Bravery in the line of duty apparently extends to pig-kissing.
The kids at Juliet W. Long School were outside enjoying their field day.
Officer Liz Smith stood on the corner near the parking lot, waiting. Sure enough, a pickup truck from Nine Brothers Farm in Preston rolled in. A pungent, not exactly pleasant cologne wafted up from the vehicle.
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"Boy that thing stinks," Smith said.
The teachers called out for the students to come around the back of the school to watch the spectacle. Hundreds of them swarmed around the truck in a screaming amphitheater, not to be satisfied until they got what they came for.
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The pig, oblivious to the ceremony, chewed some slops off the truck bed.
Juliet W. Long parent Marcy Pillsbury, who had helped organize the fund-raiser, presented Smith with a stuffed toy and then a pillow in the shape of a pig.
Could Officer Liz kiss one of these instead of the live pig?
"No!" The students screamed.
Fourth-grade teacher Santo Silva ran out wearing a pig nose for a smooch. Still no good.
At last, the driver grabbed the squealing suitor and Smith knelt down to deliver a swift peck to its snout. Silva followed. The much-loved swine retired to the truck-bed to munch its slops.
