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diff --git a/43872.txt b/43872.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 46a937b..0000000 --- a/43872.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3882 +0,0 @@ - BILLY WHISTERS' TRAVELS - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Billy Whiskers' Travels -Author: F. G. Wheeler -Release Date: October 02, 2013 [EBook #43872] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BILLY WHISKERS' TRAVELS *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - - - BILLY WHISKERS' - TRAVELS - - - BY - - F. G. WHEELER - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS BY - CARLL B. WILLIAMS - - - - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - CHICAGO -- AKRON, OHIO -- NEW YORK - - MADE IN U. S. A. - - - - - Copyright 1907 - by - The Saalfield Publishing Co. - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - -CHAPTER - - I. Billy Runs Away from Home - II. He Loses his Mother - III. Billy Sees his Mother Again - IV. The Burgomaster is Bumped - V. The Wooden Goat - VI. A Celebration with Fireworks - VII. Billy Finds his Mother - VIII. An Encounter with the Tiger - IX. Alone in an Ocean Storm - X. The Goats Become a Fiery Dragon - XI. Billy Joins a Happy Family - XII. Billy Earns his Name - XIII. A Happy Reunion - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -A Boat was lowered to rescue Billy. (missing from source book) - -"Grab him, Caspar! Hold him!" - -Billy saw him coming, and splashed around to the far side of the -fountain. - -Billy felt his courage coming back. - -"Well, old fellow, if broken bones are all, we can fix those." - -"Shake hands," said Bobby. - - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *BILLY RUNS AWAY FROM HOME* - - -The other kids of the big flock on the pretty Swiss farm thought that -they were having a very nice time, but Billy did not like it very well. -He could run faster, jump higher and butt harder than any of the other -kids of his age, and he wanted more room. Nearly every day he stopped -for a while beside the high fence and looked out through it at the green -slopes that ran up to the mountains. The leaves looked so much fresher -and more tender there, and the sun so much brighter; besides, there were -rocky places--he could see them--which would make such fine playgrounds -and jumping places. His wise old mother shook her head when he told her -about these things. - -"You are too little yet, Billy," she always said. "You are not yet -strong enough to be out in the world alone, even if you could get away -from here." - -"Just wait till I get big," Billy would say, shaking his head, and then -he would scamper away to slyly nip the whiskers of some sober old goat, -or to romp or play fight with one of the other youngsters. - -He was the most mischievous kid in the flock, and because of that his -mother named him Billy Mischief. Farmer Klausen, who owned him, was -nearly as proud of him as Billy's own mother could be. - -"That's the smartest and strongest young goat I've got," he used to brag -to his neighbor, fat Hans Zug, but for all that he kept a sharp eye on -Billy and would not allow him to break away from the flock and escape, -as he sometimes tried to do when they were being driven across the road -from one pasture to another. - -One day, when Billy was almost a full-grown goat, his chance came at -last. Farmer Klausen was standing in the middle of the road to see that -none got away, while his boys were driving the flock over to the lower -meadows. Billy, who came up with the others, looking as innocent as a -goat can look, suddenly wheeled, and with a hard jump landed his broad -head and horns square in the stomach of his master. Farmer Klausen gave -a yell, threw up both his hands and went heels over head into the dust, -while Billy, scampering over him, ran as hard as he could for the hills. - -Coming down the road toward him was fat Hans Zug with a yoke across his -shoulders from which hung two great pails of goat's milk which he was -taking down to the chocolate factory in the valley. Slow-witted Hans, -when he saw neighbor Klausen's goat getting away, never thought of -setting down his pails, but spread out his arms and stood square in the -middle of the road, waving his hands and shouting: "Shoo! Shoo!" It -was a big mistake to think that he could scare this scamp goat by saying -"Shoo!" or by keeping his fat body in the road, for Billy came straight -on with his head down, and just as Hans thought that maybe he had better -step to one side, Billy gave a mighty leap and doubled Hans up just like -he had Farmer Klausen. - -"A thousand lightnings yet again!" yelled Hans as he went over. The two -pails came down with a thud and a swish, and goat's milk ran all over -the road and down the gulleys at the side. Hans Zug's dog, which had -been sniffing at the roadside to see if he could find the trail of a -rabbit, now jumped out and came at Billy. With one jerk of his strong -little neck the runaway goat picked the dog up on his horns and tossed -him clear over his head, where he landed plump on top of fat Hans and -knocked the breath out of him for a second time, just as Hans was -getting up. Then Billy, feeling fine from this nice bit of exercise, -kicked up his heels and galloped on. - -[Illustration: The two pails came down with a thud and a swish] - -Just as he reached the woods he turned around and looked back. Farmer -Klausen was on his feet again but had no time to chase Billy, for he was -cracking his long whip and running from one side of the road to the -other to keep the rest of the goats from breaking away. Billy could hear -his loud voice from where he stood. Hans had also rolled to his feet -and was holding his pudgy hands across his stomach, where he had been -hit, while he looked dumbly at the rich, yellow milk which was in -puddles everywhere. Thick-headed Hans was just making up his mind that -the milk had really been spilled when another goat dashed by him, as -fast as its feet could patter. As it drew nearer Billy saw with joy -that it was his mother, and he waited for her. When she came close -Billy called to her: - -"Hurry up! We are never going back any more." - -He kicked up his heels again in pure delight and was about to plunge -into the woods when his mother called on him to wait, and he did so, -though he did not like to do it, for the last of the flock was now -safely in the other pasture, the gate was being closed on them and Billy -knew that in a moment more Farmer Klausen and his boys and neighbor Hans -would be coming after them. - -When Billy's mother came up even with him she was panting so hard that -she could not speak, but she did not stop. She kept right on running, -and he followed, curious to see what she meant to do. As soon as they -were out of sight of the men, she turned from the road into the woods, -and by-and-by reached a little hollow which was all overgrown with -bushes. Into this she raced, and Billy, now seeing what she was up to, -scampered lightly along behind, thinking it to be great fun. The hollow -grew deeper and wider and shadier as they went on, and at last she -turned and scrambled up the dim, pebbly bank, where she plunged into a -dry little cave. Here she lay down upon the ground to get her breath, -while Billy climbed in beside her and listened. Soon he could hear the -heavy pat, pat, of the feet of Farmer Klausen and his boys on the road, -which was now high above them. - -"They'll never find us here," he said. - -"Don't 'baah' so loud or they will hear us," panted his mother. "My! -I'm getting too fat to run any more, but if you were bound to go out in -the world, I was bound to come with you. You're not old enough even yet -to be trusted alone. But you are right about one thing; unless they -catch us, we're never going back." - -Suddenly they both became very still. The noise of the footsteps had -died away, but there was a slow rustling of the leaves in the hollow. -Something was coming toward them! - -Nearer and nearer to where Billy and his mother lay hidden came the -noise, and soon they saw a dim, dark-gray shape among the underbrush -turn straight up toward them. It was a large wild boar, one of the -fiercest animals that rove the forests of Europe. It had a great, -shaggy head and cruel-looking curved tusks nearly a foot long. The two -goats were in one of his hiding-places, and they knew that he would not -stop to say "Beg your pardon" when he came up; whatever he had to say -would be said with those sharp tusks. The space was too narrow for them -to run out past him. Billy's mother was scared, but not Billy. - -"The only thing for us to do is to fight," said he, and, jumping to his -feet, he stood at the mouth of the little cave and gave a loud "baah!" -which was to warn the boar that it had better go about its business. - -The boar stopped and looked up at Billy with little wicked eyes, then he -gave a loud snort, and, lowering his head, started to run straight up -the hill toward them. Billy waited until the boar was close upon him, -then he gave a sudden jump and landed square upon the fierce animal's -back. The beast squealed and whirled around to rip Billy with his -tusks, but before he could do so Billy himself had whirled and had -hooked the big animal in the side. There was another squeal and Billy -jumped out of the way. The animal turned and dashed after him, but in -turning, his side was for an instant toward the mouth of the cave. It -was just that instant for which Billy's mother was watching, and with -all her might she jumped, butting him in the side with such force that -he went rolling over and over, squealing and grunting, into the hollow. -Billy was for jumping down after him but his mother knew better than -that. She knew that it would be only an accident if they could whip this -wicked animal, as the boar was so much the stronger, and that it was -better to run than fight. - -"Come quickly!" she cried, springing up the hill. - -Billy stood for a moment, hardly knowing whether to follow her or not, -but just then the boar scrambled to his feet and started after them, -snorting and with fire-red eyes. - -"Billy! Billy!" screamed his mother. "Do as I tell you!" - -Even then, Billy, who never had known what it was to be afraid, wanted -to stay and fight it out, but the sight of his mother scampering up the -hill decided him. He was more afraid that he might lose her than he was -that he could not whip the boar, so he took after her. The boar was -also a good runner, but he was not nearly so nimble a climber as the -goats and they soon out-distanced him, gaining the road, where they ran -on as fast as they could go. - -The road soon came to a narrow place where the trees stopped and the -rocks rose straight up on either side. They were half way through this -narrow stretch when Billy's mother stopped. - -"Goodness!" she exclaimed. "I forgot about Farmer Klausen and his boys. -They will be coming back past this way pretty soon, and if they meet us -in here there will be trouble. We can't turn back on account of the -boar and they will surely catch us." - -"Well, then," said Billy, once more showing his bravery, "if we can't go -back on account of the boar, we might just as well go on ahead and meet -whatever comes, as to stand here wasting time. Maybe if we hurry we can -get out before they get to us." - -"I'm proud of you, Billy," said his mother. - -They started to run on again, but had no more than done so when, sure -enough, they saw a man coming toward them. It was fat Hans Zug, and the -minute they saw who it was Billy laughed. - -"Just watch me roll him over," he said, and started, as hard as he could -go, toward the big round farmer. - -When Hans saw Billy coming toward him this time he did not wave his arms -and cry, "Shoo!" In place of that he put his hands on his stomach and -turned around to run away from this little, white cannon-ball of a goat. -It was comical to see the fat fellow waddling along, holding his hands -in front of him, but he was making such slow progress that Billy felt -sorry for him and thought that he ought to help him a little. It only -took a few jumps to catch up with Hans and then--biff!--he struck him -from behind so hard that Hans almost bounced when he hit the ground. - -"A thousand lightnings, yet again!" yelled poor Hans. - -He was just grunting his way to his hands and feet again when Billy's -mother came along behind and--whack!