"Why, Mother Grunty, I never knew you were the heroine of that oft-repeated tale of years ago. I do wish you would tell me the real story just word for word as it happened."
"Well, of course you know my two brothers and I were alone. Finally we decided to go out into the world and each follow his own wishes.
"Everyone wonders how it happened that one of the three built a house of straw and one a house of wood, while I had this strong house of bricks. Now very few know the real reason which is this:—
"From the time we were tiny, wee pigs our mother had given each of us an equal amount of money each week. Well, my brothers used to make fun of me because I never spent my share. They called me stingy and were sometimes very unkind. But when the day came for us to seek our fortunes, I had more money than the other two together.
"My older brother had only enough left to buy straw for a house, but he meant to work hard and save and buy a better and stronger home as soon as ever he could. My other brother could almost pay for a wooden house, and finding an old friend who would trust him, he settled himself very comfortably, we all thought. But I, with all my saved-up pennies, settled on this land and built this same strong little brick house.
"We were scarcely settled when, without any warning, along came the Wandering Wolf and killed my older brother, and ate him up.
"Now, most unfortunately, my younger brother was at town, making arrangements for a good housekeeper when this happened, or he would have been warned at least. But, do you know, he had scarcely gone into his house and closed the door when the dreadful huffing and puffing started just outside his house! I heard some noise over that way, but before I could find out what had caused it, the wolf had finished his dreadful work and was coming this way.
"My doors and windows were barred because, living here alone in those days one had to be very, very careful, so I just kept as still as I could.
"I shook with fear and could scarcely keep from crying out when he started jumping at the door and huffing and puffing!
"Of course, he could not get in. So he changed his plans. Why, Miss Pinky Pig, I can see his wicked grin to this day! He tried time and time again to catch me. And once when I was up in an apple tree I nearly fell with fright when I saw him below, glaring up at me. But I escaped, as you see," Mother Grunty smiled.