A Day No Pigs Would Die
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Robert, a twelve-year-old Shaker boy, leaves school without permission, in order to avoid a fight, because he is being teased on the playground for his strange clothes and strange ways. Not wanting to go home and get in trouble for cutting classes, he goes out into the field above his house. There he finds Apron, Mr.Tanner's prize calf, in pain and misery as she tries to give birth to a calf. Since Robert is a kind and helpful farm boy, he assists Apron in delivering the calf. When she begins to choke, he also reaches his arm into Apron's mouth and pulls out a goiter from her throat. In the process, Robert is hurt and knocked unconscious. Mr. Tanner arrives in the field and finds Robert. He picks him up and carries him home to the Peck farm, where his mother and father come to his aid. His mother cleans his wound and puts stitches in his arm, and his father carries him up to his bedroom. All the while, Robert is worried about the fact that he has skipped school and tries to explain to his parents.
After Robert is healed, Mr. Tanner comes to the Peck farm with a baby piglet. It is a present for young Robert to say thanks for saving the cow and calf. Mr. Peck, a strict Shaker father, will not allow Robert to take the pig, for the Shaker way is not to accept rewards for being neighborly. As a result, Mr. Tanner insists that Robert keep the piglet as a birthday present.
Mr. Peck permits his son to accept the birthday gift. Robert is delighted, for the piglet is the first thing he has ever owned. Shakers do not believe in any kind of frill; therefore, Robert has never had a toy or a bicycle. Robert, with his father's help, builds a pen for his pig that he names Pinky. He then begins to care for the animal like a pet. He plays with her, takes her for walks, bathes her, and brings her special treats to eat. He also protects her when she is scared and talks to her as if she were human. Pinky flourishes under Robert's care; she grows rapidly and in ten weeks is as big as the boy, largely because Robert feeds her so well. He even keeps a record of...