“Father,” cried Charlie, “do come here; Rover is going to die; can’t you help him?”
“The first thing,” said Ben, after looking at him, “is to get the water out of him.”
“In England, when people are most drowned, they roll them on a barrel; shall I get one?”
“I guess I can get it out easier than that,” said Ben; and, taking the pig by the hind legs, he held him up clear from the ground, when the water he had taken in ran out of his nose in a stream. When he put him down the pig gave a grunt.
“He’s coming to!” cried Charlie; and in a few moments more the pig got up on his fore legs, but fell back again.
“He’ll do well enough now; he’s only weak.”
Charlie took his head in his lap and patted him, when the pig gave three or four loud grunts, and got up on his feet. Just then Sally called from the door that dinner was ready.
“I’m ready to eat it, or do anything else,” said Charlie, “now that baby is not drowned, and Rover has come to.”
In consequence of all this Tige was somewhat in disgrace.
“You naughty dog,” said John to him, “do you know what you’ve done? almost drowned Charlie’s pig and the baby; I shouldn’t have thought that of you. What do you suppose folks would say, if it should go all over town what you have done?”