Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-08

the vanity of the rich, and he had just got
into bed and pulled the silllen quilts over
him when he beheld strange apparition
approaching the couch. This ghostly
vistant, intangible as the mists, APP
peared to be in the shape of monstrous
pig. Slowly it approached the bed, and
never once did it take its sullen, bead-liko
eyes from Michel's trembling form. Michel
tried to shut out the horrible wrath by
drawing the curtains of the couch but thu
specter waved one ghostly foreleg threaten-
ingly and Michel sank back cold and terri
fed upon the pillow.
''Do you know meP' demanded the spec
ter, in hollow tones, and each particular
bristle on her CHASTITY back stood erect
"Yes," gasped Michel: "you are-the-
the old sow-the old family sowl'
'Say rather | am the old sow's ghost"
said tho spectcr, in sepulchral monotone.
"The old SOW is dead; many years ago she
fell a victim to hired assassn's blade"
Michel made no reply. He quivered in
specifies agony.
"How could you forget me!" demanded
the spccter. Glow could you forget those
days in distant Cork, when YOU used to
come, an idle, ragged little boy, to scratch
my back and participate in my gambols:
Many time have you pillowed your head
have you fishcd out clusts of bread from
my hospitable trough. But you forgot all
these things, base migrate that you We're
You took me from my native isle to a
strange country to immediate me and my
progeny upon the altar of your sordid ambi-
ton! Forgotten are the DAYS when my
sporadic grunts were sweet lulabies to your
sleepy ears-when you cuddled your SILVER
ing little body close to my warm bosom,
when we lay cheek by iowl, as it We're, and
slept the summer afternoons awayI'
Michel remembered it all now, but he said
nothing-he merely paled and trembled all
the more.
"Ungrateful man." continued the specter,
"your gold has hardened your heart to all
but fiatterers. You forgot that it was
who made YOU what you are-that it was l
who brought you riChes-that it was l who
gave you this fine house-yes. and this soft
bed upon which you now loll supine. Do
you hear! 1t was |, the old specliled fam
lily SOW"
Poor Michel How he shook and stam-
mered and sweat. Oh, it was terrible!
enjoy these things if you cam" contin-
ued the spccter, 'but you shall never for
get that everything you are or ever can be,
and everything you have or ever can pos
sess, is pig, pig, pig-hog, hog. hog
And with these awful words the specter
vanished into air And at that very mo-
ment Michels ears We're filled with din as
if the dying walls of 20, OO0. 600 pigs had been
focused in that chamber The sound was SO
dreadful that with a great groan Michel
lapsed into unconsciousness. When he came
to, it was broad daylight. The sunbeams
creeping through the widows and between
the velvet curtains danced over the axmin-
lister carpet.
ct was dream" muttered Michel, but
he trcmbled as he thought of it.
When he went downstairs that morning
and entered his parlors he was well nigh
stupefied to see written across the face of a
magnificent painting that hung over the
marble mantelpiece the word Hog
in deep broad, black letters as if it had
been burned into the canvass with a
branding iron. Michel tottered, rather thar
walked, to the mantelplecc and touched hi,
fingers to the canvas where this WORD
seemed written. But the canvas wa.
smooth it was evident that no word wa,
branded thereon. Yet, Michel removed hi,
hand there again was the reproachful word
He spelled it out-h-o-g, hog-therc could he
nothing palmer.
Il must be going mad" thought Michel
"The specter no dream: it was real
ity'
Near the big picture hung a little one
Mchels son Armand had sent it from Pari.
with the criticism that it was a Chef
d'ouvre. Michel did not know what 6
chef d'Uuvle was, but as the picture was
marine he took it for granted that 'chei
d'ruvre was nautical term. On this CHEF
d'ruvre at this moment he saw, as distinctly
as he had seen the word Hog on the larger
bf, rot h,,t %
fensive word Pig" written in bold chacasters
And upon the splendid rosewood case of tn,
grand pianoforte he beheld Hog s,rawleC
in large, sprawlng letters-ay, and nov
that he cast his eyes about the parlors he
saw "Hog," Pig" "Pig" Hog" writer
everywhere and upon everything-the car
pets, walls, chandeliers, tables, curtains
chairs, Sofas ottomans, and all; yes ant
even the supcrbly frescoed ceilings We're de
faced with "A monstrous legend Hog" 1
was not wonderful that Michel fell into ,
chair and hid his face in his hands as if t.
shut out the hideous spectacle
Everywhere Michel went that day he wa
haunted by Hog" He found it writer
, above the door of his grand carriage h
saw it branded upon the Hanks Of his thor
/ oughbred team; he recognized it all owe
the livery of his driver and grooms; whel
lHe HdlHcSS S'iueahel IL SouHutu ike III
, squeak of a pig-oh, it was dreadful
, Michel saw Hog" everywhere, and all tn
sounds he heard were porcine sounds-or a
, least so they seemed. And when he drew
his plethoric silk purse from his pocket, 10
/ it was a sow's ear, and his gold was dul
and greasy!
+ His eldest daughter Pauline Isabel, cam
! to him that afternoon and told him she ha
l received an offer of marriage from yOun
Henry Osmund Grummond, the only son O
+ the wealthy talow chandler.
, "You accepted him, ] hope!' said Niche
! eyes, papa" replied Pauline I>abe
+ blushingly, and here is our engagement
. ring"
. 1t was a magnificent bauble. 1t mus
j have cost a fortune. Michel saw there wa
q some lettering ON the inner side Of the ring
a and he asked what it was.
/ "Our initials, papa, said Pauline Isabe
line rftt11t l. Tt 70