“He’s here, somewhere, Don,” the farmer said.  “Find him!”

“Bow wow!” barked Don.  “I will!”

Just then Squinty stumbled over a big stone, and he could not help grunting.  He also gave a little squeal.

“Here he is, Don!” called the farmer.  “Take him by the ear, and lead him back to the pen.  Easy, now!”

Squinty stood still.  He did not want to run away from Don.  Squinty was only too anxious to be found, and taken home.

The next minute, through the rows of corn, came bounding Don, the dog.  He was followed by the farmer.

“Ah, there he is!  The little runaway!” cried the farmer man as he saw the pig.  “After him, Don!  But don’t hurt him!”

Don raced up beside Squinty, and took him gently by the ear.

“Bow wow!” barked the dog, and that meant:  “Come along with me, if you please.  You have been away from your pen quite long enough.”

Squinty gave a loud squeal when Don took him by the ear, but when the little pig found that the dog did not mean to hurt him, he grew quiet, and went along willingly enough.

“I must make that pig pen a great deal tighter, if they are going to get out and run away every day,” said the farmer to himself, as he walked along behind Don and Squinty.

Soon they were at the pig pen, and Oh! how glad Squinty was to see it again.  The farmer picked the little pink fellow, now all tired out and covered with dirt, up in his arms and dropped him down inside the pen with the other pigs.

“There!” cried the farmer.  “I guess you’ll stay in after this.”

“Bow wow!” barked Don, jumping about, for he thought it was fun to chase runaway pigs.

And so Squinty got safely back home.  But very soon he was to have some more adventures.

CHAPTER V.

SQUINTY AND THE BOY.

Did you ever have a little brother or sister who ran away from home, and was very glad to run back, or be brought back again, by a policeman, perhaps?  Of course your little brother or sister may not have intended to run away, it may have been that they only wandered off, around the corner, toward the candy store, and could not find their way back again.  But, when he or she did get home—­how glad you were to see them!  Weren’t you?

It was just like that at the pen where Squinty, the comical pig, lived.  When the farmer picked him up, and dropped him down among his brothers and sisters, in the clean straw, Wuff-Wuff, Squealer, and Curly Tail, and the others, were so glad to see Squinty that they grunted, and squealed and walked all over one another, to be the first to get close to him.

“Oh, Squinty, where were you?”

“Where did you go?”

“What did you do?”

“Weren’t you awfully scared?”

“Where did the dog find you?”

“Did he bite you very hard?”