--she gave him another tumble. This -time he did not stop to look in either direction, but rolled over to the -side of the road and, getting to his feet, tried to claw his way up the -steep rocks, feeling almost sure that a whole regiment of goats of all -colors and sizes was after him. - -"Ten thousand, a hundred thousand lightnings!" wailed Hans. Billy, -nearly laughing himself sick, waited for his mother, and when she came -up they both pranced on. They had nearly reached the end of the narrow -pass when they saw coming toward them Farmer Klausen and his two boys. -The boys were running on ahead, quite a little distance in front of -their father, and Billy said quickly: - -"You take Chris and I will take Jacob!" - -So when they came up to the boys they just dived between their legs. -Billy upset Jacob easily enough, but Chris was lighter, and when the -fatter goat tried to escape between his legs he simply fell over on top -of her. Without stopping to think what he was doing, he grabbed his -arms about her middle and hung tight, while she raced on for dear life. -By this time they were up to the farmer. Billy easily dodged him, but -it was not so easy for his mother. With Chris hanging on her back, -Farmer Klausen was able to grab her by the horns and hold her tight. - -[Illustration: He grabbed his arms about her middle and hung tight.] - -"Billy, Billy! Help!" squealed his mother, and Billy whirled around to -come back at once. He flew through the air as if he had been shot out -of a gun, and when he landed against the stooping Farmer Klausen, that -surprised man turned a somersault clear over Chris and the old goat, -then Billy's mother easily shook Chris loose and away they went again. - -As soon as they got through the narrow pass they turned once more into -the woods, which here sloped upward. They had now passed the last of -the farms, and beyond them lay nothing but wooded hills and the -mountains. Up and up they scrambled until at last, near nightfall, they -came to a little, grass-grown tableland, watered by a tiny stream that -tumbled down from the mountains, and here, after taking a long drink, -they rested. After a while they made a good meal from the tender young -grass that grew at the side of the stream, and lay down again. Soon -they were fast asleep, side by side. - -It was nearly midnight and the moon was shining brightly overhead, when -they were both awakened by a terrific scream, and at the same moment a -soft, heavy body landed upon Billy's back! Sharp claws struck his hide -and sharp teeth sank into the back of his neck! - -[Illustration: "GRAB HIM, CASPAR! HOLD HIM!"] - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *HE LOSES HIS MOTHER* - - -It was a mountain lynx that had sprung upon Billy from the rocks above. -This lynx often came down to the highest of the goat farms, and had many -times annoyed fat Hans Zug and Farmer Klausen by stealing nice, fat -young kids for his supper. This time, however, he had met his match, -for Billy's mother no sooner saw the animal light upon her offspring -than she scrambled to her feet, and, with a short, quick jump, plunged -her sharp horns into his side. The lynx screamed, and loosing his grip -on Billy, turned to fight with the mother goat. The moment his weight -was lifted, Billy, quick as a flash, ripped at the underside of the -beast with his sharp horns. That made the animal snarl and loosen his -hold upon Billy's mother, and between them they soon, in this way, gave -the lynx more than he had bargained for, so that presently he fled -howling up the steep rocks with the two goats chasing him as far as they -thought it safe. Then they came back to their grassy spot, and bathed -their hurt places in the cool, running water. - -"Now, Billy, you see what the world is like," said his mother. "Don't -you wish that we were safely back in Farmer Klausen's pasture?" - -Billy dipped his scratched hind leg in the water and held it there while -he shook his head. - -"No," he said, "this is better. Only I'm glad that I didn't get a -chance to run away until I was so big and strong." - -His mother sighed, but looked at him proudly. - -"You are a brave young goat," she said, "and it would be a shame to keep -you shut up in a pen." - -In the morning they were a little stiff from their hurts, but Billy was -still eager to travel and see the world, so they went on into the -mountains. About noon they followed a little ravine down to a plateau -where there was a whole herd of chamois. These graceful animals are -about the size of a goat, but they are not so heavily built and are much -swifter. At first the chamois did not want to let the goats join them, -but old Fleetfoot, the leader of the herd, said that they might stay if -they were not quarrelsome, but that they would have to look out for -themselves if hunters came that way. - -This little plateau was a beautiful place, all carpeted with grass and -backed up by towering rocks. At one end was a cliff looking out over a -valley, at the further end of which was a little village. Billy, in his -eagerness to see the world, ran at once to the edge of the cliff. - -"You reckless Billy!" cried his mother, running after him. "Don't go so -close to that cliff or you will surely fall over and break your neck!" - -"I'm not afraid," boasted Billy, and actually stood on his hind legs at -the very edge. - -[Illustration: Stood on his hind legs at the very edge.] - -Just then a few loose stones came rolling down the ravine, and like a -flash the entire herd of chamois were gone, leaping across a broad chasm -to a little ledge upon the other side, where there was a second path -that led among the rocks. - -"Oh, what shall we do?" cried Billy's mother. "Here come two hunters -with guns, and we can't jump where they did. Why, it's twelve feet -across there!" She was frightened half to death but not for herself, -for she threw herself squarely between Billy and the hunters. - -The hunters were ignorant fellows, and as soon as they caught sight of -the two goats they thought that these also were chamois, and one of -them, lifting his gun, shot at them, grazing the head of the mother -goat. She toppled over against Billy, and that knocked him over the -cliff. If it had not been for a small tree which grew out of the cliff -about half way down, Billy would have been dashed to death, but the tree -broke his fall and so he only lay in the valley stunned, while the -hunters picked up his mother and in great glee carried her away, -thinking they had shot a chamois. - -When they got back to their guide he told them their mistake, and saw, -too, that the goat was only stunned; so they gave it to him and he sold -it next day to a man who was buying some extra goats for Hans Zug, to -stock a goat farm in America. - -In the meantime poor Billy lay almost dead at the base of the cliff, -where a man found him about an hour later. - -"You poor goat!" said the man, looking up at the cliff. "Did you fall -down from that dizzy height?" and he put his hand on Billy's sleek coat. -"At least you are not dead," he went on, feeling Billy's heart beat. -"I'll get you some water." - -He took off his little round hat and ran back to where a tiny waterfall -came splashing and tumbling down the cliff, and, filling his hat full of -water, brought it and emptied it on the goat's head. The cool shower -revived Billy so that he raised his head a little, and by the time the -man got back with the second hatful of water he was able to drink a -little. This revived him still more, and presently he scrambled weakly -to his feet. He stumbled and swayed and nearly fell down, but by -spreading his feet out he managed to stand up, and by-and-by he took a -few tottering steps. With each step he grew stronger, and after another -good drink he was able to follow this kind man across the valley to the -little village. - -Billy was glad enough to lie down and take a nap as soon as he got to -the man's house, and he did not wake up until late at night. After his -good sleep he felt as strong as ever and thought he would get something -to eat, then see if he could not find his mother. He found that he was -tied to a fence not far from a little whitewashed building, under which -ran a stream of water, but it did not take long for him to jerk himself -loose. Going toward the little white building, he smelled something -that reminded him of milk. He tried to get in at the door. It was -fastened with a wooden button but Billy did not care for that. He went -back a little piece to get a run, and bumped head first into the door, -which flew open at once. - -"Milk!" said Billy, sniffing around in delight. "Nice sweet milk! I'm -sure that kind man would want me to have some." - -There was a little board walk down the center of this spring-house, and -on each side of this were a number of crocks setting in the water, each -one of them covered with a plate and containing milk. A stone was laid -on top of each plate to weight the crock down in the water, and in -trying to nose off one of these plates Billy reached over too far and -fell. He landed right among the crocks, which, of course, bumped into -each other, breaking and overturning and spilling the milk, and making a -great clatter. At the noise, two dogs came running down and dashed into -the spring-house, where, seeing something floundering around in the -water, they promptly dived in after it and Billy found himself very -busy. The noise the dogs made aroused the man and his wife, and they, -too, came down; the noise they made aroused the neighbors on both sides, -who came running over to see what was the matter; a young man, who was -coming home late from calling on a girl, passed by that way and saw the -people from both sides running to this house and thought there must be a -fire, so he ran to the town hall, where the rope of the fire bell hung -outside, and began ringing it as loud as he could, which aroused -everybody in the village. Hearing the commotion many got out of bed and -came out on the streets to learn where the fire was. - -All this time Billy, the cause of the hubbub, was battling with the dogs -among the milk crocks in the spring-house, and using his horns right and -left as hard as he could, until finally he was able to jump out between -them and on to the board walk. Out of the door he dashed, upsetting the -man and his wife, butting into the neighbors and, all dripping with -white milk, ran like the ghost of a goat through the village street, -making women and girls scream, scattering people right and left and -being chased by yelping dogs and halloing men and boys. - -Billy easily outran his pursuers, but he never stopped until he was far -out in the country, where he crept under a stone bridge to rest from his -long run. As soon as he had got his breath, he broke into a near-by -field and made a splendid supper from some nice young lettuce heads, -then he trotted contentedly back under his bridge and went to sleep. In -the morning, bright and early, he went back into the market garden and -made a fine breakfast from beet and carrot tops, all sparkling with cool -dew. He enjoyed this garden very much and would like to have stayed -there until all the nice vegetables were eaten up, but he remembered how -Mr. Klausen had whipped him for breaking into his turnip patch one time, -and made up his mind that it would not be safe to linger in this part of -the country much longer, so he jumped the fence and started again on his -travels. - -A little dog was trotting down the road, and as soon as he saw Billy he -began to bark. To ordinary persons the barking would have sounded -merely like a lot of bow-wows, but in the animal language it said: - -"Where did _you_ come from, you big white tramp? You go right on away -from here or I'll call the police." - -Billy wasn't going to take that sort of talk from any dog, big or -little, so he gave one "baah!" lowered his head, and started for that -dog. The dog suddenly found out that he had very important business -back home, and he started up the road as hard as he could go, with Billy -close after him. There never was a dog that ran so hard and so -earnestly as that one, and all the breath that he could spare from -running he used in howling, to let the folks at home know that he was -coming. All at once he was very anxious indeed to get home in time for -breakfast, and Billy was just as anxious to toss him over a fence before -he got there. Up one hill and down another went the two, lickaty-split, -first a little white streak bent low in the dust, and then a bigger -white streak coming along close behind in a whirling cloud. Pretty soon -they came in sight of a big square farmhouse with a wide-spreading roof, -and then the little dog, his tongue hanging away out, gave an extra wild -howl and ran faster than ever. When they got to the house the dog -turned in at the open gate with Billy right at his heels. He tore up -the path and around to the kitchen door, up the steps and into the -kitchen, pell-mell, where he dived under the table at which the Oberbipp -family was having breakfast. - -Billy did not know where he was going and did not very much care. All -he knew was that he was chasing that dog and meant to catch him, so -without looking, he followed, too, up the steps and under the table. -Such shrieking and howling never was heard. Herr Oberbipp jumped up so -quickly that he upset his chair, and in trying to catch the chair he -upset himself, turning a back somersault on the floor and landing in a -tub of soapsuds in which the clothes were soaking to be washed. Frau -Oberbipp grabbed a loaf of bread in one hand and a sausage in the other, -and never left off screaming until she was out of breath. Greta -Oberbipp sprang up on her chair and shook her skirts as hard as she -could, while she helped her mamma scream. Baby Oberbipp jumped up on -the table at first, but the snarls and howls and "baahs" from underneath -excited his curiosity so much that he soon jumped down to the floor and -looked under the table. Then he began to dance on one foot and yell. - -"Hang on, you Flohbeis!" he cried, for the dog, now full of courage -because he was under his own table, had grabbed Billy by the nose. -Shake his head as hard as he might, Billy could not loosen Flohbeis, or -Fleabite, as his name would be called in English, so he reared straight -up, and the table began to dance across the room toward the father of -the family, while Frau Oberbipp and Greta screamed louder than ever. -Herr Oberbipp was just getting out of the tub when the table got over to -him, and he made a grab at it when Billy gave an extra strong jump. The -table overturned, and all the breakfast things, with a mighty crash of -dishes, slid on