Memories of Charlton County - by Gibson and Mays Back to Table of Contents 41. THE PIG THAT ATE CHICKENS (Pp 83-84) Farmers were good traders and buying
or swapping farm animals was an every-day happening. Each trader did his best to make a good swap, sometimes fair and sometimes not. One time I had an old sow that I had to get rid of. She ate chickens and since I let all the animals and chickens range around the farm together I needed a mother pig that didn't bother the chickens. I sold her- and shortly after that Frank Mills and Mrs. Belle Roddenberry's husband and I were talking and I remarked that I needed a Poland
China sow. Frank said he had one to sell and so did Mr. Roddenberry. I said "Well, will it eat chickens?" and Frank said "Yeah, mine will eat chickens." Mr. Roddenberry said that hie wouldn't. Frank kept repeating "Mine will eat chickens." And Mr. Roddenberry kept saying "Well, mine won't eat chickens, I know she won't." So I bought the one from Mr. Roddenberry, for $10.00, and carried her home in my truck. When I put her in the hag
pen there was a chicken scratching around in there. Just as soon as that hog hit the ground she went for the chicken. I knew then I had to take her back. No money had passed hands so far, as I had told Mr. Roddenberry that I would take him a check the next day. I just loaded her right back on the truck and took her back to Mr. Roddenberry's house on the corner of Main and Magnolia and told him what had happened. He said "Well, she's YOUR hog!" I said "Well, I'm not agoing to
pay you for her. You told me distinctly that she wouldn't eat chickens and she caught one as soon as her feet were on the ground and I had to get it before she killed it. Now I'll just put her back in your lot." He said "No you ain't going to put her in MY lot!" So I just opened the truck and let her right out in the street. Mrs. Roddenberry who had been watching from the house came out and said "I guess I'll have to take her." So I helped her get
the sow back in the lot behind their house. There was a cow and chickens there too. A day or two later I saw Frank Mills and he had already heard about what had happened. He said "Madison, I kept telling you that mine would eat chickens. I knew she would and I knew Mr. Roddenberry's sow would too, because Mr. Ed Davis told me a few days ago that he had walked by Mr. Roddenberry's and saw that old sow with a chicken in its mouth, and he had to take it away from her to
keep her from killing it." We all stayed good friends for that didn't amount to anything. Frank Mills was a regular horse and mule trader himself. He had a horse to sell one time and a man that wanted to buy it asked "Is it scared of trains?" And without batting an eye Frank said "No Sir!" and he sold him the horse. The buyer found out later that the horse had been so afraid of trains when Frank got it that he had to hitch it up to
a pole near the railroad tracks for three days to get it used to the engines! | 
