270 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



with new marvels revealing themselves at every bend 

 in the river! And how my brother and I pampered 

 the chosen specimens selected for the county fair ! 

 In clean pens, away from the midsummer heat, they 

 were stuffed several times a day almost to the 

 bursting point with cooked corn-meal "mush," boiled 

 potatoes and milk, and, to take the place of grazing, 

 the choicest weeds that pigs' palates ever knew 

 were gathered in the garden and supplied in great 

 profusion for their delectation. Grow ? Fatten ? 

 Such porcine prodigies had surely not been seen 

 before in that community ! And one great day, one 

 summer when our pig crop was uncommonly excel- 

 lent, it was decided to show at the State Fair at 

 Cedar Rapids, and ''we boys" were to be taken 

 along ! Oh joy ! Oh rapture unconfined ! For weeks 

 we slept but little, and our waking dreams were all 

 of the grand experience ahead. I think I wore out 

 two or three of the premium lists that August 

 devouring them and all their contents daily. I knew 

 the list of officers and directors "by heart." I knew 

 who was to be grand marshal, although I did not 

 know exactly what duties that functionary had to 

 discharge. Had I known at the time that he was 

 to be a kingly figure on a noble charger wearing a 

 crimson sash, I should have died I fear of sheer 



