The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-06
Decorating the Pigs.
Christian Union

"Ieli MIN about fatherS pigs, rat,
suggested August, getting up from the
feed-chest aud stretching his legs. 1t
was nearly four o'clock.
"Ah, sure Mat was indade the wicked
thrick they put upon me" exclaimed
Pat. aye see, Mr.. Van, there was to
be stock fair for the County the fort
night after | was first here. Your pa
had two pigs he was naming to sind to
the same; and fat rs butter them two
pigs was. Well, the day come for git
ting them ready to take to the
Fair Grounds, and the afthernoon be-
fore the same, up comes that bad,
desateful Tad Hedges. Pat says he,
Il suppose you've begun on the pigs:
'Tis illygant they must look, sure, ye're
that tasty my yerself.'
begun on the pigs??' asks |. What
name ye, Tad"
"'Sure, ye understand the rules and
rigilations of the kind Of fars we has
here, don't YEP answers Tad-'and the
way that pigs in particular has to be
prepared?'
"'Thiu I don't says I, so will ye
PLACE ixplain the same":'
"'Why,' says Tad, these prizes is
given always in these parts not only for
the size of the pigs and their weight
and their marks and the like O that,
but for the taste and Elegance with
which they're dhressed and decorated
up for the judges examination. The
rules O the fair requires livery pig to be
clean and decorated up, accordin' to
the fancy of the exhibitioners. Haven't
O. thato Oh, it's fine they are! Some
has leather collars wild their names IN
silver letthers, and in goold; some has
ribbons tied about their curly tails-an
splendid they looks. Masther's give ye
no ordhers about gittin' his pigs painted
as usial? Well, that's quare! but thin
there's some things even ye are suppos'
ed to be afther KNOWN, wild no tellin'.
But ye're terrible late tendin' to the
pigs! They was to go in the morning,
ye know. I can tell ye how to fix them,
howiver, and there'll be time in plin-
ty."
"Yo don't mean that you went and
~ interrupted Van.
"Indade, and twas the half O the
night I spint down the creek, wild me
two fat pigs tied to two stumps, an
me washin' the pair for dear life till
me arms ached, an afraid, as twas, l
was too latel An thin, whin the two
was dhry, twas me that took the rid
and blue paint Tad give me, and put
the illigant wide rid sthripes on the
wan pig an the splindid blue sthripes
on the other. An the blue pigs hoofs
T painted rid, and the rid pigs hoofs I
pointed blue; an thin I tied the pair
of them in two corners Of the COW house
so hard an fast that they could nayther
lay down nor sit down, an thin I lift
them alone, poor things! Ctwas near
midnight afore I was finished with
them) to dhry."
"Oh, what happened the next morn
ing?" asked Van, in gale of mirth
over these decorated p:gs."
"Och! the likes of itw Pat returned,
grinning with them, and slapping his
leg. "First twas Job, thin Misther
Bow, thin Misther August, and thin
all the house and neighborhood, poGrin'
into the COW shed, an shoutin' wild
lafture, and wantin' to know who in
the cold world had played such a
thrick. But when they found out
twas me the thrick was on, they
laughed all the harder. Misther Au-
gusts pa was kindly about it, for the
paint WIS bit dhry, and, stuck so fast
that no washing d bring it off; am the
two pigs looked that strange and was
that sick there was no fair for them.
So Misther Bow laughed bit longer,
an then Let it 60 this year says be.
For weeks the two bastes was like poles
before the barber shop, and livery day
I was asked by somebody how was
their healths and compleXions."
Tad Hedges ought to have caught
it for selling you so"' said Van, indig-
nantly.
"Tad? Sure, he'd slipped off to his
own farm up the river the night be-
FORE" laughed Pat. "His time on the
place was just out, or I'm thinking he'd
never have dared to be that owdacious-
like. Jobe d niver know a word about
it,
Here August heard the carriage at
the front door, he and Van ran off,
leaving Pat smiling over the headstall,
good-natured as ever, even in remem-
bering Tad Hedges and the ''decorated
pigs"