Herr Oberbipp and knocked him back in the suds again. -By this time Billy had unfastened the grip of Fleabite from his nose and -had butted that yelping dog into the bottom of the tall clock case; then -Billy started for the door, but Herr Oberbipp was already yelling to -Caspar not to let him out. - -"Grab him, Caspar! Hold him!" yelled the man. "He is a nice young -goat. He spoils our breakfast and we make a dinner of him." - -When Billy heard that, he was more anxious than ever to get out, but -Caspar had slammed the door shut, and Billy, seeing it closed, tried to -butt it down. The door was too strong and Billy grew desperate. Caspar -ran after him and Billy suddenly turned, running under Caspar's legs and -toppling him over; then he made for the window, meaning to go through -it, sash and all. But Caspar had already jumped up, and, as the goat -went through a pane of glass, Caspar grabbed him by the hind legs and -held him, while Billy, fairly caught and pinched in between the window -bars, could only struggle with his fore feet. - -Herr Oberbipp in the meantime got himself out of the tub of water, took -the butter out of his hair and the mush out of his shirt front, -untangled himself from the table-cloth, wiped the coffee from his face -and ran outside, where he grabbed Billy by the horns and pulled him on -through the window. Herr Oberbipp was a big, strong man, and, holding -Billy by the horns, he carried him at arm's length down to the barn, -letting him kick and struggle all he wanted to, and there he tied the -goat in a stall with a good stout wire, after which he went back to the -house and washed himself. Frau Oberbipp and Greta were still screaming. - -The glass had given Billy two or three little cuts, but they did not -amount to much and he had already licked them clean when Caspar came out -with some water and a plate of cold potatoes which Billy was very glad -to get. While the goat was eating, Caspar examined the cut places, and, -running into the house, brought out something which he put on the cuts. -It smarted at first, and Billy tried to butt Caspar for putting it on, -but by-and-by he could feel that the smarts were being soothed and that -the cuts were healing by reason of the stuff that the boy had put on, so -he began to see that Caspar was not such a bad sort after all. He had -something to worry about, however, when, after breakfast, the farmer -came out and looked the goat over. - -"Roast kid is a very fine dish," said the farmer. "I don't know to whom -this goat belongs, but whosever it is he owes us a meal, so we're going -to roast him." - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *BILLY SEES HIS MOTHER AGAIN* - - -Nobody, not even a goat, likes to think of being roasted for dinner, and -so, the minute he heard that, Billy gave an extra hard tug at the wire, -but it only cut his neck and choked him and would not break. So he gave -it up and "baahed" pitifully while he looked to Caspar for help. - -"Indeed you will not roast this goat," said sturdy Caspar. "He's my -goat; he chased my dog and I'm going to keep him." - -Caspar looked up at his father and his father looked down at Caspar. -Billy looked up at both of them. Little Caspar and big Caspar stood -exactly alike, both of them with their fists doubled on their hips and -both of them with square jaws and firm lips, and it was big Caspar, who, -proud to see his boy looking so much like himself, finally gave in. He -laughed and said: - -"All right, he's your goat, but you have got to take the whippings for -all the damage he does." - -"Very well," said Caspar, "I'll do it," and his father walked away. - -Billy was so pleased with this that he made up his mind to be very nice -to the boy, and when Caspar stooped down to take the empty plate away, -Billy ran his nose affectionately into young Oberbipp's hand. Right -after breakfast Caspar took off the wire from Billy's neck, holding a -switch in his hand to whip the goat over the nose in case he tried to -butt or run away. But Billy did neither of these things. He followed -his new master out in the yard, and there he was backed up between the -shafts of a little wagon that had been made for Fleabite. The dog -capered and barked and made a run or two at Billy, but the goat only -shook his horns at him and Fleabite ran under the barn. The dog was -jealous. He did not like the wagon, but, rather than have the goat -hitched up to it, he wanted to haul it himself. - -[Illustration: He was backed up between the shafts of a little wagon.] - -"It's no use, Fleabite," said Caspar, "you might as well make friends -with him. Anyhow, you're not big enough to haul this wagon, and you -always lay down in the harness. You can come along behind, though. I'm -going to drive in to Kasedorf and show my goat to cousin Fritz." - -At first Billy was afraid that Kasedorf might be the village where he -had torn up the spring-house, and he had very good reasons for not -wanting to go back there, but when they clattered out of the gate Caspar -turned his head in the other direction, and he was very glad of this. -He was so pleased with his new master that he went along at a splendid -gait, pulling Caspar nicely up one hill after another. Fleabite ran -along, sometimes behind, sometimes ahead, and sometimes slipping up at -the side and snapping at Billy's nose; but Billy had only to shake his -horns in the dog's direction and Fleabite would run about a mile before -he would take it into his foolish head to try that trick again. - -Pretty soon they went whizzing down a little hill and into a far -prettier village than the first one. Just as they turned into the main -street, along came a flock of goats driven by two men and half a dozen -boys, and who should Billy see in that flock but his own mother! Of -course he called loudly to her. She heard him, and though she was in -the center of the flock, quickly made her way to the edge, where she -kissed him. She had no time to tell him where she was going, nor he to -tell her all that had happened to him since he had fallen from the -cliff, but it was a joy for each of them to know that the other was -still alive and in good health. - -Before they could speak further, a sharp whip cracked over them and the -lash landed on Billy's nose. He jumped back with the pain and again the -whip cracked. This time Billy's mother got the sting of it. Billy -looked around, and there, handling the whip, was fat Hans Zug! Billy, -mad as a hornet, whirled and was going to make for Hans, when Caspar, -who had jumped out of the cart, hit him a sharp crack across the nose -with his fist, and it pained Billy so much that the tears came to his -eyes and he could not see. Before he could make another start for Hans -or run after his mother, Hans had passed by, and Caspar's uncle -Heinrich, who had come up in the meantime, had Billy by the horns and -was holding him. Billy struggled as hard as he could to get away. He -wanted to butt Hans Zug for whipping his mother and himself, and he -wanted to go with his mother if he could, so he was a very sulky goat. - -Even when Caspar took him to his uncle's house and gave him some nice, -tender vegetables and potato parings to eat, he was very sulky as he -stood there munching his dinner, so that when Fleabite came up and stole -some of his potato parings he butted that poor dog plump into a barbed -wire fence. You must not suppose that Fleabite liked potato parings. -He would not eat them at home, but he was such a jealous dog that he -wanted to eat up Billy's dinner, no matter what it was. After dinner -Caspar rubbed Billy's sleek coat until it was all clean and glossy, then -he let Fritz have a ride in the cart. Fritz drove proudly up into the -main street, and there, standing at the corner, talking to another man, -was Hans Zug! - -"Yes," Hans was saying in English to the other man, "I go me also by -America next week. I got such a brother there what is making more as a -tousand dollars a year mit such a goat farm, and I take me my goats -over. I got a contract mit another Switzer what owns the land. Yess!" - -Billy did not wait for any more, but raised up on his hind feet. Fritz -tried his best to hold him back, but he might as well have tried to hold -the wind, and Billy, feeling the tug at his reins, gave a jump that -toppled Fritz over backwards out of the cart. He gave one more jump and -landed with all his might and main against poor, round Hans, and as his -enemy went down Billy jumped on him and ran up one side of him and down -the other side. Poor Hans got up and clasped both pudgy hands on his -stomach. - -"A thousand lightnings yet again!" he exclaimed as he looked sorrowfully -at his print in the dust. Hans had been butted that time for Billy's -mother; now Billy whirled and came back to give Hans one for himself, -but this time Hans was too quick for him and dodged behind a tree, -letting Billy butt the tree so hard that it stunned him, and before the -fiery tempered goat could make up his mind what had happened to him, -Caspar came running up and grabbed him by the horns. Billy could have -jerked away from Caspar, but he felt that the boy was now the best -friend he had, and he did not want to hurt him, so he let Caspar pat him -on his sleek sides and climb into the cart behind him. - -"You'll have to walk, Fritz," said Caspar loftily. "It takes a good -strong boy to manage this goat." - -Billy laughed at this, but when Caspar "clicked" for him to "get up," he -trotted right along without making any fuss about it. - -At the next corner a carriage turned into the main street, and in it, on -the seat back of the driver, were a man and a boy, the latter being of -about Caspar's age. - -"Oh, papa, do look at that beautiful goat!" exclaimed the boy. "Please -buy him for me, won't you?" - -Mr. Brown shook his head. - -"I don't mind you having a goat, Frank," he said, "but I can get you -just as good a one when we get back to America. There is no use in -carrying a goat clear across the ocean with us when there are so many at -home." - -"All right," said the boy, obediently, and the carriage drove on. - -Poor Billy! His heart sank. He had just heard from Hans that his -mother was going to America, and he did hope that this fine looking man -would buy him and take him there, too, so that he would have more chance -to find his mother; but now his chance was gone. Was it though? He was -not a goat to give up easily, and he made up his mind to try once more. - -Billy stopped dead still to think it over. He simply could not bear to -let this man get away without another trial, so suddenly he whirled, -nearly upsetting the cart, and ran after the strangers. He soon caught -up with them, and then, slowing down, he trotted along at the side of -the carriage, showing off his beauty as much as he could. - -"Oh, papa, there is that beautiful goat again," said the boy. "How I do -wish I could have him! Of course you can buy me one in America, as you -have promised to do, but they say that there are no goats in the world -so fine as the Swiss goats, and I am sure that I never saw any so pretty -as this one." - -The man smiled indulgently at his son and stopped the carriage. - -"How much will you take for your goat, my boy?" he asked. - -"I don't want to sell him," replied Caspar. "He's my goat and I like -him." - -Just then Billy tossed his fine head and pranced, daintily lifting his -feet. - -"See how graceful he is!" exclaimed the boy. "Do buy him, papa!" - -"I'll give you ten dollars for him," said the gentleman, pulling out his -pocketbook. - -Caspar caught his breath. He knew the value of an American dollar, and -ten dollars was equal to more than forty German marks. It was a great -lot of money, too much for a poor boy to refuse. Caspar drew a long sigh -and began to slowly unhitch his goat. The driver of the carriage threw -him a strap, and with this he tied Billy to the rear axle of the -carriage. - -Fleabite, as soon as Billy was safely tied, began to caper with joy and -to snap at Billy's heels, but Caspar, when the man had paid him his -money, grabbed Fleabite and hitched him to the cart. Then he ran up and -patted Billy affectionately on the flanks, and the carriage drove away, -with Billy following gladly behind in the dust. - -Down the village street the carriage rolled until it came to a quaint -little Swiss inn, where it turned through a wide gateway that led into a -brick-paved courtyard. Here Billy was unfastened from the carriage by a -servant and led back of the inn, where he was tied by the strap to a -post, while Mr. Brown and his son Frank went to their mid-day meal. -Billy didn't like to be tied; he was not used to it, so he began to chew -his strap in two. It was very tough leather but Billy's teeth were very -sharp and strong, and he had it about half gnawed through when a little, -lean waiter came from the kitchen across the courtyard, carrying, high -up over his head, a great big tray piled with dishes of food. The -waiter saw Billy gnawing his strap in two and thought that he ought to -keep him from it. - -"Stop that, you hammer-headed goat!" he cried and gave Billy a kick. - -Billy was not going to stand anything like that, so he gave a mighty -jump and the strap parted where he had been gnawing upon it. As soon as -the lean waiter saw this he started to run, but, with the heavy tray he -was carrying, he could not run very fast and he looked most comical with -his apron flopping out behind him and his legs going almost straight up -and down in his effort to run and to balance the tray at the same time. - -When Billy pulled the