The Anaconda standard., 1896-03-24

n woman now In New
York is mourning over the probably ia
tai Illness of novel pet-a pig, one of
a pair which she has reared from their
earliest infancy. They are very hand
some pigs and not like the pigs which
lead quiet, useful lives on the farm.
The two pets have no dirty habits.
They are dainty clean, well-mannered
pigs and have never seen the inside of
a sty.
When they were very small they had
whiskey given to them to retard their
growth. They drank the whiskey at an
age when ordinary pigs are getting
their first taste of SKINNED milk. The
whiskey had it's desired effect.
Every morning and evening the little
pigs had bath, and their pink-white
skins were kept scrupulously clean.
One of the pigs has a few little black
spots on its sides-that is the one that
is ill-but the other was pure white,
without blemish of any kind. Their
mistress engaged a maid especially to
care for her pets, and the maid brushes
them and washes them and powders
them with baby powder until they are
as sweet and dainty as it is possible for
a pig to be.
Their mistress had two silver troughs
made for them. Each trough bears the
name of the pig which eats from IL.
One of the pigs is named Alphonse and
the other Hortense. 1t is Alphonse that
is sick. The silver troughs have been
put on the dining table when no guests
were present and the two little pigs
have eaten their meals at the same time
their mistress ate hers. They were
early taught how to behave at table
and they are particular to use a napkin
after eating. Their high chairs, especi-
ally made for their comfort, are a part
of the dining room furniture. They
are of oak, upholstered with buff
leather.
The pigs have been in the habit of
eating the daintiest of food. and they
are helped to IL by their maid. When
they want more of a certain dish they
express their desire by a short grunt.
They never squeal. When their edu-
cation was first undertaken they did
squeal, and it was not pleasant to hear.
Every time one of the pigs squealed IL
was punished by being taken from the
table. Most pigs squeal at night when
they huddle together and try to get the
softest place in the sty. but these pigs
never were in a sty. They don't sleep
together. They have separate beds,
and these are of polished brass, and the
mattresses are of curled white hair.
Every night the sleepy little pigs are
tucked into their soft white beds and
the maid covers them with the finest
elder down coverlets. The beds have
lace curtains at their sides, tied with
silk ribbons. Alphonse has blue ribbons
and Hortense has pink.
The maid sleeps in the same room
with the pigs, and If one is i'll in the
night she gets up and attends to IL. II
II is very Ill she rouses her mistress,
and then the doctor is called in. That
is what happened when Alphonse took
sick last week. The family physician
was called in and he prescribed for AL
phonse. A hot mustard foot bath was
tried. Alphonse was a little better the
next day, but was very languid and has
hardly been out of his mistresses' arms
for a minute.
Every day the mistress has been in
the habit of taking the pigs out for an
airing in their carriage. They have fur
cloaks, which are fastened at the throat
with gold buttons. In some way the
button of Alphonse's cloak became un-
fastened and the maid did not notice it,
So the pig took cold and has never been
himself since
Both the pigs have pretty gold col
lars with their names on them. The
collars were made by a well-known
jeweler in New York. The pigs are
very intelligent and understand much
that is said to them. They answer to
their names and perform a few little
tricks, such as jumping over their mis-
tress' hands, standing on their hind
feet. etc. They are both fond of music
and will run to the music room every
fer plaintive, soft airs.