The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-20
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These things took ten months, and
Pinecoffin's interest in the potential
Piggery seemed to die down after he had /
stated his own views. But Nafferton I
bombarded him with letters on ''the
imperial aspect of the scheme, as tend
ing to oHcialize the sale of pork, and
thereby calculated to give offense to the
Mohammedan population Of upper In
dia." He guessed that Pinecoffin would
want some broad, free hand work after
his niggling, stippling, decimal details.
Pinecoffin handled the latest develop
ment of the case in mastery style and
proved that no popular ebullition of |
excitement was to be apprehended. p"
Nafferton said that there was nothing
like civilian insight in matters of this
kind and lured him up a bypath-"the
possible profits to accrue to the govern
ment from the sale of hog bristles.
After Pinecoffin had wondered a little
at Nafferton rage for information, he
sent back monograph. 81 pages on
Products of the Pig. This led him.
under Nafferton's tender handling,
straight to the Cawnpur factories, the
trade i'll hogskin for saddles - and
thence to the tanners. Pinecoffin wrote
that pomegranate seed was the best cure
for hog skin, and suggested-for the
past IA months had wearied him-that
Nafferton should ''raise his pigs before
he tanned them.
Nafferton went back to the second
section of his fifth question, How could
the exotic Pig be brought to give as
much pork as it did in the west and yet
assume the essentially hirsute charac-
teristics of it's oriental congener?' Pine
coffin felt dazed, for he had forgotten
what he had written 16 months before,
and fancied that he was about to reopen
the entire question. He was too far in
volved in the hideous tangle to retreat
and, in weak moment, he wrote,
Consult my first letter, which re-
lated to the Dravidian Pig As a matter
of fact Pinecoffin had still to reach the
acclimatization stage, having gone off
on side issue on the merging of types.
Then Nafferton really unmasked his
| batteries He complained to the gov
eminent. in stately language, of 1.-The
paucity of help accorded to me in my
earnest attempts to start a potentially
remunerative industry. and the flip
| pancy with which my requests for in
| formation are treated by gentleman
whose pseudo scholarly attachments
| should at least have taught him the
primary differences between the Dravid
ian and the Berkshire variety of the
| genus Sus. If am to understand that
the letter to which he refers me con-
| tains his serious views on the acclima-
tization of valuable though possibly
uncleanly animal. am reluctantly
compelled to believe, ETC.
There was new man at the head Of
the department of castigation. The
wretched Pinecoffin was told that the
service was made for the country and
not the country for the service and that
he had better begin to supply informa-
ton about Pigs.
Pinecofin answered insanely that he
had written everything that could be
written about Pig. and that some fur
Tough was due to him. Naferton got a
copy of that letter and sent it with the
essay on the Dravidian Pig to down
country paper, which printed both in
| full The essay was rather high flown.
but if the editor had seen the stacks Of
! paper in Pinecoffin's handwriting on
Nafferton's table. he would not have
been SO sarcastic about the ''nebulous
RESPONSIVENESS and blatant self suficien-
4 cy of the modern competition wallah
and his utter inability to grasp the prac-
tical issues of practical question >
Many friends cut out these remarks and
sent them to Pinecofin
have already stated that Pinecoffin
came of soft stock. This last stroke
frightened and shook him. He could not
understand it. but he felt that he had
been, somehow, shamelessly betrayed by
Nafferton He realized that he had
wrapped himself up in the Pigskin
without need, and that he could not
well set himself right with his govern
ment All his acquaintance asked after
his "nebulous discursiveness' or his
'tblatant self sufficiency." and this
made him miserabl
He took train and went to Nafferton,
whom he had not seen since the Pig
business began. He also took the cut
ting from the paper and clustered feebly
and called Nafferton names. and then
died down to weak protest of the 81
say, it's too bad, you know, order.
"I'm afraid I've given you good
deal of trouble. haven't II" said he.
'"Troublel' whimpered Pinecoffin.
II don't mind the trouble so much.
though that was bad enough, but what
l resent is this showing up in print. 1t
will stick to me like a bur all through
my service, and did do my best for
your interminable swine It's too bad
of you. on my soul it ISL
81 don't know, said Nafferton.
"Have you ever been stuck with a
horse3 1t ism t the money l mind, though
that is bad enough, but what l resent
is the chaff that follows, especially from
the boy who stuck me. But | think
we'll cry quits now
Pinecoffin found nothing to say save
No. l. 81