THE LITTLE PINK PIG

Evening Star, Issue 21090, 30 April 1932, Page 5

THE LITTLE PINK PIG

A BED-TIME TALE There was once a little pink pig who lived with his mother and nine other piglets in a comfortable sty. His name was Curly, because he had such a twisty tail, and he was a very plump little fellow indeed. But ho was not as good as the others. He was always grumbling because ho couldn’t go into the fields with the cow's, and couldn’t go on the pond with the ducks. “Bo content,” said his mother. “ Yon are a little pig, not a cow or a duck. You should he happy to live at peace in a nice comfortable sty.” “ Pigs are silly creatures!” said the •little pig rudely. “ They do nothing but grunt! 1 wish I wasn’t a pig! I have a good mind to run away and he something else!” “ Don’t be foolish!” said his mother, and sbo gave him a push with her snout. “ Lie down by me and go to sleep in the nice warm sun.” But the little pig wouldn’t. Ho grunted crossly and ran to the other side of the sty. The gate was there, and the little pig looked underneath the lowest bar. The world seemed very exciting outside. There was Gobble the turkey making a tremendous noise. There" was Dobbin the horse stamping with Lis foot. There was Rover the dog barking madly. ’ “ Why was I born a little pink pig?” sighed Curly. “If only I could live with Rover or Gobble or with the white ducks on the pond!” Ho pushed his little snout further under the gate and began to try to push himself through. Suddenly he slipped right underneath, and there, he was in the farmyard!

“ Ho,” said the little pink pig to himself. “ This is fine. This is the world. Now 1 shall no longer be a little pink pig, but I shall be a turkey or a dog or a horse.” So he trotted over to Dobbin, who was most surprised to see Curly in the farmyard. “ Please,” said Curly, “ 1 want to be a horse. Pigs are silly creatures, Toll me what 1 must do to be a horse.”, Dobbin thought the little pig was very foolish. “ You must neigh like this,” lie said, and he put his head down and neighed loudly iu Curly’s ear. The little pig fell over with fright. “ Then you must kick like this,” said Dobbin, and be kicked out with his hind legs, sending the little pink pig right up into the air. Curly came down with a splash in the pond. How frightened lie was!

“ Quack!” said the ducks swimming round. “Quack!” “Oh, I won’t bo a horse!” said Curly. “ They are horrid creatures. I will be a duck!”

So he spoke to the surprised ducks round him. “ Please,” he said, “ 1 want to be a duck. Pigs are silly creatures. Toll me what 1 must do to be a duck.”

The ducks thought that the little pink pig was very foolish. “ You must quack like this,” the said, and they all crowded round him, quacking so loudly that he was nearly deafened.

“ Then you must peck like this!” they said, and began pecking him all over his body till be grunted iu terror and ran out of the water as fast as ever be could. “Oh. I won’t tie a duck!” cried Curly in a rape. “ They are horrid creatures. .1 will be a dog.” So be wont to where old Rover, t.e yard dog. lay half-in and half-out of Ids kennel. “ Please.” lie said, “ I want to be a dog. Pigs arc silly creatures. Tell me what i must dp to be a dog.,”-

Hover thought that tho little pink pig was very foolish. “ You must bark like this!” he said, and made such a loud noise in Curly’s oar that the pig turned pale with fright. “ Then you must bite like this!” said tho dog, and bit Curly’s tail very hard indeed. The little pig squeaked loudly and ran away in a great hurry.

” Oh, 1 won’t be a dog!” he ried in a temper. “ Dogs are horrid creatures. I will be a farmer!” ■ Ho saw Mr Straws, the farmer, in the distance, and ran up to him. He thought it would be very grand to'be a man and own everything «n the farm.

“ Please,” ho said. “ 1 want to bo a farmer. Pigs are silly creatures. Tell mo what .1 must do to bo a farmer.

Mr Straws thought that the little pink pig was very foolish. “ You must shout like this!” he said, and he shouted at Curly so loudly that the pig ran away. “ Then you must whip naughty pigs like this!” said the farmer, and he

began to spank Curly with his big stick. The little pig ran faster, and came at last to his sty. He squeezed under the lowest bar and fled to his mother. Ho lay down by her side and kept quiet until the farmer had gone away.

His mother grunted softly. All the other piglets squeaked happily and rooted about in tho straw. The sun shone warmly. The sty looked very comfortable and happy. Tho little pink pig looked about him and listened to his mother grunting.

“ Oh, 1 have been very foolish,” he sighed. “How lovely it is to hear grunts instead of barks and quacks! How comfortable my sty is! What sweet creatures pigs are! How glad I am to he a piglet and not a horrid horse or dog or duel;!” And tho little pink pig settled down to bo a good pig, and was happy ever, afterwards.