his share," said Farmer Green. "We'll have to do
something to help him, or he'll never be worth his salt."

Grunty Pig looked up at Farmer Green and gave a plaintive squeal, as if
to say, "Hurry, please! Because I'm always hungry."

And Blackie, his greedy brother, looked up at Farmer Green too. He said
nothing. But his little eyes twinkled slyly. And afterward he told his
brothers and sisters that Farmer Green needn't think he could keep _him_
from drinking all the skim milk he pleased.

"If Mother can't make me behave, surely Farmer Green won't be able to,"
he boasted.

Of course Blackie Pig was very young. Otherwise he would never have
made such a silly remark. And he soon learned that Farmer Green was more
than a match for him.

The next day Farmer Green made a long lid that dropped over the feeding
trough and covered it completely. And in the lid he cut seven holes--one
for each of Mrs. Pig's children.

There was no more jostling at meal time. There was a place for
everybody. And Mrs. Pig was delighted with the improvement. When Farmer
Green filled the trough, each of the children stuck his head through a
hole and ate in the most orderly fashion. To be sure, there was some
squealing and grunting, and some snuffling and blowing. But it seemed to
Mrs. Pig that no youngsters could have behaved more beautifully.

And Grunty liked the new way of eating, too. But Blackie made a great
fuss. He complained because he couldn't stick his nose through two holes
at the same time!

III

THE LOOSE BOARD

After Farmer Green put the lid with the holes in it over the top of the
feeding trough, Grunty Pig began to grow. At last he was getting as much
to eat as his brothers and sisters. And the bigger he grew, the more
food he wanted. He was always on the watch for some extra tidbit--always
rooting about to find some dainty that others had overlooked. Many a
delicious piece of carrot, or turnip, or potato-paring rewarded him for
his eager searching.

Still, Grunty Pig was far from satisfied. He had a great longing to get
outside the pen where he lived with the rest of Mrs. Pig's seven
children.

"Out in the wide world there must be many good things to eat," he
thought. "I'd like to find the place where the potato-parings grow."

But of all this, Grunty Pig said nothing to anyone. If the chance ever
came to slip out of the pen, he intended to take nobody with him. He had
not yet caught up with his brothers and