Y 



XXXVI. Beatrice Belligerent 



ESTERDAY I received from a correspond- 

 ent a little jingle that deserves wide pub- 

 licity at a time when every one is inter- 

 ested in pigs. 



"A little pig with a curly tail 

 As soft as satin and pinky pale 

 Is a very different thing by far 

 From the lumps of iniquity the big pigs are." 



That expresses the situation to a T. The nine 

 little pigs on the place are playful, winsome and 

 amusing, but their able mother, Beatrice, is a loath- 

 some creature. Among other depredations she put 

 the finishing touch on our lane. This lane is of 

 evil repute among auto drivers who visit us, on ac- 

 count of the twists and bumps in it. Well, Bea- 

 trice selected a spot where a defective drain had 

 left the ground soft and trenched it with a luxuri- 

 ous wallow. Several visitors did not dare to take 

 a chance on her bathing beach when approaching 

 the house, so left their autos in the lane and came 



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