e a lot
o' turkey-chicks as ever ye see.

"Huldy never said a word to the minister about his experiment, and he
never said a word to her; but he sort o' kep' more to his books, and
didn't take it on him to advise her.

"But not long arter he took it into his head that Huldy ought to have a
pig to be a fattin' with the buttermilk. Mis' Pipperidge set him up to
it; and jist then old Tim Bigelow, out to Juniper Hill, told him if he'd
call over he'd give him a little pig.

"So he sent for a man, and told him to build a pigpen right out by the
well, and have it all ready when he came home with his pig.

"Huldy she said she wished he might put a curb round the well out there,
because in the dark, sometimes, a body might stumble into it; and the
parson, he told him he might do that.

"Wal, old Aikin, the carpenter, he didn't come till most the middle of
the arternoon; and then he sort o' idled, so that he didn't get up the
well-curb till sundown; and then he went off and said he'd come and do
the pig-pen next day.

"Wal, arter dark, Parson Carryl he driv into the yard, full chizel, with
his pig. He'd tied up his mouth to keep him from squeelin'; and he see
what he thought was the pig-pen,--he was rather nearsighted,--and so he
ran and threw piggy over; and down he dropped into the water, and
the minister put out his horse and pranced off into the house quite
delighted.

"'There, Huldy, I've got you a nice little pig.'

"'Dear me!' says Huldy: 'where have you put him?'

"'Why, out there in the pig-pen, to be sure.'

"'Oh, dear me!' says Huldy: 'that's the well-curb; there ain't no
pig-pen built,' says she.

"'Lordy massy!' says the parson: 'then I've thrown the pig in the well!'

[Illustration: I've thrown the pig in the well, Page 070]

"Wal, Huldy she worked and worked, and finally she fished piggy out in
the bucket, but he was dead as a door-nail; and she got him out o' the
way quietly, and didn't say much; and the parson, he took to a
great Hebrew book in his study; and says he, 'Huldy, I ain't much in
temporals,' says he. Huldy says she kind o' felt her heart go out to
him, he was so sort o' meek and helpless and lamed; and says she, 'Wal,
Parson Carryl, don't trouble your head no more about it; I'll see
to things;' and sure enough, a week arter there was a nice pen, all
ship-shape, and two little white pigs that Huldy bought with the money
for the butter she sold at the store.

"'Wal, Huldy,' said the pa