Van caught up with Piggy at the far end of the lawn, just as the clown arrived and made a dive for Piggy’s leash. There was a struggle, a blur of pink and white, and then Uncle Sam threw his red and blue into the kaleidoscope. The gentleman in petticoats fell, last of all, upon the whole bunch, eclipsing them with his voluminous draperies.
When they arose from the scrimmage, Uncle Sam held Van in a deadly grip, while Piggy was led away, squealing with rage and terror. Still keeping his strangle-hold upon Van, Uncle Sam strode back to the driveway, delivered the protesting culprit into Mary’s hands, and mounted his float once more, a hero, who had saved his country’s honor and his country’s pig from annihilation.
The procession moved on, and every one voted that Van’s impromptu act with the pig was the prize feature of the whole show.
Mary shut the door on him.
“Did ye see the likes of that, now! Little imp that ye are,—sp’ilin’ the parade!
“No, ye’ll not get out ag’in, till the merrymakin’ do be over. Go to bed in yer baskit, ye little spalpeen! Ye’ve disgraced us all.”
Then later:
“If they had hurted ye, Boy-Heart, I’d be afther givin’ ’em what they desairve. An’ yer nice clothes, too, that was so pretty! What did ye do wit’ ’em, annyhow? An’ what’ll Miss Betsy be doin’ to yez?”
When the parade was over and Betsy had returned to the house, she looked Van over despairingly.
“Oh, Vanny-Boy! After all I’ve taught you about manners—think what you’ve done. You’ve disturbed a good pig who wasn’t trying to do anything but look beautiful. You’ve been disobedient. You’ve let your feelings run away with you. No decent dog was ever so dirty. Your lovely clothes are gone, I don’t know where, and you pretty near upset the whole parade. I’m ashamed of you clear to my toes. And here I’ve been trying to bring you up to be a real gentleman.”