St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-12-13
9a1isrelIanu.
AEAMATEUR POLICEMAN.

Had the circumstances been ordi-
nary, Peggy would und oubtedly have
grunted and rooted her way through
lite, unknown to fame and uncon-
scious of any higher call than the
pleasurable duty of growing fat as
possible, until the lapse of time should
bring her to her natural deSt1na ton
in the pork-barrel. Her achievements
as policeman were not, therefore, the
result of a natural Inclination, but
rather of the shaping power OF cir
cumstance, which will presently ap-
pear.
Mr.. Timothy O'Towle had an in
born love of pigs. He was accus-
toned to say that "a pig was as
about as harnsome an animal as he
knew Of" After a few hints of this
kind, Deacon Gillespie, for whom
Timothy sometimes worked by the
day, made him present Of the small
lest pig in his litter-the runt, as 1t
was called. Timothy was delighted.
He carried the pig home in his arms,
and his wife cuddled it in her apron
throughout an entire evening. After
that, as it was not considered quite
respectable in the village to bring up
pigs in laps, Timothy obtained per-
mission to keep his pet in an unused
barn, standing a little outside the
village. near the cellar hole of house
which had been destroyed bytlre. 1t
was lonesome place, but, after the
first few days OF homeslckness, Peg
gy adapted herself to her change of
a
quite content She spent a great
deal of time in working over the earth
floor of her dwelling, according to
her taste in such matters, and, when
there was nothing else to do, she Of
ten stood on her hind feet at the
doorway, gazing smilingly out at
the world, and the passers-by, or
watching for Timothy to come with
her dinner.
Now Timothy, it must be confessed,
was not an energetic man, and, after
his first JOY in his new possession
was over, he began to be increasing
" conscious Of the severe labor in
volved in procuring for Peggy the
necessaries of life. and in a regular
attendance upon the calls Of her eager
appetite. It is probable also that
his opinions concerning the lowell
ness had undergone a change; at
tanned to that smooth rotundity of
form which, according to that law
Of art which declares the curve to be
the line of beauty, would have en-
titled her to be considered beautiful.
For all these reasons it came to pass
that many a day did Peggy gaze and
squeal in vain for her dinner, while
her faith in human nature underwent
a gradual process of decadence.
One day, when the pangs of hun
ger had become almost insupporta-
bic, she accidentally loosened one, of
the boards that was nailed across
the doorway, and soon after, greatly
to her aStOnishment, she found her
self able to climb out. From that
day Peggy was free pig. In vain
did Timothy, with hammer and nails,
attempt to make the pen pigtight.
After Peggy had once tasted free
dom, freedom she would have,
and when she could not climb over
she would dig under. Very soon she
learned to elude pursuit, and, grown
agile by practice, was able to dis
lance her would-be captors whenever
they chose to try race.
And now Peggy became a tramp,
an OutcaSt, a treSpasser upon peo-
pies gardens, and an ofense to an
orderly community, scandalized by
the sight of a pig running loose in
the streets. Many and various were
her crimes as related by those whom
she had willingly offended. Widow
Burnap, who loved her flowers as
she would have loved the children
whom she had never borne, told
with tears in her eyes of the ruin of
her choicest pansy bed, the pride of
her heart. Deacon Gillespie, walking
down the street one Sabbath day,
clad in his Sunday mien and garb,
was made the laughing-stock of a
street-full of church-goers, and suf-
fered severe blow to his dignity, by
a sudden, unintentional onslaught
from Peggy, who, darting suddenly
around the fence corner to escape
from the teasings Of a malicious
urchin, became entangled with his
feet, and brought him untimely to his
knees. But most disgraceful of all
was the scene which took place on
the evening of that same Sabbath.
The weather being warm, the door
of the vestry had been allowed to re-
main open during prayer meeting.
Peggy, innocent of evil intent, wan
dered in, and presently made known
her presence by an unmistakable
grunt. The small boys in the back
pews giggled, and CONSERVATION
seized the bosoms OF the elders. Dea-
con Gillespie rose, with portent in his
eve, and proceeded in the direction of
the grunt Poor Peggy, long ac-
customed to the buffetings of an I'M
kindly world, scented pursuit, and
took to her heels; but, becoming, be-
wildered amid the labyrinth Of peWs.