Glenn led her along the base of the wall to three other pens, in each of

which was a fat old sow with a litter. And at the last enclosure, that

owing to dry soil was not so dirty, Glenn picked up a little pig and

held it squealing out to Carley as she leaned over the fence. It was

fairly white and clean, a little pink and fuzzy, and certainly cute with

its curled tall.

"Carley Burch, take it in your hands," commanded Glenn.

The feat seemed monstrous and impossible of accomplishment for Carley.

Yet such was her temper at the moment that she would have undertaken

anything.

"Why, shore I will, as Flo says," replied Carley, extending her ungloved

hands. "Come here, piggy. I christen you Pinky." And hiding an almost

insupportable squeamishness from Glenn, she took the pig in her hands

and fondled it.

"By George!" exclaimed Glenn, in huge delight. "I wouldn't have believed

it. Carley, I hope you tell your fastidious and immaculate Morrison that

you held one of my pigs in your beautiful hands."

"Wouldn't it please you more to tell him yourself?" asked Carley.

"Yes, it would," declared Glenn, grimly.

This incident inspired Glenn to a Homeric narration of his hog-raising

experience. In spite of herself the content of his talk interested her.

And as for the effect upon her of his singular enthusiasm, it was deep

and compelling. The little-boned Berkshire razorback hogs grew so large

and fat and heavy that their bones broke under their weight. The Duroc

jerseys were the best breed in that latitude, owing to their larger

and stronger bones, that enabled them to stand up under the greatest

accumulation of fat.

Glenn told of his droves of pigs running wild in the canyon below. In

summertime they fed upon vegetation, and at other seasons on acorns,

roots, bugs, and grubs. Acorns, particularly, were good and fattening

feed. They ate cedar and juniper berries, and pinyon nuts. And therefore

they lived off the land, at little or no expense to the owner. The

only loss was from beasts and birds of prey. Glenn showed Carley how

a profitable business could soon be established. He meant to fence off

side canyons and to segregate droves of his hogs, and to raise abundance

of corn for winter feed. At that time there was a splendid market

for hogs, a condition Hutter claimed would continue indefinitely in

a growing country. In conclusion Glenn eloquently told how in his

necessity he had accepted gratefully the humblest of labors, to find in

the hard pursuit of it a rejuvenation of body and mind, and a promise of

independence and prosperity.




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