strap in two, the jerk of it sent him head over -heels and by the time he had scrambled to his feet again the waiter was -half way to the back door of the inn. The fat cook, who was looking out -of the door of the summer kitchen, saw Billy start for the waiter and he -started after the goat, but he got there too late, for the goat caught -up with the lean waiter in about three leaps and with a loud "baah!" -sent him sprawling. The big tray of dishes came down with a crash and a -clatter, and meats, vegetables, gravies and relishes, together with -broken dishes, were scattered all over the fellow who had kicked Billy, -all over the clean scrubbed bricks, spattered up against the walls and -into the long rows of geraniums that grew in a wooden trough at the end -of the house. - -Billy turned and was about to trot back when he saw the fat cook coming -just behind him, so he ran right on across the little waiter, through -the mess and to the back door. Crossing the winter kitchen he found a -big, rosy-cheeked girl standing in his way and made a dive at her. With -a scream she jumped and Billy's horns caught in her bright, red-checked -apron, which jerked loose. With this streaming along his back, he -dashed on into a long hall, and there at the far door whom did he see, -just starting into the dining-room, but his old enemy, fat Hans Zug, who -had that morning whipped Billy's mother and himself. Billy stood up on -his hind feet for a second and shook his head at Hans, and then he -started for him. Hans saw him coming. - -"Thunder weather!" he cried, and ran on through the door. - -He tried to shut the door behind him but he was not in time, for Billy -butted against it and threw it open right out of Hans Zug's hand. The -long room into which Hans had hurried was the dining-room, and here were -seated, around a long table, a number of ladies and gentlemen, among -them Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their son Frank, waiting for the dinner that -now lay scattered around the courtyard. Everybody looked up, startled, -when Hans came bursting through the door closely followed by an angry -goat with a red-checked apron streaming from his horns. A great many of -the men jumped up and scraped their chairs back, adding to the -confusion, and a great many of the ladies screamed. Hans, not knowing -what to do, started to run around and around the table with Billy close -behind him and the fat cook close after Billy. Billy would easily have -caught Hans except that every once in a while Hans would upset a chair -in the goat's road and Billy would have to jump over the chair. -Sometimes the fat cook would almost catch Billy and finally did succeed -in catching the apron. When it came loose in his hand he did not know -what to do with it. He started to throw it down, he started to stuff it -in his pocket, he started to mop his perspiring face with it, and at -last he threw it around his neck and tied the strings in front to get -rid of it, then once more he chased after Billy, with the red apron -flopping out behind him. - -At last he grabbed Billy by the tail just as he was going to jump over -the chair, and held on tightly, but Billy's jump had been too strong for -him and the fat cook stumbled head over heels. Jumping up the angry -cook ran until he again caught the goat, and this time he fell on top of -Billy and then both rolled over and over on the floor. - -"Ugh!" grunted the fat cook. "Beast animal!" - -Billy jumped up in such a hurry that he simply danced on the fat cook's -stomach. While Billy was doing this, Hans had stopped for a minute to -mop his face and to look wildly around for some way to escape. Around -and around, around and around the two raced, poor Hans puffing and -blowing and his face getting redder and redder every minute with the -chase. - -Some men had been calsomining the wooden ceiling of the dining-room, but -they had quit during meal time. At one end of the room stood two -step-ladders with some long boards resting across them, and on these -were a number of buckets of green calsomine. Hans had tried to get out -through the doorway, but there were too many people crowded into it and -he knew that if he got into that crowd Billy would surely catch him, but -now he saw the step-ladders, and running to one of them started to climb -up. Billy, however, was through with the cook and had taken after Hans -again. - -Hans, being so fat, was very slow in climbing a step-ladder, and he had -only puffed his way up one step when Billy tried to help him up a little -farther with his head and horns after a big running jump. Smash! went -the step-ladders. Crash! went the long boards. The buckets of green -calsomine flew everywhere. One of them tumbled down right over Hans' -head like a hat that was a couple of sizes too large for him, and the -green paint ran all over his face, down his neck and over his clothes. -Another bucket of it landed in the middle of the dining-room table, -splashing and splattering all over the clean cloth and over everybody -who sat around it. - -Billy, having done more damage than a dozen ordinary goats could hope to -do in a lifetime, now made for the door, and the people there scattered -very quickly to let him through. Billy himself had received his share -of the green calsomine and he was a queer looking sight as he darted out -and went flying up the street, with an enemy after him in the shape of -the fat cook, who had grabbed down a shot-gun from where it hung over -the mantlepiece in the dining-room and had started out after him. - -The cook was mad clear through and he was going to kill that goat. -Frank, however, was close after the cook, and being able to run much the -faster, soon caught up with him. - -"Wait!" he panted, tugging at the tail of the cook's white jacket. -"Wait! That's my goat!" he cried. "Don't you kill my goat!" - -"Away with you, nuisance!" cried the cook, jerking loose from Frank and -at the same time pushing him. - -Frank fell over backwards, although it did not hurt him, and while he -was getting to his feet the cook took careful aim at the flying goat and -pulled the trigger. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *THE BURGOMASTER IS BUMPED* - - -Billy Mischief was lucky. In his excitement the fat cook had forgotten -that the shotgun had not been loaded for five years. The cook was so -angry that he nearly burst a blood vessel. Grabbing the gun by the -barrel, he jammed it, as he thought, butt end on the ground. Instead of -that, however, he struck his broad foot a mighty thump. - -"Thunder and hailstones!" he screamed, and jerking his foot up he began -to hop along on the other leg, making the most ridiculous faces while he -did it. In spite of the pain that the gun must have caused the cook, -Frank could not help but laugh, and he forgot all his anger at the push -the man had given him. - -"What's the matter?" asked Frank when he could catch his breath. "Does -it hurt?" - -The cook did not understand English but he felt that Frank was poking -fun at him, and stopped his dance long enough to shake his fist at -Frank. He wanted to say something very sharp and cutting to the boy, -but he could not think of anything strong enough, so, after drawing his -breath hard two or three times and screwing up his mouth with pain, he -turned the gun muzzle end down, and, using it for a crutch, swung along -back to the inn, muttering and mumbling all the way. - -Frank laughed so hard that he had to sit down at the edge of the -sidewalk a moment to hold his sides, but all at once he thought of his -goat. There it was, going up the street, and although little more than -a green and white speck now, Frank bravely took after it. He probably -never would have caught it except that Billy, also being tired and -feeling himself free from pursuit, stopped before a big house set well -back from the street, on a wide, fine lawn. - -Now the house in front of which he had stopped was the residence of the -burgomaster, or mayor of the village, a very pompous fellow who thought -a great deal of his own importance, and in the center of his lawn he had -a fountain of which he was very proud. The water in the base of the -fountain was clear as crystal and it looked very cool and inviting to -Billy after his dusty run, and, besides, the paint on his back felt -sticky. Without wasting any time about it, Billy trotted up across the -nice lawn and jumped into the fountain for a bath, just as the -burgomaster came out of his front door with his stout cane in his hand. - -"Pig of a goat!" cried the burgomaster, hurrying down the walk and -across the lawn. "Out with him! Police!" and he drew a little silver -whistle from his pocket, whistling loudly upon it; then, shaking his -cane in the air, he ran up to the edge of the fountain, the waters of -which were turned a bright green by this time. Billy saw him coming, -but, instead of jumping out of the fountain and running away, he merely -splashed around to the far side of the basin. The burgomaster ran to -that side of the fountain but Billy simply splashed around out of his -reach. Then the burgomaster, up on the stone coping of the fountain, -began to run around and around after Billy, the goat keeping just out of -his reach and the burgomaster trying to strike him with the cane. At -last, after an especially hard blow, the burgomaster went plunging -headlong into the green water of the basin, where he floundered about -like a cow in a bath tub. - -Billy jumped on him and used him as a stepping stone out of the basin, -running back to the street just as Frank and a stupid looking policeman -came running up from different directions. At first the policeman was -going to arrest the goat, but Frank pointed to where the burgomaster was -still flopping around in the fountain and the policeman ran to help the -burgomaster, who was now dyed a beautiful green, face and hands and -clothes, while Frank took Billy by one horn and raced back down the -street with him. This was what Billy liked. He was a young goat, and, -like other young animals, was playful, and he thought that Frank's -racing with him was good fun, so he went along willingly enough, and -when Frank let go of his horn, he galloped along beside his young master -very contentedly. - -Frank ran back to the hotel with his goat as fast as he could go, but -when they drew near he saw a large crowd out in front and their carriage -waiting for them, with the horses hitched and the driver sitting up in -front. Mrs. Brown was in the carriage and Frank's father was in front -of the crowd handing out money, first to one and then to the other. -When Frank and his goat came up his father looked at the goat very -sternly. - -"See all the trouble that animal has made us!" he said. "I have had to -pay out in damages nearly every cent of cash I have with me, and as -there is no bank in this little village, my letter of credit is worth -nothing here. We must hurry on to Bern as fast as we can, and I want -you to leave that goat behind you. We can't bother with him any more. -Come on and get in." - -"But, father," explained Frank, "the goat did not know what he was -doing." - -"It does not matter," replied Mr. Brown. "There's no telling what kind -of mischief he will get into next." - -"But, father," again urged Frank, "if you've had to pay out all that -money for him you might as well have the goat. There is no use of -losing the goat and money, too." - -"Get in the carriage," said Mr. Brown, sharply. - -"But, father--" again Frank began to argue. This time, however, Mr. -Brown cut him short, and, picking him up, put him into the carriage with -a not very gentle hand. Then, climbing in himself, he ordered the -driver to start. - -Billy had taken his place back where he had been tied the other time, -and he was surprised to find the carriage moving on without him. The -cook, seeing that the goat was to be left behind, started forward to -give the animal a kick, but Billy was too quick for him. Wheeling, he -suddenly ran between the cook's legs and doubled him over. Just behind -the cook stood Hans Zug, and as Billy wriggled out sideways from beneath -the cook's feet, the cook tumbled back against Hans and both of them -went to the ground. Billy stood and shook his head for a moment as if -to double them up again before they got to their feet, but the sight of -the retreating carriage made him change his mind and he ran after it -with Hans and the fat cook chasing him. - -The carriage was not going very rapidly, and Billy, after he had caught -up with it, merely trotted along back of the rear axle, so that when the -carriage passed the burgomaster's house, Hans and the cook were not very -far behind. They were bound to catch that goat and punish him for what -he had done, although it is very likely that before they got through -they would have sold him and kept the money. The burgomaster was still -out in front, fretting and fuming, but the stupid policeman was gone. -He had been sent down to the hotel to arrest the foreign boy and his -goat, and he was too stupid to notice them, even with Hans and the cook -paddling along behind. He had nothing in his mind but the hotel to which -he had been sent. The burgomaster, however, recognized the green-tinted -goat as soon as he saw him. - -"There he goes!" cried the burgomaster. "Brute beast of a goat! Halt, -I say!" Blowing his little whistle, he, too, so filled with anger that -it made him puff up like a toad, started out after the carriage; and -there they ran, the three clumsy-looking fat men, one after the other, -puffing and panting and blowing, just