Show THE FICTION corar THE BARGAIN by MRS IV E ABBOTT emma haines wakened with difficulty from her early morning sleep leep that boisel what was it it was like water swirling rapidly down a drain her brain cleared and seq sh heaved her great bulk out ol of bed only one thing sounded like that the outlaw pig belonging to ed was raiding her garden again probably wanted more ol of her prize watermelons water melons shed show herl hastily she thrust her feet into slippers put a house dress over her nightgown and started tor for the door there she was the demon shed know that bony stubborn figure anywhere get out ot of there you ornery crea creature emma picked up the nearest stone and threw it with all her strength at the skinny sow the pig grunted and ran toward the hole under the garden fence which she had prepared tor for herself she squeezed her gaunt frame under the wire grunting g noisily emma a threw another stone and the sow trotted off down the road toward home emma sputtered to seth all during breakfast about the sow ashes against everything ive ever seen in nature complained emma eats watermelons water melons of all things 1 of all the truck I 1 have in my garden those melons are the things I 1 prize most and that cussed pig know that thata she makes for the melons every time seth say much after all he was more than ordinarily fond of pigs all pigs he loved to raise them see them grow large and contented from good feeding anyone had only to look at his fifty tat fat hogs to know seth enjoyed caring for them emma sighed id go over to see today if I 1 have so much to do ill try to go tomorrow its simply got to stop those trashy swamp folk foil win will have to learn to keep their stock to homel home it was three days before emma found time to visit the erlys it was two miles back to their shack at the edge of the swamp but emma was a hearty fifty ye y earold ear rold r old woman and she loved the walk through the fields and wood lots several of the children were playing around the cabin they were handsome children in spite of their dirty unkempt appearance pe arance wheres where your dad said emma shortly to the oldest boy pawl paw yelled the bo boy ed appeared at the door of a shed behind the house he was a small wizened man emma had never seen him when he chewing tobacco she walked towards him over his shoulder the she looked inside the shed there hung a butchered pig oh she said that your pig ed yes maam he replied 1 I was aimin to give you a piece of that meat emma softened she walked inside and looked at the meat it looked good watermelons Water melons must make good hog teed feed muttered emma to herself maam said ed 1 I said that would be nice replied emma wed love having some fresh meat its very kind of you with the help of one of the boys ed took the pig down from the ho hook ok and cut off one of the hams tor for emma too much she said firmly no maam he said 1 I have a lot of young uns and they eat hearty but the weather is warm meat bleat wont keep too long you take it right along home mighty fine of you ed terly said emma her conscience was beginning to hurt hurl emma carried the ham all the way home and put it in the refrigerator to cool meat was expensive and the thought of a roast ol of fresh ham made her happy she was at peace with the world when she went to bed that night early the next morning she woke up in confusion that peculiar sound again water going rapidly round and round in a drain not it bel she sat up there another pig anywhere that sounded quite like that she bounded out of bed and hit the floor with a thud slippers the house dress over her nightgown the flying trip to the garden she rubbed her eyes it was i there be two such pigs in all the world dazedly she picked upa up a stone to throw at the creature emma beths voice was calling from the bedroom window leave her be ill ba b doro damn A moment later b appeared in the yard his overalls drawn hastily over his pajamas he looked sheepish its au all right emma he be sald said our pig now oural cried emma oh no not thakill that seth ran his hands nervously through his bis hair you see I 1 just bear seeing that hog looking the way she did all run down and thin and neglected so I 1 traded one ot of our pigs to lor for her that gave them meat and I 1 thought I 1 could maybe fatten her up emma stared at him openmouthed although I 1 gotta admit she Is an outlaw said seth may have to get rid of her after all may have tol cried emma may have to what about my watermelons water melons you certainly will have to seth grinned and wiggled his toes in the grass like a small boy whatever you say emma he h wl t owl n T fo ia 0 tj x X ft get out of 0 there you yon ornery creature emma picked up op the nearest dearest stone and threw it with all her strength at the skinny sow said meekly whatever you say my dear seth been married thirty years lor for nothing he knew the value of silence ile he knew with certainty that this was not the time to mention that he had bad promised the erlys a dozen ol of emmas prize watermelons water melons as soon as they were wera ripe to complete the deal |