc
bed in his hollow tree. The big pig anC
the middle-sized pig, after they got theil
suppers, went to bed in their houses
| Now there was an old bear that lived
near by in the forest, and he had beer
watching while the pigs were getting then
| houses ready, and had made up his mind
| to have one of them for his supper. Sc
pretty soon, after the big pig got i'll bed, he
| heard some one knock at his door-tap
tap, tap
Its me, said the old bear.
Well what do you WANT"
| Il want to come in and see you"
| why, it's too late to have company to-
night" said the big pig " have gone tc
| bed
You had better get up and let me in,
said the old bear, or Il tear your house
down and eat you up"
| We'll | can't let you in said the big
pig; 81 am afraid"
Then the old bear, without another word
tore his house down and ate the big pig up
clean He did not leave thing except his
bones, and some blood smeared around.
| The next morning when the middle
sized pig got up the first thing he saw was
the big pigs house all torn to pieces, and
then he saw the big pigs bones and blood
| When he saw these things he was so scared
that he had no appetite left for breakfast
and he felt so lonesome that he started of
to try to find the little pig. Pretty soon he
found the little pig out among the thick
| trees eating nuts and acorns. When he
saw him quietly eating his breakfast, he
asked him if he did not know that the big
| pig had been eaten by bear the night be.
| fore.
Yes" said the little pig, know it.
We'll then" said the middle-sized pig
how can you have any appetite for break
| fast? Amt you scared? Don't you know
he will come back and eat us up, too?'
ooh, no, said the little pig, " | am moi
afraid; a bear can't get into my house"
Your house, said the middle-sizet
pig; Il did not know that you had any
house. thought you were going to sleeI
out of doors"
No" said the little pig; when you ant
the big pig left me to take care of myself
looked around and found nice hollow
tree and | took that for house, and nj
bear can break that down.
| Where is that hollow tree?' said The
middle-sized pig. I" want to see it Ther
the little pig took him and showed him hi.