out of reach of the goat. - -[Illustration: There they ran, the three clumsy-looking fat men.] - -Mr. and Mrs. Brown and Frank were too intent on getting up the steep -street and out of the town to notice what was going on behind them, but -just now they came to the top of the hill and began to go down the -gentle slope on the other side. The driver whipped up his horses, the -goat also increased his pace, and away they went. The cook, seeing that -the goat was about to escape, made a lunge, thinking that he could grab -it by the tail or the hind legs, but as he did so his feet caught on a -stone and over he went. Hans Zug, being right behind him, tumbled over -him, and the fat burgomaster tumbled over both of them. The burgomaster -was so angry that he felt he surely must throw somebody into jail, so, -as soon as he could get his breath, he grabbed Hans Zug by the collar -with one hand and the cook with the other. - -[Illustration: BILLY SAW HIM COMING, SPLASHED AROUND TO THE FAR SIDE OF -THE FOUNTAIN.] - -"I arrest you in the name of Canton Bern for obstructing a high -officer!" he exclaimed, and the stupid policeman running up just then, -he turned poor Hans and the cook over to him and sent them to jail. - -All the hot, dusty afternoon Billy followed Mr. Brown's carriage, now up -hill and now down hill, without ever showing himself to them. Whenever -he thought of straying off into the pleasant grassy valleys and striking -out into the world for himself again, he remembered that the Browns were -going to America and that if he went with them he might see his mother -again. He did not know, of course, that America was such a large place, -so, while now and then he stopped at the roadside to nibble a mouthful -of grass or stopped when they crossed a stream to get a drink of water, -he never lost sight of them, but when he found himself getting too far -behind, scampered on and overtook them. - -[Illustration: Billy followed Mr. Brown's carriage.] - -It was not until nightfall that the carriage rolled into the city of -Bern. Billy had never seen so large a city before and the rumbling of -many wagons and carriages, the passing of the many people on the streets -and the hundreds of lights confused and surprised him. He was not half -so surprised at this, however, as Mr. and Mrs. Brown and Frank were to -find Billy behind their carriage when they stopped in front of a large, -handsome hotel. Frank was the first one to discover him. - -"Oh, see, papa!" he cried. "My Billy followed us all the way from the -village; so now I do get to keep him, don't I?" - -Mr. Brown smiled and gave up. - -"I'm afraid he's an expensive goat, Frank," was all he said, and then he -gave Billy in charge of one of the porters who had crowded around the -carriage. - -"Wash the paint from this goat and lock him up some place for the night -where he can't do any damage," he directed the porter. - -Billy was glad enough to have the dry green paint scrubbed off his back -and he willingly went with the porter to a clean little basement room, -where he got a good scrubbing. Then the porter went into another room -and brought him out some nice carrots with green tops still on them, -and, leaving a basin of water for him to drink, went out and closed the -door carefully after him. Billy liked the carrots, but he did not like -to be shut up in a dark room, so he soon went all around the walls -trying to find a way out. There was no way except the two doors and a -high, dim window. He tried to butt the doors down but they were of -solid, heavy oak, and he could not do it. In a few minutes, however the -porter came back for his keys, and the moment he opened the door Billy -seized his chance. Gathering his legs under him for a big jump, he -rushed between the man's legs and dashed up the stairs, out through the -narrow courtyard and on the street. The porter, as soon as he could get -to his feet, rushed out after him, but Billy was nowhere in sight and -the poor porter did not know what to do. He did not dare to go back and -tell Mr. Brown that the goat had gotten loose, because he would be -charged with carelessness. - -In the meantime Billy had galloped up the street and turned first one -corner and then another, until he came to a street much wider and -brighter and busier than any of the others. By this time first one boy -and then another and then another had followed him, until now there was -a big crowd of them running after him and shouting at the top of their -lungs. - -A large dog that a lady was leading along the sidewalk by a strap broke -away from his mistress as soon as he saw Billy and ran out to bark at -him. Billy lowered his head and shook it at the dog. The dog began to -circle round him closer and closer, barking loudly all the while. A man -driving a big dray stopped to watch them; the boys crowded round in a -big ring; men came from the sidewalks and joined the crowd; a carriage -had to stop just behind the dray, then another; a wagon coming from the -other direction could not get through; and presently the street was -filled from sidewalk to sidewalk, the whole length of the block, with a -big crowd of people and a jam of vehicles of all kinds. Policemen tried -to push their way through the crowd and tried to get the blockade -loosened and moving on, but their time was wasted. - -In the meantime Billy was turning around and around where he stood, -always facing the dog which now began to dart in with a snap of his -teeth and dart away again, trying to get a hold on Billy. The goat was -too quick, however, and dodged every time the dog made a snap. He was -waiting for his chance and at last it came. The dog, in jumping away -from one of his snaps, turned his body for a moment sideways to the goat -and in that moment Billy gathered himself up and made a spring, hitting -the dog square in the side and sending him over against the crowd. -Billy followed like a little white streak of lightning and, before the -dog could get on his feet, had butted him again. - -Such a howling and yelling as there was among that side of the crowd; -Billy and the dog were now among them and they could not scatter much -for there were too many people packed solidly behind them. The dog -yelped as Billy butted him and began to run around and around the circle -with Billy right after him. After they had made two or three circles, -Billy overtook the dog and, giving him one more good one, jumped between -the legs of the crowd and wriggled his way through among carriages and -wagons, under horses and between wheels, until at last he was free from -the crowd. - -Nobody at the outer edge noticed him getting away because they did not -know what the excitement was and they were all pressing forward to see. -Just as he left, somebody who could not understand what else could make -such excitement cried, "Fire!" - -The cry was taken up, and that made still more confusion. People began -pouring into that block from every direction. More wagons and carriages -came. Some one had turned in a fire alarm, and presently here came the -fire engines from three or four directions at once, clanging and -clattering their way to this crowded block. The city of Bern had never -known so much excitement. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *THE WOODEN GOAT* - - -Billy trotted contentedly on, liking all the noise and hubbub very much -but not knowing that he was the cause of it all. Blocks away he could -hear their shouting, but he did not care to go back there, for all of -that. He was finding a great many things to interest him in the shop -windows, which were all brilliantly lighted. Before one of these low -windows he suddenly stopped. There, just inside the show window, was a -big, brown goat. Billy did not know it, but this was a wooden goat, -poised on its hind feet and ready to make a spring to butt somebody. -The Swiss woodcarvers are the finest in the world, and they carve -animals so naturally that one would think they were alive. If even human -beings can be fooled, there was very good excuse for Billy's believing -this to be a real, live goat, particularly as it had very natural -looking glass eyes; besides, its head was separate and was cunningly -arranged to shake a little bit from side to side. - -Now it is a deadly insult for one Billy goat to stand on his hind legs -and wag his head at another one. Billy Mischief for one was not going -to take such insults as that, even though the goat that gave it to him -was much larger and older than himself, so he backed off into the middle -of the street and gave a great run and jump. Crash! went the fine -plate-glass window! The sharp edges of the glass cut Billy somewhat and -stopped him so that he landed just inside the window glass. The other -goat was right in front of him, still insultingly wagging its flowing -beard at him so Billy gave one more spring from where he stood and -knocked that goat sixteen ways for Sunday. It was the hardest headed -goat that Billy had ever fought, and its sharp nose hurt his head -considerably, almost stunning him, in fact, so that he stood blinking -his eyes until the people in the store had come running up and -surrounded the show window. - -[Illustration: Gave a great run and jump.] - -Billy was still dazed when the manager of the store, a nervous little -man with a bald head, hit him a sharp crack across the nose with a -board. The pain brought the tears to Billy's eyes and still further -dazed him. The manager hit him another crack but this time on the -horns, and that woke Billy up. He looked back at the broken window -through which he had just come but the crowd had quickly gathered there. -There were less people inside, so suddenly gathering his legs under him, -he gave a spring and went clear over the manager, kicking him with his -sharp hind hoofs upon the bald head as he went over. The place was a -delicatessen store and Billy landed in a big tub of pickles. He did not -care much for pickles anyhow, so he quickly scrambled out of them, -knocked over three tall glass jars that stood on a low bench, and turned -over big cakes of fine cheese. The manager was right after him with the -board and hit him two or three thumps with it. - -Billy was just about to turn around and go for the little bald-headed -man when he noticed at the far end of the store a round, plump man with -his back turned to him. There seemed something familiar about his -figure and the cut of his short little coat, and it flashed across Billy -at once that here was his old enemy Hans Zug. - -Paying no attention to the manager and his little board, he dashed -headlong down the store for the plump man. Just as Billy had almost -reached him, the man turned around. It was not Hans Zug after all, but -Billy was going too fast to stop now. Anyhow, ever since he had known -Hans he had taken a dislike to all fat men, so he dashed straight ahead. -The man darted behind the counter and ran up the aisle, Billy close -after him. - -There never was a fat man in the world who ran so fast as this one. -Everybody had cleared out of the aisle behind the counter to make room -for them. Nobody wanted to get in the way of that heavy man and the -hard headed goat. The man stepped upon a pail of fish, overturning it, -jumped upon the counter and was over in the center aisle, Billy right -after him. Everybody in the store was packed in the center aisle, -together with a lot who had come in from the outside when the excitement -began, and they all made way for the fat man and for Billy. Women were -screaming and men were shouting and laughing. The manager was still -right after Billy with his little board and thumping him every now and -then on the back, but Billy scarcely knew it, so interested was he in -giving the fat man one for Hans Zug. - -The man headed straight up the middle aisle for the door, but, looking -over his shoulder, he found that Billy would overtake him before he got -there, so he sprang over another counter, upsetting a pair of scales and -some tall, open jars of fine olives. Billy was still right after him -but this time the man fooled him by jumping back over the counter. -Billy followed up that aisle to the end where he turned into the crowd, -just as the fat man went out on the street. Here he upset two ladies and -a policeman who was just coming in, and then took after the man who -looked like Hans. He was flying down the street as fast as he could go. -After Billy came the manager of the store and two of his clerks, and all -of the boys that had congregated on the sidewalk. - -Pell-mell they went, a howling, yelling mob, with the fat man and Billy -in the lead. The man by this time was puffing like a steam engine and -the sweat was pouring from his face in streams. His collar was wilted -like a dish rag. He had lost his hat and one of his cuffs, and he could -hardly get his breath. - -Policemen, by this time, were coming running from every direction and -one of them, who turned off a side street just then, thinking the fat -man must be a thief, got right in his road and opened up his arms. The -fat man, who had scarcely any strength left, fell right against the -policeman who was also a very heavy fellow, and just at that time Billy -overtook them and gave the man he was chasing all that was coming to -Hans Zug. Down in a pile together went the fat man and the policeman. -The policeman had not seen the goat and for a moment imagined that the -fat man had jumped upon him and was trying to overpower him, so he -pulled out his club and, though he was underneath, began, in a way that -was comical, to try to