Wednesday's Good Reading: “How Come the Pigs Can See the Wind” as told by Emma M. Backus (in English).

 in "Animal Tales from North Carolina," The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 11, no. 43 (October - December, 1898), pp. 284-92. This tale is no. 7 (pp. 290-92)

Did you done hear how come that old Sis Pig can see the wind? Well, to be sure, ain't you never hear that? Well, don't you take noticement, many and many a time, how unrestful, and 'stracted like, the pigs is, when the wind blows, and how they squeal, and run this yer way and that yer way, like they's 'stracted?

Well, sah, all dat gwine on is along of the fact that they can see the wind. One time the old sow, she have five little pigs, -- four black and one white one.

Now old Brer Wolf, he have a mighty good mouth for pig meat, and he go every night and walk round and round Miss Pig's house, but Sis Pig, she have the door lock fast.

One night, he dress up just like he was a man, and he put a tall hat on he head, and shoes on he foots; he take a sack of corn, and he walk hard, and make a mighty fuss on the brick walk, right up to the door, and he knock loud on the door in a great haste, and Sis Pig, she say, "Who there?"

And Brer Wolf say up, loud and powerful, Brer Wolf did, "Quit your fooling, old woman, I is the master, come for to put my mark on the new pigs; turn 'em loose here lively."

And old Sis Pig, she mighty skeered, but she feared not to turn 'em out; so she crack the door, and turn out the four black pigs, but the little white pig, he am her eyeballs, the little white pig was, and when he turn come, she just shut the door and hold it fast.

And Brer Wolf, he turn down the corn, and just pick up the four little pigs and tote 'em off home; but when they done gone, he mouth hone for the little pig, but Sis Pig, she keep him mighty close. One night Brer Wolf was wandering up and down the woods, and he meet up with old Satan, and he ax Brer Wolf, old Satan did, can he help him, and Brer Wolf he just tell him what on he mind, and old Satan told him to lead on to Miss Pig's house, and he help him out.

So Brer Wolf he lead on, and directly there Sis Pig's house, and old Satan, he 'gin to puff and blow, and puff and blow, till Brer Wolf he that skeered, Brer Wolf is, that he hair fairly stand on end; and Miss Pig she done hear the mighty wind, and the house a-cracking, and they hear her inside down on her knees, just calling on God A'mighty for mercy; but old Satan, he puff and blow, and puff and blow, and the house crack and tremble, and he say, old Satan did, "You hear this yer mighty wind, Sis Pig, but if you look this yer way you can see it."

And Sis Pig, she that skeered, she crack the door and look out, and there she see old Satan's breath, like red smoke, blowing on the house, and from that day the pigs can see the wind, and it look red, the wind look red, sah. How we know that? I tell you how we know that, sah: if anybody miss a pig and take the milk, then they can see the wind, and they done tell it was red.

Good Readings: “The Three Little Pigs” by Joseph Jacobs (in English)

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme

And monkeys chewed tobacco,

And hens took snuff to make them tough,

And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

There was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him:

                ‘Please, man, give me that straw to build a house.’

                Which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said:

                ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in.’ To which the pig answered:

                ‘No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.’ The wolf then answered to that:

                ‘Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.’

                So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig.

                The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze and said:

                ‘Please, man, give me that furze to build a house.’

                Which the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the wolf, and said:

                ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in.’

                ‘No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.’

                "Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.’

                So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig.

                The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said:

                ‘Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with.’

                So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said:

                ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in.’

                ‘No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.’

                ‘Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.’

                Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down. When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said:

                ‘Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips.’

                ‘Where?’ said the little pig.

                ‘Oh, in Mr Smith’s Home-field, and if you will be ready tomorrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner.’

                ‘Very well,’ said the little pig, ‘I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?’

                ‘Oh, at six o’clock.’

                Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six), who said:

                ‘Little pig, are you ready?’

                The little pig said: ‘Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner.’

The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said:

                ‘Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree.’

                ‘Where?’ said the pig.

                ‘Down at Merry-garden,’ replied the wolf, ‘and if you will not deceive me I will come for you at five o’clock tomorrow. and get some apples.’

                Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o’clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said:

                ‘Little pig, what! are you here before me? Are they nice apples?’

                ‘Yes, very,’ said the little pig. ‘I will throw you down one.’

                And he threw it so far, that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig:

                ‘Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin19 this afternoon, will you go?’

                ‘Oh yes,’ said the pig, ‘I will go; what time shall you be ready?’

                ‘At three,’ said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter-churn,21 which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig’s house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said:

                ‘Hah, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter-churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the hill.’

                Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the little pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and made up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off the cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover again in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived happy ever afterwards.

"Gingerbread Man" by Unknown Writer (in English)

Now you shall hear a story that somebody's great-great-grandmother told a little girl ever so many years ago:

           There was once a little old man and a little old woman, who lived in a little old house in the edge of a wood. They would have been a very happy old couple but for one thing -- they had no little child, and they wished for one very much. One day, when the little old woman was baking gingerbread, she cut a cake in the shape of a little boy, and put it into the oven.

            Presently she went to the oven to see if it was baked. As soon as the oven door was opened, the little gingerbread boy jumped out, and began to run away as fast as he could go.

The little old woman called her husband, and they both ran after him. But they could not catch him. And soon the gingerbread boy came to a barn full of threshers. He called out to them as he went by, saying:

    I've run away from a little old woman,

    A little old man,

    And I can run away from you, I can!

Then the barn full of threshers set out to run after him. But, though they ran fast, they could not catch him. And he ran on till he came to a field full of mowers. He called out to them:

    I've run away from a little old woman,

    A little old man,

    A barn full of threshers,

    And I can run away from you, I can!

Then the mowers began to run after him, but they couldn't catch him. And he ran on till he came to a cow. He called out to her:

    I've run away from a little old woman,

    A little old man,

    A barn full of threshers,

    A field full of mowers,

    And I can run away from you, I can!

But, though the cow started at once, she couldn't catch him. And soon he came to a pig. He called out to the pig:

    I've run away from a little old woman,

    A little old man,

    A barn full of threshers,

    A field full of mowers,

    A cow,

    And I can run away from you, I can!

But the pig ran, and couldn't catch him. And he ran till he came across a fox,17 and to him he called out:

I've run away from a little old woman,

A little old man,

A barn full of threshers,

A field full of mowers,

A cow and a pig,

And I can run away from you, I can!

Then the fox set out to run. Now foxes can run very fast, and so the fox soon caught the gingerbread boy and began to eat him up.

Presently the gingerbread boy said, "Oh dear! I'm quarter gone!" And then, "Oh, I'm half gone!" And soon, "I'm three-quarters gone!" And at last, "I'm all gone!" and never spoke again.

St. Nicholas Magazine. May 1875.