The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-02-15
friend, and everywhere that Dennis

"'" uoN'V'oH was irkSOmc to the
pig sometimes, and particularly SO
on those occasions when, com orta.
bly, disposed in the water. trough. he
was taking his MONDAY bath. his
two willing slaves at work NJ, the
pump-handles and the cooling steam
or water trickling down his sides.
Just then, in the height of his enioy-
ment. a mournful bleat would rise in
the still air and denote that Billy
had missed his companion and was
lemoaning his absence.
At first Dennis would pay no at
tenticn. lie was SO comfortable that
ne really could not afford to disturb
himself: but as the bleating became
loude and more impOrtunate he
would become manifestly troubled.
giving vent to his dissatisfaction with
low noises until finally, no longer
able to bear the lambs pleading, he
would with a mighty effort hoist
himself to his legs. stick his head
over the edge of the trough and grunt
loudly at Billy. saying as plainly as
possible in pig-language:
There. you silly little thing Now
you see where l am. and can't you he
good enough to leave me in peace and
4uiet for a while?"
The bleating would thereupon
cease, and Dennis would lie down and
resume his bath with a serene sense
of duty pc formed.
1t did seem as if Dennis had every
respect OF Living to a green old age.
surrounded as he Was with such de-
voted love and care. but sad to say,
his end was an untimely one. and
this was the manner Of it: The man
who did the butchers work on the
Vanderbilt was a sour, surly fellow,
with an inborn taste for his trade.
His disposition was just ugly enough
to afford his messmates pleasure in
making him the butt Of their jokes,
and sore from one OF two re ent
specimens Of fun, he cast about in
his mind for some suitable piece of
revenge.
Having matured his plans. he went
one day to Lieut.. C.. who was
then caterer of the ward-ro0m mess,
and informing him that all the fresh
meat had given out, inquired whether
he should kill the pig. The officer
nodded a careless assent, probably
thinking, if he gave the matter any
thought at all, that the animal re-
ferrcd to was the last n of several
porkerS that had been taken aboard
not long before. The idea that such
a question could apply to Dennis, the
spoiled darling of the crew, never en-
tered his head.
Words cannot describe the grief
and cOmmotion forward when Jack
son, the butcher, was discovered
dragging Eenris along the deck, and
his intentions in regard to the pig
were ascertained. He was quick to
say that he had his orders from an
officer, justly experimenting that some
violence would be done him other
wise.
At first the sailors were so on
fused by this unexpected turn of
affairs that they could only exclaim
and wonder over it; but as Jackson
calmly continued his preparations
they took hasty council together, and
finally a detachment of them went to
the mast to ask Lieut.. C. if it
were really true that he had given
such a command. The Lieutenant
was greatly surprised when informed
Of the true state of the case, and told
one of the men to run forward .imme-
diately and cOuntermand the order.
The message. alas. arrived too late,
Poor Dennis had already received his
death blow, and the sorrow Of the
crew knew no bounds. The men
resolutely declined to have any of
the meat served but to. them, and
one grizzled Quarter-gunner expressed
the genera sentiment when he said,
in a voice suspicious.y husky, "D'ye
s'pose, lads, I'd touch a. bit "of that
pig? Eat Dennis. l guess I'd Just
as soon eat n Of my friends
Where'd be the difference? Might as
we'll turn cannibal at once and be
done with IT,
So bitter was the feeling against
Jackson. the butcher, that when his
death occurred later in the. cruise
the current opinion among the men
was that a rlghtful retribution had
overtaken him: and one thing is GER
tain, that his mOurners were by no
mean as numerous or as sincerity
afflicted as those Of Dennis, his vic
tim. outh's Companion.