pound the fat man. - -They lay there, a struggling, wriggling mass, the policeman with his -short arms trying to reach around the big round man on top of him in -order to hit him some place. Billy Mischief had stopped and backed up -to give his fallen enemy another bump, and was just in the air after his -spring when the manager of the store caught his hind leg, and he also -was dragged on top of the struggling two on the ground. The manager -held to Billy's leg, however, and the crowd which had been following -them closely now crowded around them. The manager scrambled to his -feet, still holding the kicking Billy by the hind leg, and it would, -probably have been all up with the goat if a big, strong man had not at -that moment come up and putting his great arms around Billy, jerked him -loose. Billy squirmed and struggled, but it was no use. The big man -held him tightly and began to run. The store manager got to his feet -and started after them, followed by his two clerks, but the big strong -fellow who was carrying Billy darted down an alley, then through another -alley, and before the pursuers could see where they had gone, the man -darted through the back gate of a high board fence with Billy, closed -the gate after him, ran along the side of a great building which was -blazing with lights, ran down some cellar steps, opened the door, went -in, closed it after him, turned on a light and set Billy down. - -"There, you fool goat!" exclaimed the man. "I'll wash the blood off of -you and nobody will know that you have been out." - -The big man was the porter and he had brought Billy back to the little -basement room under the hotel. So ended Billy's first night in a big -city. - -All that night, all the next day and night, and all the following day, -Billy was cooped up in that little basement room with no chance to get -out, and with only Frank Brown and the porter to visit him twice a day. -How he did fret. The porter kept him well fed and saw that he had good -bedding and plenty of water, but he gave Billy no more chances to escape -and see the city. He watched carefully as he opened and closed the door -that the goat should not again scramble between his legs or butt him -over. On the third evening, however, the porter forgot to completely -close the door which led into the other part of the basement, and you -may be sure that Billy lost no time in finding out what was in there. -The room next to his led up into the kitchen and it was stocked with -vegetables and all sorts of kitchen stores. - -Billy was not very hungry, but he nibbled at everything as he went -along, pulling the vegetables out of place, upsetting a barrel half -filled with flour in his attempt to see what was in it and working the -faucet out of a barrel of syrup in his efforts to get at the sweet stuff -which clung to it. Licking up all of the syrup that he cared for, Billy -went on to investigate another barrel which lay on its side not far -away, and knocked the faucet out of it. This, however, proved to be -wine and he did not like the taste of it at all, so he trotted on out of -the store-room into the laundry, leaving the two barrels to run to -waste. - -[Illustration: Pulling the vegetables out of place.] - -Everybody in the laundry had gone up into the servants' hall for their -suppers, and the coast was clear for Billy. They had just finished -ironing, and dainty white clothes lay everywhere. From a big pile of -them that lay on a table, a lace skirt hung down, and Billy took a -nibble at it just to find out what it was. The starch in it tasted -pretty good, so he chewed at the lace, pulling and tugging to get it -within easier reach, until at last he pulled the whole pile off the -table on the dirty floor. - -Hearing some steps then, he scampered out through the storeroom and into -another large room where stood a big, brass-trimmed machine which he did -not at all understand. It was a dynamo, which was run by a big engine -in the adjoining engine-room, and it furnished the electric lights for -the hotel. Two big wires ran from it, heavily coated with shellac and -rubber and tightly-wound tape to keep them from touching metal things -and losing their electricity. These crossed the basement room to the -further wall, where they distributed the electric current to many -smaller cables. - -Billy sniffed at the two big cables at a point where they were very near -together. They had a peculiar odor and Billy tasted them. He scarcely -knew whether he liked the taste or not, but he kept on nibbling to find -out, nipping and tearing with his sharp teeth until he had got down to -the big copper wire on both cables; then he decided that he did not care -very much for that kind of food and walked away. It was not yet dark -enough for the dynamo to be started, or Billy might have had a shock -that would have killed him. - -Hunting further, he found over in a dark corner a nice bed which -belonged to the engineer, and it looked so inviting that Billy curled up -there for a sleep. When he awoke it was nearly midnight and there was a -blaze of light in the basement. There was a strange whir of machinery -and he could hear anxious voices. Billy, of course, did not know that -he had been the cause of it but this is what had happened: - -When the electric current passes through a wire, the wire becomes -slightly heated and stretches a little bit. In stretching, the two -cables where he had chewed them bare, came near enough together to touch -each other once in a while, and that made the lights all over the big -building wink, that is, almost go out for a second, and the engineer was -very much worried about it. - -What interested Billy more, however, was a small, wire-screened room -that stood near to him. Presently a big cage, brightly lighted, came -down in it with a man and a boy. It stopped when it got down into the -basement, when the man and the boy stepped out, going down into the -engineer's room. They were the proprietor of the hotel and his elevator -boy. Billy, as curious as any boy could have been, walked into the -little cage to see what it was like. The sides of it were padded with -leather, there were mirrors in it that made it a place of light, and -there was a seat at the back end of it. At the front side near the door -a big cable passed up through it, and to this the boy who ran it had -left hanging a leather pad with which he gripped the cable. Billy could -barely reach it with his teeth and he pulled sharply on it. It would -not come away so he hung his weight on it, and immediately the cage -began to go up. Billy was in an elevator and he was taking a ride all -by himself. It never stopped until it reached the top floor where a -safety catch caught it. Luckily the door on the top floor had not been -carefully closed, and Billy was able to slide it open with his horns and -walk out into a narrow hall which had a thick velvet carpet upon it and -from which opened many doors and other halls. - -[Illustration: BILLY FELT HIS COURAGE COMING BACK.] - -Billy trotted along this hallway, liking the soft feel of the carpet -underneath his feet. As he did so, all the lights about the building -went out and everything was dark. The cables in the cellar had at last -settled down so that they lay square across each other where Billy had -chewed the covering off, thus making all the electric current which ran -out of the machine on the one side come right back into it on the other, -with the result of burning out the dynamo so that there could be no more -lights from it that night. This did not worry Billy any. Light came in -from the street at the far end of the hall where some white lace -curtains fluttered in the breeze. It worried a great many people who -were still awake in their rooms, however, and of course they opened -their doors to see about it. - -By this time Billy had reached the curtains and took a nibble at one of -them, and, found that it was finished with the same starch, the taste of -which he had liked so much in the laundry. He wanted it down where he -could get a good bunch of it in his mouth, so he pulled hard, raising up -on his hind feet and throwing his weight upon it. The curtain gave way -at the top but it was not so convenient as he had expected, for the -long, wide curtain came right down over his back. He tried to get out -from under it and his horns ran through the open work. He tried to turn -round and his hind feet ran through other open work places. He tried to -back out of it and his forefeet got tangled in some more of it. The -more he tried to get loose from his starched meal, the more tangled up -he got, and at last, growing angry, he began to jump as high in the air -as he could. - -In the half darkness, he was a great white figure with a long trailing -white robe behind him, and the first woman he met in the hall screamed -like a steam calliope. Of course her screams brought others out into -the hall and everybody, even the men, began to run when they saw this -jumping white ghost coming toward them, every once in a while letting -out a loud "baah!" Many ladies were so frightened that when they came -to their doors, instead of running into their rooms, they started down -the hall ahead of Billy, shrieking and screaming at the top of their -voices. - -The noise only confused Billy the more. The more confused he grew, the -harder he jumped and struggled to get out of the curtain, until at the -very end of the hall, he came to a stairway and went down it head over -heels to the next floor. - -Here things were even worse than they had been on the top floor, for by -this time the hubbub above them had brought everybody out of their -rooms, and the crowd was already there. As soon as Billy scampered to -his feet after his tumble and made another jump high into the air, they -too began running and screaming. - -Billy now had gotten into a series of halls that ran the whole length of -the building and had a stairway at each end, so now he jumped and -struggled his way along until he came to a stairway, tumbled down it, -jumped back through another hall full of screaming people to another -stairway, and so on until he reached the ground floor. Here the -stairway opened into the great, marble-paved, main corridor of the -hotel. This was just now thronged with men, all wanting to know why the -lights were out and what all the uproar was about. Through these men -Billy dashed like a hurricane, having now torn the curtains enough to -let his legs have some action. One big fellow whom he upset fell on the -long trailing end of the curtain, and the shock nearly tore Billy's -horns loose from his head, but the curtain pulled in two and at last -Billy was free except for a few stray shreds and small pieces that still -clung to his legs and horns. - -Now he could see where he was going, and, darting out of the side door, -he ran back to where he remembered the cellar steps into the porter's -room to be. The door was wide open and inside he found his friend, the -porter, with a lantern, looking for him. The porter saw at once from -the shreds of curtain that Billy had been into mischief again, but as -before, he was afraid to say anything about it for fear somebody would -find out that he had left the door of the store-room open, so he simply -took the shreds of lace curtain off of Billy to carry away with him, and -fixed Billy's bed nicely for the night. - -"Bet you came from the Bad Place sure, goat-beast," said the porter, -shaking his head. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *A CELEBRATION WITH FIREWORKS* - - -The next morning, bright and early, the porter came down to Billy's room -with a queer looking box made of heavy slats. One side of the box was -off and the porter carried it in his hand. Setting the box down with -the open side towards Billy, the porter put an extra bunch of carrots in -it, and Billy, never having seen anything like this before, walked right -in and began to eat his breakfast, upon which the porter quickly slapped -on the side of the box and nailed it tight. Billy did not realize that -he was trapped until the porter and another man whom he called lifted -the box and began to carry it up the stairs. Then Billy was angry in -earnest. He jumped and jerked as much as he could and nearly threw the -men down-stairs by his bouncing. As soon as they got up on the level -ground, however, the porter and the other man began to shake the crate -as hard as they could, so that, in place of Billy doing the bouncing, he -was being bounced until he had plenty of it and was glad to lie down on -the floor of the crate and hold still, while he was being carried to a -big dray that stood in waiting. - -While it was being loaded on the dray, Mr. Brown and Frank came out in -the courtyard to see him. - -"Isn't he a beauty, papa?" said Frank. "And he behaves himself so -nicely, too. I've been down to see him every other day and he's just as -nice and quiet as he can be." - -"I don't know," said his father, shaking his head. "I don't believe -that a goat able to stir up as much trouble as he did back in the -village where we bought him will be anything but a scamp goat to the end -of his days. I'm really sorry that I bought him. It's going to cost a -lot of money, too, to send him by express from here to Havre and to pay -his passage over to America. I have a big notion to turn him loose." - -When Billy heard that he was frightened, and, turning his solemn eyes -around to Mr. Brown, he "baahed" as pitifully as he could. - -"Just hear that, papa," said Frank, "he wants to go with us. He likes -us." - -"Oh, very well," said