The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-04-05
COULDN'T EAT PET
Children Baked at Idea of Max
ing heal of Jerry"
Outspoken Revolt at Dinner Table Re.
suited in Neighbors Having Poetic
Revenge and Enjoying Dainty
Dish Of Roast Pig.

4 w"ll-knoWn physician i'm town has
a family of small children who are
crazy about animals. and every stray
dog or eat is always sur" ut - good
home if they happen to wander near
the doctors spacious residence. In
deed, the doctor calls his home the
200 Annex" for il harburS not only
dogs and cats galore. but three CANA
ricS, TWO white mice. tiv" pigeons. one
conversational and profan" parrot ana
brown squirrel. 50 an animal or two
more doesn't count.
Somebody gave the children a baby
pig, Il nice little pink-and-Whitc pig
with funny little Squinty eyes and a
cute little curl To its tail.
The children were wild with joy over
their new pet, and installed it in the
laundry, hut evidently the little pig
didn't adapt himself 10 his surround
inGS. and persisted in staying up late
nights and giving voice 10 such luGu-
briOuS lamentations that the doctor
chriStcned him Jeremiah This name
was too long for the children to man
age, so they called him Jerry and loved
him To death.
Jerry grew so fat he could hardly
waddIe, hut he was great fun and frol-
licked with the youngsters and had
grand time, and even his squeal had Il
joyous note in it by day, but once nirht
fell Jerry seemed to grow so low in his
mind that he refused To he comforted,
and his tones were rs shrill and pierre
ing as banShee'S.
He grew so big that he looked like
young mountain lion in the arms of the
children, and occasionally he would es-
cape to the front of the house and wad-
ding up the steps, would lie
down and drop into slumber. so that
visiting patients had to fall over or
step over the reclining Jerry. Then
to add To the generyl discomfort his
Squeals grew deeper like unto the vo-
cal efforts of n baSSO prOfundO, so
the doctor. losing all patience, de-
clared that Jerry must pass on and
pass out. So one day when his
children were in school Jerry took his
first automobile ride. ending up at the
butchers. who had orders To return
Jerry right side up with care, ready
for the oven and the Sunday dinner,
The children. in ignorance of this
foul deed, searched high and low for
the missing pig, hut he couldn't he
found, and after weeping violently for
the first day, grew resigned to their
loss, after the manner of children, and
seemed to forget him.
Sunday came and the family assem-
bled at the dinner table. NOrah. the
cook. came in, bearing aloft the plump
form of Jerry roasted to Il turn, with
his tail turned in Il Sancy ringlet and
an apple in his mouth.
There was Il moment of absolute
silence, fraught with significance for
the doctor and his wife. then one
of their eagle-eyed youngsters shrek
ed: Its our Jerry" and set up a
dismal howl which the rest soon Joined
and fixing their guilty parents with
uncOmprOmiSing looks demanded to
know why their beloved pig was be-
ing served up as burnt offering.
They were aided and abetted by
NOrah. the cook. who, wiping a fur
tive tear from her eye with the cor
ner of her apron, muttered: "Shure.
it's meslf thinks it a sin to murder the
haste"
Not one mouthful of the martyred
Jerry would any of the mourning
youngsters take. and the parents sud-
denly lost all desire for roast pig and
decided that the late Charles Lambs
dissertation of that delicacy was all
wrong.
Jerry, the baked, was removed with
out delay and sent to neighbOr'S.
who took a poetic revenge in eating
the animal that had squealed them into
insomnia for weeks past.-BuffalO
Courier.