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Show DABDYS MM EVENING FAIRY TALE . KsryErahBrn Banner GRUNTER'S GRUNT "Grunt, grunt," said Grunter, the new pig, "what do you suppose I heard just a little while ago?" "Squeal, squeal," said Miss Ham, "how do we know unless you tell us?" "Grunt, grunt," said Grandfather Porky Pig, "we don't know what you heard when we weren't around. You didn't lend your ears about for all of us to hear." "Squeal, squeal," said Pinky Pig, "he couldn't take his ears off, so we shouldn't blame him for that." "Grunt, grunt," said Pinky Pig's mother, "lie meant that just as Shake-, speare meant it when he put into a play 'Lend me your ears.' Mr. Shakespeare's Shake-speare's person making that speech meant that all should give attention should be listening in other words. "Grandfather Porky means that Grunter didn't tell us all to come and listen." "That's true," said Brother Bacon. "Did you hear about that Shakespeare gentleman wlien I did?" "Probably," said Pinky Pig's mother. moth-er. "When did you hear about it?" "I heard two people talking at one time," said Brother Bacon, "as they came into the barnyard. They were two older children who were studying Shakespeare in school and they were reciting parts to each other. "I paid strict attention, as there was nothing to eat around, and I had had a good sleep and doze, and I found out that Shakespeare was a gentleman who wrote plays and fine sayings and great speeches and poetry and one thing and another. "Then one of the two said : " 'Some say that It was Bacon who wrote all those plays,' and I said, as hard as I could : " 'Grunt, grunt, squeal, squeal, I never wrote a word in my life save a mud love-letter to Miss Ham Just in fun." "But they didn't pay any notice of what I was trying to say but kept on talking. "They didn't think any member of the Bacon family, I judged, wrote the plays, so it was all right. I didn't want to get credit for what I didn't do. "It wouldn't be fair." "That was Just the time I heard all the Shakespeare," said Pinky Pig's "Don't Make a Pig of Yourself." mother. I was interested when they spoke about Bacon. I don't think in fact I'm quite certain 1 would have bothered hearing about Shakespeare Shake-speare if the name Bacon hadn't come into the talk." "Tell us what you heard, Grunter," said Sammy Sausage. "These others take up so much time In their Idle grunting and squealing." "I heard," said Grunter, "the farmer's farm-er's little girl say to her brother who "as going out to supper: "'ell, don't make a pig of yourself.' your-self.' "It seemed she meant he was not to eat too much. But for a long time I could not understand. "I puzzled and puzzled over this and I wondered If perhaps it meant that he had thought of going to the supper party dressed as a pig with a false face on which had a big snout and a costume of dirty pink with a little tail fastened on behind. "1 was all ready to give him a lesson les-son in uiee. short, society grunts, so that lie could hold pig conversation and be sociable. "1 was going to teach him how to squeal so he would be able to show polite surprise wiien others told funny and amazing stories. "In fact, I was going to' help a great deal. But all she meant was that he mustn't eat too much. That was all she meant by telling him not to make a pig of himself. "Fancy, she thought he could make a pig of himself Just by eating a lot! Why, he'd have to do more than thaL He'd have to grunt and squeal and be able to take a nap in the mud in a nice. cozy, at-home fashion, and he'd have to look out of the sides of bit ees and shake a little twisted tail. "he thought it was so easy to be a pig, did she! Little she knows about it. Grunter could tell her! He grants now to let her know she was wrong." |