Mr. Brown. "But come, we must hurry up. We have -only a few minutes to make our train." - -As soon as Mr. Brown and Frank had walked away, the driver of the wagon -cracked his whip, the horses started up, and Billy was rapidly taken to -the depot. Here he was loaded into an express car, and in a few moments -more was headed toward France at as swift a pace as the engine could -pull the train. The express messenger in the car, as soon as his work -was done, lit a short black pipe and commenced teasing Billy. Reaching -his hand between the slats, he suddenly poked Billy in the ribs, and -Billy, already nervous from the rapid motion, jumped straight up off his -forefeet. Of course his horns hit the top of the box and pained him. -The man laughed at the funny motion and poked the goat again. This -time, Billy, afraid to jump up, merely danced, and the man laughed -aloud. Again and again he repeated his trick until the goat was nearly -frantic. Billy tried to burst out the side of his cage so that he could -get at the man, but the crate was too stout for him to do it any damage -and he only hurt himself by trying, so after a while he gave it up. - -At the next stop they made, however, the express agent, while he was -taking on the parcels, slammed a heavy box on top of the crate. Billy -heard the timbers crack and felt the box giving end-wise a trifle. For -a moment he was afraid that the heavy box would break down his crate and -squeeze him flat underneath it, but as soon as the train had started -again the messenger moved the box into the far end of the car and Billy -was delighted to find that at last the boards on one side of his prison -were loosened. The messenger had laid aside his glowing pipe at this -stop, but now he took it up again, although smoking was against the -rules, and came over to tease Billy. He had no more than thrust his -hand through than Billy lurched his body sideways as hard as he could -against the boards, and out he tumbled. - -He was on his feet as quick as a cat and made a jump at the man. The -express agent dodged him and ran to the far end of the car, hunting -wildly for something with which he might strike the angry goat. Billy -was up to him before he had time to find anything, however, and chased -him from one end of the car to the other. At last the man stopped in -front of the big box that he had taken on at the last station, and -waited for Billy to jump for him. When Billy jumped, he sprang aside -and let the goat plunge head first into the side of the box, breaking -open one of the boards and hurting his head considerably. By this time -the man was at the other end of the car and laughing. Billy ran after -him again, but this time he knew the man's ways. When he started to -dodge back from the other end of the car, Billy also turned like a flash -and was right after him. This time he got him and gave him a bump that -sent the man sprawling headlong on the floor. As the man went down, his -arm gave a jerk and his lighted pipe went through the hole that Billy -had butted in the big box. - -[Illustration: Dodged him and ran to the far end of the car.] - -The man was just scrambling to his feet when a big, blue ball of fire -shot out of the side of the box and scooted along his back. Billy had -wheeled to give the man another dose of his medicine, but just then a -big ball of red fire hit him in the side and he, too, tried to hunt a -corner. The box was full of fireworks that was being shipped for a lawn -fete, and for the next few minutes there was the most exciting time that -ever happened inside of an express car going at full speed. - -Skyrockets and Roman candles, whistling bombs and silver fountains, -flower-pots and pin-wheels filled the air, spitting and spluttering, -popping about from one end of the car to the other, bouncing first off -of the man and then off the goat. No place was safe. The side of the -box was soon burst open by the force of the explosions, and the -fireworks came tumbling out at greater speed than ever. - -Both Billy and the express agent were hit until they were bruised and -burned and sore all over. Billy had a great deal of his hair singed off -and the express agent's face was as black as a coal-miner's. The smoke -became so thick that they could scarcely see, and it smarted and blinded -their eyes until the express agent thought to open the side doors when -the rapidly rushing wind swept in and carried away most of the smoke. - -Luckily the car did not catch fire, though some of the goods that were -being expressed did. The agent had a pail of drinking water in the car -and as soon as the fireworks were nearly burned out he ran around from -one place to another using his water sparingly and beating out the fire -wherever he could. - -Billy, too, seemed to know that burning things were dangerous, for when -a bundle of rugs began to smoulder he jumped on the burning places and -stamped them with his feet until the fire was beaten out. The express -agent saw him at this and he at once forgot his anger at the goat. -Billy went scampering around after that, stamping out fire wherever he -could find a coal. After all danger was passed and the express man had -tidied up his car, he sat down puffing and looked at Billy. - -"Well, Mr. Goat," said he, "we've had a busy time of it and I guess we'd -better be friends. Don't you tell on me and I won't tell on you. I -don't want to let anybody know that I was smoking a pipe anyhow. It's -against the rules of the company." - -"Baah!" said Billy, and that's all the talk they had about it. After -that they had no further trouble except that the express agent tried to -coax Billy back into his crate, but had to give it up as a bad job. - -It was night when the train bearing Billy Mischief drew into Paris. -Billy could not be coaxed or driven back into his cage, so, when the -train stopped, the express messenger had another man come in to help -him. Between them they managed, after a hard struggle, to get Billy in -the crate, but as they were trying to fasten the lid on he burst out of -it, jumped out of the car door, ran as hard as he could and soon was -safe from pursuit and alone in the streets of Paris. - -With a natural instinct to hide from the men who wanted to put him in -that close, uncomfortable box, he turned into the alley-ways and dark, -narrow streets and for a long time ran on without meeting anyone. But -this sort of thing was not very much to Billy's liking. He wanted to -see all the excitement that there was, so by-and-by he turned into one -of the broad, brilliantly lighted streets, where he trotted along -sedately, minding his own business and looking around him curiously at -the gayly dressed throngs. A great many people turned round to look -after him and laugh, he trotted along so solemnly. - -All this time there was great excitement at the railroad station. Mr. -Brown had left word that his goat was to be held until the next night's -train to Havre as he intended to spend a day in Paris, but the express -department had no goat to hold, so the matter was reported to the police -department, and within a few moments all the red-trousered gendarmes of -Paris were looking for a mischievous white goat with freshly singed -spots on his shiny coat. - -One of these gendarmes, soon after he had received his instructions, -found Billy and a big stray Tom cat eyeing each other with every -intention of immediate war. Billy had never spoken to a cat before and -so when he saw this strange animal on the street he walked straight up -to it and said "baah!" He intended to mean something like our "Good -evening. It's pleasant weather, isn't it?" but Billy's voice at best -was not a very gentle one and his long horns looked threatening, so the -big cat arched his back and bristled his hair and stuck his tail -straight up. Billy did not know much about cats but he could easily see -that this one meant fight, so he shook his head angrily. They were -standing in front of one of the pleasant Paris sidewalk cafes and a -great many ladies and gentlemen were seated at little round tables under -the broad awning. - -[Illustration: Billy and a big stray Tom cat eyeing each other.] - -Just as the gendarme recognized Billy by his singed coat, the cat let -out an ear-splitting "meow!" and, jumping up, scratched Billy's face -with the sharp claws of both his forefeet; then it sprang up on one of -the empty tables and down on the other side. Billy, smarting with the -pain, jumped after him, upsetting the chairs on the other side with a -crash. The express department had offered a good reward to whoever -should find Billy, so the gendarme took after the goat, overturning some -more chairs. The cat darted here and there and everywhere among the -little round tables and Billy right after him. The cat ran under a -table at which were sitting two gentlemen and two ladies, and Billy, now -so angry that he did not notice where he was going, forced his way right -after him, upsetting the table, spilling the glasses and bottles upon it -into the laps of the ladies and making a tremendous noise. Table after -table they overturned in this way. - -Another gendarme, attracted by the hubbub, came up and saw Billy. He, -too, gave chase, adding to the confusion. Everybody began to shove back -their chairs. All of the people were either talking or laughing or -screaming at the top of their voices. Waiters came running, and one of -them, a little excitable man with a funny little black mustache, tried -to head Billy off. All he got for it was a good bump right in the -middle of his big white apron and he landed back against another waiter -who was bringing a big tray full of glasses. The two of them went to -the floor together in a noisy pile of tables and chairs, and Billy -dashed right on over them. This time, the cat, which was bewildered by -the crowd and had scarcely known which way to run, found an opening to -the street. Having a clear track, he would easily have gotten away from -Billy except that just at that moment a third gendarme saw the cat and -the goat coming and jumped square in the road of them. - -The cat had tried to dart around him but the gendarme's legs came right -in his road, so the cat began to climb the gendarme, and Billy, coming -up just then, made a dive head first at the cat, catching it just as the -animal reached the gendarme's lower vest button. The gendarme sat right -down with a grunt to think things over, while the cat sprang for the top -of a high fence and was over with a whisk of his tail. Billy could not -climb the fence so he ran back a piece and tried to butt it down, but he -could not do it. By this time the gendarme he had knocked down was on -his feet again, and two others came running up. - -There were now five of the red-trousered little police soldiers after -him, and things began to look very lively for Billy. They tried to -surround him but he ran through them, and all five of them chased after -him up the street. At nearly every block they were joined by another -gendarme, so that before he had gone very far Billy was heading quite an -army of French soldiers. To escape he turned down a dark street. They -were digging a wide ditch across this dark street and the lights they -had placed there as danger signals had been taken away by some -mischievous boys. Billy, who could see well in the dark, perceived this -ditch as he came to it and leaped lightly over it, but the excited -gendarmes who were following him could not see it, and the whole crowd -of them fell headlong in the ditch, which, fortunately, was not yet deep -enough to hurt them much. - -Billy turned now into another well-lighted street. Here again he found -a gendarme who, as soon as he saw and recognized Billy, started out to -stop him. He went like a streak between this fellow's legs. Now he -began to wonder why all of these little fellows in the red trousers were -such enemies of his, and when, at the end of the block, he saw three of -them standing in a row, he got angry. Shaking his head, he determined to -give the big one in the middle the hardest bump he had ever given to -anyone in his life. Lowering his head and shaking it, he went on as if -he had been shot out of a cannon, and, as he drew near, gave a mighty -jump and butted the big gendarme right in the stomach. - -Alas for Billy! In place of the soft human figure that he thought he -was butting, it turned out that the gendarme in the middle was printed -in glowing colors on paper and pasted against a solid brick wall, as an -advertisement for a play then performing at one of the theatres. The -two gendarmes who had happened to stand alongside of it were real, -however, so when Billy dropped back stunned from his hard jolt the two -real gendarmes promptly arrested him, and it was a very sick and sorry -goat that was shortly afterwards returned to the Express Department to -be held for the Havre train. