The Washington herald., 1921-05-29

ifBht IuskeBce Nofm1i t1h sSOts.f
"a red necktie. and the yeliowest pair
of shoes in town.
They were the first clothes Rufe
had ever worn except the gingham
layette and the butternut topdress-
ing Of his native kraai. and ne
looked as seif-conscious as an Igor
rote with a new nose-ring.
That night I went down to the
circus tents and opened a small
shell game. Rufe was to be the
capper. 1 gave him roll of phony
currency to bet with and kept
bunch Of II In a special pocket to
pay his winnings out Of. No;
didn't mistrust him., but simply
can't manipulate the ball to lose
when I see real money bet. My
fingers 20 on strike every time /
try 1t.
Il set up my little table and be-
gan to show them how easy 1t was
to guess which shell the little pea
was under. The unlettered kinds
gathered in a thick semicircle and
began to nudge elbows and banter
one another to bet. Then was when
Rufe ought to have single-footed
up and called the turn on the little
joker for a few tens and fves to
get them started. But no Rufe. I'd
seen him two or three times walk
ing about and looking at the side
show pictures with his mouth full
of peanut candy; but he never came
nigh.
THE crowd piked little; but
trying to work the shells without
a capper is like fishing without
bait. closed the game with only
forty-two dollars of the unearned
increment. while had been count
ing on yanking the yeomen for two
hundred at least. I went home at
eleven and went to bed. supposed
that the circus had proved too al
Turing for Rufe. and that he had
succumbed to II, concert and all:
but I meant to give him lecture
on general business principles IN
the morning.
Just after Morpheus had got
both my shoulders to the shuck
mattress hears a houseful Of un-
becoming and ribaid noises like a
youngster screeching with green
apple collie. I opens my door and
calls out In the hall for the widow
lady, and when she sticks her head
out. I says: Mrs. Peevy. ma'am.
"Oulo you rn1nu CnOhlns OH tndt
kid of yours so that honest people
can get their restT
Sir says she, rs no child of
mine. It's the pig squealing that
your friend Mr.. Tatum brought
home to his room a couple of hours
ago. And IL you are uncle or sec
ond cousin or brother to It. I'd ap-
preciate your stopping its mouth,
sir, yourself. IL you please
IT put on some of the polite out
side habiliments of external society
and went into Rufe's room. He had
gotten up and lit his lamp. and was
pouring some milk into a tin pan on
the floor for a dingy-white, half
grown. squealing pig.
How Is this, RufeT says I. You
flimflammed in your part of the
work tonight and put the game on
crutches. And how do you explain
the pig? 1t looks like back-sliding
to me-
Now, don't be too hard on me.
Jeff.' says he. You know how long
I've been used to stealing shoats.
It's got to be a habit with me. And
tonight, when I see such a fine
chance, I couldn't help takin' it,
well says 1. maybe you've
really got kleptopigia. And maybe
when we get out of the pig belt
you'll turn your mind to higher and
more remunerative misconduct. Why
you should want to stain your soul
with such a distastsful feeble-mind-
ed. perverted. roaring beast as that
I can't understand.
why, Jeff.' says he, you amt
in sympathy with shoats. You don't
understand 'em like I do. This here
seems to me to be an animal of more
than common powers of ration and
Intelligence. He walked half across
the room on his hind legs a while
ago.
We'll, I'm going back to bed,
says !. See II you can impress 1t
upon your friends ideas and intel
ligence that he's not to make SO
much noise
He was hungry. says Rufe.
He'll go to sleep and keep quiet
now
"I always get up before breakfast
and read the morning paper when
ever 1 happen to be within the
radius Of a Hoe cylinder or Wash
ington handpress. The next morn
ing got up early, and found a Lex
ington daily on the front porch
where the carrier had thrown 1t.
The first thing I saw in It was a
double column ad. on the front page
that read like this
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS
REWARD.
The above amount Will be paid.
and no questions asked. for the re-
turn. alive and uninjured. OF Beppo'
the famous European educated pig,
Of
side-show tents of Binkley Bros
circus last night.
Geo. B. Tapley. Business Manager,
At the circus grounds.
ct folded up the paper fiat, put 1t
into my inside pocket. and went to
Rufe's room. He was nearly dressed,
and was feeding the pig the rest of
the milk and some apple peelings.
well, well, well, good morn
ing ALL 1 says hearty and amiable.
So we are up? And piggy Is having
his breakfast. What had you in
tended doing with that pig RufeT
I'm going to crate him up says
Rufe, and express him to ma in
Mount Nebo. He'll be company for
her while am away.
Hes a mighty fine pig says I.
scratching him on the back. +.
"'You called him a lot Of names
last night says Rufe.
"Oh, WELL says I, he looks bet-
ter to me this morning. I was
raised on a farm, and I'm very fond
of pigs. ! used to go to bed at sun
down, so never saw one by lamp
light before. Tell you what I'll do.
Rufe,' I says. I II give you $40 for
that pig
ct reckon I wouldn't sell this
shoat.' says he. If 1t was any 9TH
er one I might