The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-06-12
HAWLEY BEvERlDGE'S PIG.
4 New Story of YANKEE Ench1ntTent
By CHARLES BArTELL LOOMS.

"oh. I don't know what TO do" said
Hawley Beverage 10 Plat WolcOtt. Il n
sick Of playing on the trapeze, and you
can't play tennis and Aldrich Hale has my
bat. so there's no fun playing bali. Wish
somethingd happen"
And then an old man stepped out from
behind the oak tree and said: Ever play
the game Of going to market with some
thing and having il change on the way.
What 30 you mean said both boys a.
once. They never had seen the old man
before, but they took him for granted
He was short and SQUAT and swarthy,
and he had a silvery beard that hung Ike
| a hammock from ear 20 ear under MS
chin
We'll. say l give you boys pig apiece
TO take TO market at PaysOnville. On the
way there it changes its form half dozen
times, and when you reach the market II
may be worth a good deal and II may De
worth nothing al all. That's the game
The boy that deserves good fortune will
probably get il. and you'll have no end OF
fun by the way"
Does any skill come into it, asked
Plat He had just learned how TO play
chess. and he had a great idea OF Skill
We'll. | won't say that skill Is neces-
sary. but it'll depend on your own efforts
in a way whether you win or not IL
six miles TO the market place at Payson-
vile. Can you start at onceg
Il can" said Hawley Beverage, swing
| ing of the fence, where he had beeI SIT
ting.
I've got to run into the house and put
on my old shoes. These would hurt my
! feet if walked six miles IN them. st'u
/ Plat. and he ran toward the house.
do what you want" said the OLD man
pleasantly enough, but with a peculiar
smile. Here's your animal. Hawiey.
/ Good-by and good luck.
! As he spoke the old man banded 10 HaW-
/ ley a pink little squeaI.ng, struggling pig
with rope tied to its hind leg. The next
| instant he was gone whiskers and all.
We'll. | guess" said Hawley, off we
! 60 piggy. I'll sell you for enough to buy q
| lantern for my bike"
| But Hawley soon found that 1t was not
easy work to make the pig go in the direc-
/ ton he wanted him to go. He called TO
! Plat, but he was in the house hunting tor
/ his shoes and his chance for having the
adventure of his life was gone.
/ Hawley. finding that Juggling would not
] dNdll. pulith al n Bllt puA VI AllS B'NhNN nv
| held il to the pigs nose and then rolled it
along the road in front Of him. The pig
pursued it eagerly and after he had caught
up with it and eaten it trotted along so
contentedly that Hawley fancied he was
going to get his lantern easily, when at
the first mile post the pig suddenly
changed into an unbroken pony and the
rope became a bride. With a snort, the
| nh in and started n
run back to the starting place. but Haw-
ley. who saw in his new possession the
equivaSnt of a new chainless bike at
| least and perhaps lantern besides. vault
ed on his back and tried to turn him
around But the pony was not TO be easily
! turned He had no desire to go TO marke I
and he bucked and reared and pranced on
his forelegs. quite perpendicular. But if
Hawley could not turn him he could at
! least stick to his back. and as if anxious
/ TO change his shape and so get rid of this
burrlike boy the pony Suddenly wheeled
around and dashed along the road toward
! Paysonvlle a. bTeakneck speed
! HaWley was delighted and began 20
wonder whether a chainless bike would
be half as nice as a pony, but while he
was wondering the second mile post VAS
| reached and he found himself on foot
/ carrying in his hands a mouse.
! | dare say that if Platt had been able
! to get as far in the journey as this he
woul1 have been utterly discouraged and,
casting the mouse aside, he would have
returned home. But | don't believe you
! could have made Hawley understand what
turning back meant. The old man had
told him to go to Paysonville with an
| animal, and even if it urned into lady
bug he would go to Paysonville and ne
would arrive there before market closed.
The mouse was a friendly little animal
and around its neck was string, so Haw-
ley fastened him to his button hole and
put him i'm his jacket pocket and made
the next mile in seven minutes.
As he was passing the mile post his
pocket was torn as by a heavy weight and
the mouse became a savage bulldog, VINO
tugged at heavy chain to the imminent
danger of Hawley's buttonhOle.
HawIey was not frightened, but he saw
that caution was necessary. IF ! loose
the dog" said he to himself, hell prob
ably chase me, but IL | can keep ahead OF
him TO the next mile post he'll change to
something else and I'll take my chances
that il won't be as bad as a savage dog.
! So he hastily removed the chain and
threw il away and then took to his heels.
As ne had expected, the dog followed
! him at a gait that would have won him
the race if II had been Platt who was
running from him. But Hawley had won
moro than one medal for lOng-distance
running and he kept three or four PAGES
ahead of the dog until lie came In sight
nj the next mile post and then ne STUDDED
his toe and went headlong-
He regained his feet with the dog not
ten feet behind him and once more tooh
IN the pace. but the fall had winded hin
and ne felt that he belonged 10 the DOG
! unless something happened pretty soon
And that something did happen. The
dog in turn missed his footing not twelve
feet from the milestone, and before ht
had ceased rolling end over end he mad
turned into bull
am inclined to think that Platt would
have given up the journey then and there
for the bull seemed to have inherited tbs
savage disposition Of the dog and charged
or Beveridge with fury.
lust in time. Hawley took advantage
of an overhanging apple bouGh, and
swung himself out Of reach Of those ter
rible horns.
He had now few moments for reiec
ton.
The old man told me 10 sell NY ANNA
in the market. Like as not this bull vii
change into q sparrow at the next mile
post. and then where will l be A spar
row wouldn't bring enough 10 buy a mon
key-wrencn or q bicycle bell. | wish that
the market was two miles nearer"
All this time the bull was acting in a
highly eccentric manner, even for an en
chanted bull. II reared on its hind Leg
and danced sideways as a kitten does BE-
fo.e il has learned dignity, and seemed
TO be contemplating the climbing Of tht
tree.
But HaWley felt reasonably secure, and
a. ne saw the dust OF an approaching
team he decided 10 stay where he was
and maybe purchaser would pass by.
Horror OF horrOrsi The team turned
out TO be a young woman IN d phaeton
who held over her head a red parasOI.
She saw the bull Al the same time thai
Hawiey saw her. All thought Of profit
had vanished from his mind He knew
that Just az soon az the bull saw tEs