Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-13

it.
to have so good a home. And not
having lived anywhere else, they
never imagined that anything could
be finer than their pen.
After the day wnen he escaped
from the pen, however, Grunty Pig
began to complain. He wasn't sat
isfed with the feed that Farmer
Green gave him, he grumbled be-
cause there was no good place to
wallow in mud, and especially did
he object because there wasn't a
tree to rub against.
THE orchard he often said, 'is
much pleasanter place than this
pen is. There are trees enough in
the orchard for every member of
our family to rub against-all at the
same time"
Somehow, when Grunty talked in
that fashion every one of Mrs. Pigs
children began to crowd against the
sides of the pen And even Mrs.
Pig, herself. felt an annoying tick
ling along her back. She did wish
that Grunty wouldn't mention such
matters.
But nothing Mrs. Pig could say
seemed to do any good He was
always prattling, anyhow. She could
no more stop his flow OF grunts and
squeals than she could have kept
that water in the brook from bsb-
bling down the mountainsiHe of
Swift river.
And even more annoying to Mrs.
Pig was the way her son Grunty
tried to rub his back against her.
She said, "Dontw to him so often
that she became heartily sick of the
word.
What bothered Mrs. Pig most of
all was Gunty's behavior whenever
Farmer Green came to the pen. 1t
was mortifying to her to have her
son actually try to scratch his back
against her in the presence of Wis
itor
Il do hope" said Mrs. Pig to
Farmer Green, 81 do hope you
don't think that l haven't tried to
teach this child better manners"
and hen when all the rest of her
family began to squirm and hdget
against the side of the pen she add
ed with sigh, Look at them! Any
cne would suppose they had had no
bringing up at all!'
Farmer Green smiled as he looked
ever the pen and watched the antics
of Grunty Pig and his brothers and
sisters.
There's something that I can do
for your family to make them hap
Pier he told Mrs. Pig Tomorrow
If | can spare the time-I'll make
change here. A lady who's raising
such a fine family as yours deserves
the best there is. She ought to have
d home with every modern improve
ment."
There" Mrs. Pig exclaimed to
her children as soon as Farmer
Green left them. Did you hear
what he said? Farmer Green is a
kind man, | shouldn't have blamed
him if he had put us into the poorest
pen on the place after seeing your
unmannerly actions You'll have to
behave better, especially after we
Lave our new improvements"
We'll, the next day Farmer Green
brought stout post and set it
firmly in the center OF Mrs. Pigs
Zen.
That's for you and your family
10 rub against he informed Mrs.
Pig.
Really he needn't have explained
what the improvement was for No
sooner had he climbed out of the
pen than Mrs. Pig and her children
began to put the rubbing post to
good use. Grunty was the first of
all to try it. And to his mothers
delight, he stopped grumbling at
once. Nor did he ever again dis
grace her by scratching his back
against her. Instead he always
walked up to the rubbing post like
Il little gentleman. At least that was
what Mrs. Pig said
Copyright, 1921. by the Metropolitan
NewSpaDer Service