Roast Pig.
See that your butcher has done his part well in cleaning the month-old pig. Rinse out with soda and water, then with fair water, wiping the pig dry, inside and out. Prepare a dressing of a cupful of crumbs, half a chopped onion, two teaspoonfuls powdered sage, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a saltspoonful of salt, and as much pepper, half a grated nutmeg, and the yolks of two beaten eggs. Moisten with half a cup of soup-stock, and stuff the little fellow into his original size and shape. Sew him up, and place in a kneeling posture in a dripping-pan, skewering or tying his legs in the proper position. Dredge with flour. Pour a little hot salted water in the dripping-pan. Baste with butter and water three times as the pig warms; afterward, with gravy from the dripping-pan. When he begins to smoke all over, rub every ten minutes with a rag dipped in melted butter. This will keep the skin from cracking. Roast in a moderate, steady oven two hours.
Put the innocent—still kneeling—upon a large hot dish; surround with parsley and blanched celery-tops. Put a wreath of green about his neck, and a sprig of celery in his mouth.
Skim and strain the gravy; thicken with browned flour; boil up, add a glass of wine and the juice of a lemon, and serve in a boat.
In carving, cut off the head first; then split down the back; take off hams and shoulders, and separate the ribs.