Squinty wished he could speak boy language, and tell his friend that he would not run away as long as he was kindly treated, but of course Squinty could not do this.  Instead, he could only grunt and squeal.

The boy tied a string to Squinty’s leg, and let him out of the pen.  The comical little pig was glad to have more room in which to move about.  He walked first to one side, and then the other, rooting in the dirt with his funny, rubbery nose.  The boy laughed to see him.

“I guess you are looking for something to eat,” the boy said.  “Well, let’s see if you can find these acorns.”

The boy hid them under a pile of dirt, and watched.  Squinty smelled about, and sniffed.  He could easily tell where the acorns had been hidden, and, a moment later, he had rooted them up and was eating them.

“Oh, you funny little pig!” cried the boy.  “You are real smart!  You know how to find acorns.  That is one trick.”

“Ha!  If that is a trick, it is a very easy one—­just rooting up acorns,” thought Squinty to himself.

Squinty walked around, as far as the rope tied to his leg would let him.  The other end of the rope was held by the boy.  Once the rope got tangled around Squinty’s foot, and he jumped over it to get free.  The boy saw him and cried: 

“Oh, I wonder if I could teach you to jump the rope?  That would be a fine trick.  Let me see.”

The boy thought a moment, and then lifted Squinty up, and set him down on one side of the rope, which he raised a little way from the ground, just as girls do when they are playing a skipping game.

On the other side of the rope the boy put an apple.

“Now, Squinty,” said Bob, “if you want that apple you must jump the rope to get it.  Come on.”

At first Squinty did not understand what was wanted of him.  He saw nothing but the apple, and thought how much he wanted it.  He started for it, but, before he could get it the boy pulled up the rope in front of him.  The rope stopped Squinty.

“Jump over the rope if you want the apple,” said the boy.  Of course Squinty could not exactly understand this talk.  He tried once more to get the apple, but, every time he did, he found the rope in front of him, in the way.

“Well!” exclaimed Squinty to himself, “I am going to get that apple, rope or no rope.  I guess I’ll have to get over the rope somehow.”

So the next time he started for the juicy apple, and the rope was pulled up in front of him, Squinty gave a little spring, and over the rope he went, jumping with all four legs, coming down on the other side, like a circus man jumping over the elephant’s back.

[Illustration:  Squinty gave a little spring, and over the rope he went.]

“Oh, fine!  Good!” cried the boy, clapping his hands.  “Squinty has learned to do another trick!”

“Uff!  Uff!” grunted Squinty, as he chewed the apple.  “So that’s another trick, is it?”