Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/266

268 in readiness for the table, and found, to my surprise, and I must say, amusement, that the best and only large table-cloth they had, the boys had taken and cut up into strips, to tie on the cows' horns, and the horses' heads for flags; so that all the animals about the house, were running around with white flags on their heads.

The old woman was crying, and did not know what to do, while the old man ran out in a rage, and caught the little white boys by the hair and gave them a good pulling; but the little blacks, from their hair never having been combed or attended to, had nothing to pull, so they slipped through his fingers and off to the orchard, while I got some sheets and sewed them together so as to make a table-cloth, and commenced to set the table. Before I got through, the parson came: so they concluded to get married and send the parson away before the frolic began. It was then about six o'clock. While the parson was performing the ceremony, to the great surprise of all—as the boys had faithfully promised to behave themselves—the door was suddenly thrown open, and in rushed a large pig, grunting and squealing as only pigs can. The boys had pulled out the bristles, and then rubbed the sores with brandy—by that means making the creature mad with pain; then they opened the door and, while the parson was in the very act of performing the ceremony, they turned him right into the room. For a moment every one ran round, trying to get the pig out, but could not manage it, and at last they had to let him stay there while the parson went on; but every time the parson would begin, the pig would again commence squealing. The bride and groom both