Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-31
WORKING A HOG.

Two Men and . Boy Put Up Job and
Skinned the Town."
When entered the village, situated among
| the hills OF New York, at 10 O'Clock In the
morning all was peaceful and serene, and the
pocket of every man who walked the street,
had chink in it When left at p. m. an
| excited mob had possession Of the main
street, and every other man was dead broke
About noon a man arrived from the north
| in buggy. He said he was a drover, and
looking for hogs. He bought half dozen be-
fore he ate dinner, and it was astonishing how
closely he guessed at their live weight. He
| was within two pounds on four Of them, and
only half pound more on the others. These
| had been an attraction for a crowd of idlers,
and the general verdict was that the drover
| was as sharp as BARRIERS razor Soon after
dinner farmer looking boy drove a hog into
town, and staked him out in front of the tav-
ern. As he wanted to sell and the drover
wanted to buy, they soon came together.
Might take him on a pinch, but he's only
| nubbins," said the drover as he sized the
porker up.
"Nubbinsi Why, that pig goes over zoe
poundsl" exclaimed the owner
Can't stuff me, boy I've been In the
business twenty years"
mo one wants to stuff That ere hog goes
to 30"
He does, eh2 Wish your father had come
in. I'D like to make a bet with him Boy,
you ought to have better Judgment That
hog won't pull down $780,"
Guess you are off, too" remarked q
stranger who had quietly driven up in q
buggy. 'Tve raised hogs all my life, and
that boy hain't five pounds out of his guees. II
"Aint hes Raised hogs, have your Ever
raise any moneyr'
IA little"
Perhaps you'd like to bet on that hogr
Perhaps"
"Have you got $40 as says he goes 2O0Y"
II have-fifty-a hundred!n
Then let's chalk. Anybody can blow
1t was a chance to make a dollar, and the
citizens improved it. The man in the buggy
was an accommodating chap, and somehow
or other the farmer boy managed to fish I'D
about 500 from the hind pocket Of his over
alls The citizens stuck by the drover, hav-
ing abundant proofs Of his Judgment, and
when every man in that town who had q
loose dollar or could borrow one had made
his bet the hog was driven to the scales and
weighed.
Gentlemen" said the drover Just before
the weighing, II was never deceived In my
THIS hog won't go to 100 pounds"
Il II take even bets that he goes over 900, ~
replied the man in the buggy
This bluff raked out the last nickel in the
crowd, and the hog was driven upon the
scales. The record was oil pounds He was
weighed and reweighed, but the figures stood.
well, it's my first error in hog" said
the drover, and all bets were at once handed
over. The farmer boy slipped out, the two
men drove of in the buggy, and half an hour
had elapsed before church deacon, who had
laid his ten with the drover and lost, suddenly
declared that it was put up job to skin the
town.
"Durn my buttons if it hain'tl" yelled 200
men In chorus, but it was too late The town
had been skinned. and the trio had escaped.
All the mob could do was to turn loose and
wreck an old vinegar factory and pass reso-
luton to the effect that liberty was sham
and delusion. York Sun