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Them Notorious Pigs
by
Harrington put down his strawberries. “Mary!” he exclaimed.
Mrs. Hayden straightened herself up with a start and looked at him, her lips quivering and her eyes full of tears.
“What is the matter?” said Harrington anxiously. “Is anything wrong?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Said Mrs. Hayden, trying to recover herself. “Yes, there is too. But it is very foolish of me to be going on like this. I didn’t know anyone was near. And I was feeling so discouraged. The colt broke his leg in the swamp pasture today and Hiram had to shoot him. It was Ted’s colt. But there, there is no use in crying over it.”
And by way of proving this, the poor, tired, overburdened little woman began to cry again. She was past caring whether Harrington saw her or not.
The woman-hater was so distressed that he forgot to be nervous. He sat down and put his arm around her and spoke out what was in his mind without further parley.
“Don’t cry, Mary. Listen to me. You were never meant to run a farm and be killed with worry. You ought to be looked after and petted. I want you to marry me and then everything will be all right. I’ve loved you ever since that day I came over here and made you cry. Do you think you can like me a little, Mary?”
It may be that Mrs. Hayden was not very much surprised, because Harrington’s face had been like an open book the day they chased the pig out of the garden together. As for what she said, perhaps Bobbles, who was surreptitiously gorging himself on Harrington’s strawberries, may tell you, but I certainly shall not.
The little brown house among the apple trees is shut up now and the boundary fence belongs to ancient history. Sarah King has gone also and Mrs. John Harrington reigns royally in her place. Bobbles and Ted have a small, blue-eyed, much-spoiled sister, and there is a pig on the estate who may die of old age, but will never meet his doom otherwise. It is Bobbles’ pig and one of the famous fourteen.
Mordecai still shambles around and worships Mrs. Harrington. The garden is the same as of yore, but the house is a different place and Harrington is a different man. And Mordecai will tell you with a chuckle, “It was them notorious pigs as did it all.”