The Chapel Hill weekly., 1958-12-18
Hog-KiIin' Time

-NSW~@0|e Ss~A 49, A&tN4 Ak~AlbAASfA~
take their hogs to . ceu.rai
slaughter house. There The whole
process Of turning fine fat hogs
from living, contented- looking AM
mas into greas humps Of meat Is
ooae with al the dispatch we have
come 70 look for II every phase OF
cur efficient way Of life. II was
not always 50 The Rogers family
formerly killed tnel- hogs beside
TIE branch Il the hollow near
De~eys Every time wen: up
there ! passed the place Even IL
tne no. sunshine Of summer il
gave me the creeps called Il
the scaisolc MOI that | have
ever seer 3 Scafiolc, bu; have
az IDEA Of what one looks like
hog KILN time mas always been
and still Is. q most important
event iE the lives OF country
people Although we have never
been active participants u Il. the
slx-tooter Of the family and /.
Easuonomica1y speaking we have
shared IL II from the year We
moved 10 the creek Usually j.
taxes place during the FIRST week
la December Should il be unduly
warm. as i occasionally is the
fole ne. gnborho0c seems 10 be
J9.nIng in one big prayer for Z
.reeze Wish. i. would turn Of.
COD. SOS We could Kill the
as~gE I've often wondered If
.ae hogs weren JUS; as feryen.ly
: AhIng Il would keep right On
ge.ng warm
Tns. frs, year We heard talk
q the impending doom Of many
hogs as soon as the calendar
reached December trst The
~ea.aer turned bitterly coio On
my way 70 towa could see, ou;
Of the corner 0. my eye the
pi8rnes oi wooosmoke rising out
y he hollow down BY the branch
70. iof al the sausage in North
Carolina would ] have booked IN
"a direction That night. as We
a. q. supper & car came along
ne driveway sroaned at hay-
~ 70 leave uy warm spot by
ne FIRE 70 open tbe ooor A. tins
sage u the building operation our
downstairs resembled barn In
order TO be comfortable al meal
times We pu, . small table di.
recily on the hearth The ST piled
the fireplace 50 high with logs
they reached the mouth oi the
chimney With TINS wonderful
blaze We kept warm On one side i
When tha side got good and
toasted we Swspped around ByI
the time meal was finished we
were alternately ho. and cold On
both SIDES several times over
Should ! have 10 80 to the kitchen
for anything | Shiyered 50 violent
" II was q wonder dish ever
reached the table intact On this
occasion when | got 70 the kitchen
door grumbllng bit. saw Clay
ton standing outside Kilt hsWgS
today. he SAID. and we thought
y'D'd like . little mea Well
idea oi little meat 4
was d huge platter completely
filed with every choice cut he
could crowd On II
Later, as was finishing up the
disaeg. | heard an0Lher car clst
ter TO the porch. This time il was
Dewey He 100, had covered
something IN MS hands / Was
dish basin, filled 10 the brim with
various porn cuts When | eH
claimed over ms generosity Dewey
said simply. We didn't dlsfur
nish ourselves none. "
Next day il Was the same story !
One neighbor came with shoe
bon filled with fine sausage sno
tenderioin Another broughtl
crackhns and spsreribs. Still an
other appeared with tenderloin
backbone. and a good supply Of
liver for them little dogs / was
overwhelmed SO was the ST |
Why ! asked him that eve
ning. do they give their precious
meat to US They hardly know Us
The ST smiled That's the way
country people are" he replied
They're as good as they come