THE CALL OF A DISTANT PAST 273 



downtown at a "swell" hotel, and gave me my 

 choice of making headquarters there with him or 

 stopping with "the boys" out on the fair grounds. 

 I of course elected to stay with "the big show." 

 An extra stall was rented in the horse barns, 

 and an extra pen in the swine department. These 

 were well bedded down with nice clean straw, and 

 a bountiful stock of blankets served to convert 

 them straightway into sleeping quarters fit for 

 kings. I stayed with those pet pigs. A primitive 

 cooking outfit had been taken, and never were 

 there such banquets as were served that week. At 

 night we would sit around the camp fire and specu- 

 late on the morrow's doings. It was somewhat dis- 

 concerting, to be sure, to find that other folks had 

 good pigs also. In fact, we began to worry mightily 

 about what would happen when we had to meet in 

 the sweepstakes rings certain perfect Poland-Chinas 

 that looked as if they too had not lacked prepara- 

 tion. But we scrubbed our entries until they were 

 simply immaculate, curled their hair and set them 

 before the judges in such perfect condition that 

 most of the class prizes and a few championships 

 finally came our way, greatly to our relief and infi- 

 nite satisfaction. The trotters, needless to add, did 

 not give such a good account of themselves. 



