At Welton's invitation he sat,
but bolt upright at the edge of a chair.
"After due investigation and deliberation," he stated, "I have come to
the independent conclusion that we are overlooking a means of revenue."
"As what?" asked Welton, amused by the man's deadly seriousness.
"Hogs," stated Merker.
He went on deliberately to explain the waste in camp garbage, the price
of young pigs, the cost of their transportation, the average selling
price of pork, the rate of weight increase per month, and the number
possible to maintain. He further showed that, turned at large, they
would require no care. Amused still at the man's earnestness, Welton
tried to trip him up with questions. Merker had foreseen every
contingency.
"I'll turn it over to you. Draw the necessary money from the store
account," Welton told him finally.
Merker bowed solemnly and went out. In two weeks pigs appeared. They
became a feature of the landscape, and those who experimented with
gardens indulged in profanity, clubs and hog-proof fences. Returning
home after dark, the wayfarer was apt to be startled to the edge of
flight by the grunting upheaval of what had seemed a black shadow under
the moon.
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