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *BILLY FINDS HIS MOTHER* - - -Poor Billy, forced back into his crate and nailed up again, began to -think he did not like traveling very well. So far he had been in two -cities and so far he had seen neither one of them by daylight, while -everywhere he went he got hurt. All that night and all the next day, he -moped in his crate with a sore head. On the following night he was -bundled into an express car, and giving up in despair, lay down and went -to sleep. - -When he awoke it was daylight and he was being taken off the train in -Havre where the Browns were to take the boat for Cherbourg and then for -America. This was the first time that Frank had seen Billy since they -left Bern and when he and Mr. Brown walked up to the crate after it had -been taken off the train, Frank's heart was filled with pity. There -were raw places on Billy's head, his fine shiny coat had the black marks -of fire on it, and altogether he was as woe-begone and miserable a -looking goat as ever was seen. Of course the Browns did not know -anything of the adventures that Billy had been through, but Frank was a -boy who did not like to see animals suffer and he was very angry. - -"Just see, papa," he cried, "how they have abused my poor goat, shut up -in that tight crate all this time! I'm sure he's not so bad a goat as -you thought. He has been imposed upon. Please let me take him out of -that crate and lead him by a rope. I know that he will come along -nicely." - -Billy "baahed" gratefully at this, and with some reluctance Mr. Brown -allowed the goat to be taken out of the crate, let Frank secure a rope -and tie him on behind the carriage which was to take them to their -steamer. - -It was not Billy's fault that the knot was an ordinary single bow hitch, -and Billy did not know, when he nipped at the little end which stuck -out, that he would loosen the whole knot and let himself free, but that -is exactly what happened. For a time he trotted along nicely behind the -carriage, but, as they reached the wharves, Billy saw a sight that -filled him with eager interest. Near a big cattle boat was an enormous -pen filled with goats which were soon to be loaded on the boat, and -Billy at once ran down to this pen, which was about a block away. His -heart beat high with hope as he neared it, and when he came close up to -the bars he began to "baah" as loud as he could. - -From inside the pen came an answering bleat. Billy's mother was there -and she had recognized his voice! She crowded close up to the bars and -soon she and Billy were affectionately rubbing noses through the little -spaces between the boards and telling each other all that had happened -to them since they had become separated. How Billy did wish that he -could get inside the pen and go to America with her! He trotted around -and around the high fence trying to find a weak place where he could -break in, but the pen was built strong enough to make all such trials -useless, so after every round Billy would have to come back to where his -mother stood waiting and tell her of his failure. After he had made a -third trial and came back up to her the wise old goat struck a happy -idea. - -"Just stand where you are, Billy," she said, "and by-and-by maybe one of -the drivers will come this way and think that you belong in here with -us. Then he will let you in and we will go on board together." - -She had scarcely more than finished speaking when the lash of a sharp -whip that had whizzed through the air hit Billy on the flank. Looking -up, he saw a young man opening a gate for him to be driven through. The -young man had no whip, however, so Billy turned in the other direction -to see where the stinging blow had come from. Standing only a few feet -away from him was a short, wide man with a whip in his hand, and Billy -started for him with a snort. - -[Illustration: The lash of a sharp whip.] - -"A thousand lightnings yet again!" exclaimed the fat man, who was none -other than our old friend and Billy's old enemy, Hans Zug. - -Hans knew better this time than to run when he had a way so much easier -to escape. With all the speed that his pudgy body would let him have he -climbed the bars of a high pen just in time to escape the hard bump that -Billy jumped up to give him. Sitting on the top bar, Hans whirled his -whip around his head and lashed Billy across the back. Wild with rage, -Billy tried to reach his enemy, but he could not jump high enough, and -Hans, laughing till he shook like a bowl of jelly, reached down and -lashed Billy once more. Feeling that with all his strength he certainly -ought to jump high enough to reach his tormentor, Billy tried to leap -again and again, but every time all he got for his pains was a whack -with the long whip. - -At last, however, Hans made his big mistake. After whipping poor Billy -until he was tired, Hans laughed so heartily that he fell backwards off -the fence, and you'd better believe that Billy's mother made him -welcome. She met him with her hard head while he was on the way down. -Hans dropped his whip and grabbed for dear life at the fence, and he -caught hold with both hands just at the right height to make a good mark -for Billy's mother. That strong and sturdy old goat bumped him twice -for every lash that he had given Billy, and every time she bumped him, -Hans Zug grunted and yelled. He clawed his feet desperately to get a -foothold on the bars to climb up, but every time he would get one foot -placed Billy's mother would give him another terrific bump and he would -lose his footing. - -Billy, on the outside, ran backward and forward, hoping for Hans to get -to the top and fall over on his side of the fence, and poor Hans was in -an awful predicament. At last, seeing that Hans' comical struggles were -not going to put him over where Billy could get at him, that anxious -youngster ran to where the young man was still holding the gate open a -little way, and ran inside, upon which the gate closed sharply behind -him. He made his way rapidly among the other goats and quickly ran up -beside his mother. He watched her motion, jumping when she jumped, and -they both butted Hans together so hard that, with a mighty grunt, he -went way up in the air, both his feet landing at once on a bar higher -than the one he had been trying to catch. - -[Illustration: They both butted Hans.] - -Billy and his mother both laughed, but they were so delighted and so -excited that the next time they tried to bump Hans their horns clashed, -they stumbled and fell back, and in that moment Hans Zug climbed up out -of reach. - -When he got to the top of the fence he lay down straddle of it, clinging -with both hands and feet to the topmost bars for safety. - -"Hasenpfeffer and pretzels!" groaned poor Hans, panting for breath, -while the big drops of sweat rolled off his cheeks. "Thunderclaps and -sunstrokes! Oh, my poor trousers!" - -He had good reason to say that last, for the sharp horns of the two -goats had ripped his trousers' legs until they were in shreds, and there -were some sharp red marks on his legs, too. Billy Mischief and his -mother only capered in joy. What did they care about poor Hans trying -to get his breath on top of the fence? They were together, and together -they were going to America! - -It was not long until the gate of the pen was opened and all the goats -were driven out through a fenced runway across a fenced gangplank and -through a wide, dark doorway into the hold of the cattle ship. Billy -and his mother found themselves in a long, low compartment, dimly -lighted by little round windows close under the ceiling. The goats were -driven up to the forward end of the boat and put on both sides of the -center aisle, behind strong, high bars. By this arrangement Billy and -his mother were separated, in spite of all they could do to keep -together, and could only stand close to the bars looking sorrowfully at -each other across the aisle. They soon quit this, however, because of a -new interest. Some surprising passengers came to join them. First, six -big camels were driven in, two by two, and fenced off next to the goats; -then a herd of small elephants followed these and then came a vast -number, of snarling, growling animals in strong cages; lions and tigers -and other fierce wild beasts. An American circus that had been -traveling in Europe was on its way back home. - -At last the ship was loaded and began to move out of its slip toward the -ocean. The wild animals had been nervous and noisy before, but as soon -as the ship began to move they became still more excited. The elephants -trumpeted, the tigers snarled, the hyenas set up their screeching cry, -the lions roared. It was a perfect pandemonium of shrieks and howls and -yells, and for the first time in his life Billy trembled with fear. It -was not for long, however. Billy was a brave goat and a smart goat, and -he knew that so long as those fierce animals stayed in their cages they -could not hurt anything. The only thing that bothered him was that he -remembered how he had broken out of his own crate in the railroad train. - -This was the worst trip Billy ever made. The animals were never quiet -for more than a minute at a time. There would be a lull when none of -them would make any noise, and Billy would lie down, hoping for a moment -of rest. All at once some animal would grunt, the next one would -grumble, the next one would growl, the next one would snarl, and by that -time they would all be at it; then suddenly the hyenas would begin. -Then one of the fiercer animals would begin to roar and the old hubbub -would begin all over again, winding up always with the lions' deep and -terrifying "Hough! Hough! Hough!" - -Billy got tired of it by-and-by, and thought that he would like to go -away into some quiet corner and rest. A great many of the goats had -been thinking the same thing, and one after another they had been trying -the stout boards, some of them attempting to push them out or break them -and some trying to pry them loose with their stout horns. None of them, -however, had the patience and strength and determination of Billy, and -at last, down in one corner, he found a board that did not seem so -strongly fastened as the others, and on this board he began prying -cautiously with his horns. Billy would pry carefully until he was -tired, then lie down and rest a while, then go at it again. For nearly -an hour he worked at it and at last he was rewarded by having the board -come loose. He squeezed out through it and the board sprang back into -place. Another goat tried to follow but he did not know the trick, and -in place of pulling with his horns, pressed against the board, so Billy -was the only one to get loose. - -Billy trotted between the long rows of animals, being very careful to -keep in the exact center of the aisle and as far away from all of them -as he could. One of the elephants reached out his long trunk and caught -Billy by the tail, but it was only a playful nip, and, after jerking -Billy back a little piece, the elephant let him go. Billy looked around -at the big gray beast and saw by his twinkling eyes that it was only in -fun, so, kicking up his heels, he trotted on with a friendly "baah!" -The lions and tigers and the leopards snarled and howled at him as he -went past, while the hyenas laughed--if the terrible noise they make can -be called laughing. - -[Illustration: One of the elephants reached out his long trunk.] - -Down toward the middle of the ship was a steep stairway up to an open -doorway that led out on the deck, and up this Billy climbed with ease. -It was delightful, after that close, stuffy place, to stand on the cool, -breeze-swept deck. The steamer was making good headway now and all -around was the ocean; the shore was only a low, hazy line, away out -there at the edge of the water. Billy was interested in the gaily -colored circus wagons, some of which, crowded out of the lower hold, -were grouped on the big, bare after-deck, and Billy did not notice, -until up very close to him, that a big, fat man was leaning over the -rail. It was Hans Zug, and although the ship was riding easy and the -ocean was very calm, Hans was already beginning to feel very sorry that -he had not staid on solid land. - -"Ach, I am so sick!" groaned poor Hans. "I wish I could die, yet! I -should feel me so much better!" - -"Now it would be a kindness to cheer Hans up a little bit and make him -forget his misery," thought Billy. Lowering his head and backing off a -little way, he gave a run and bumped Hans a good one which he felt he -still owed him for the whipping of the morning. He struck harder than he -knew, and Hans, a big part of his heavy body already lying far out over -the rail, got such a boost that he lost his balance and went bumping -down the side of the ship into the water. - -"Man overboard!" shouted the first mate, who was up on the bridge, and -immediately the ship was in great commotion. Sailors came tumbling up -out of another stairway and Billy thought it was time for him to make -himself scarce. He did not care to go back into the hold, so he ran in -among the circus wagons and hid. The ship stopped and turned round. A -small boat was hastily lowered and the sailors in it began rowing like -mad to where Hans had gone down. Poor Hans did not know how to swim, -but when a boy he had learned to float, and now, turning on his back, he -kept his hands down to his sides and his face turned up. When the -sailors got there with the row boat his fat round face was bobbing along -above the little waves like a pumpkin in a pond. - -"Ach, those dear mountains at home!" wept Hans, when they pulled him -into the boat. "How I should wish I was back in Switzerland again. I -said it that I wanted to die, but it iss not, aindt it? Thank you, -gentlemens! Thank you!" - -A little rope ladder was let down and Hans, all dripping, his clothes -clinging around him and making him look like a wet balloon, climbed up -on the deck. - -"Where is that fire and brimstone goat?" he cried, having now had time -to get over his fright and his seasickness enough to be angry. "When I -find him I throw him in all the ocean what iss! Yes!" - -Billy kept as still as he could, but one of the sailors saw his stubby -tail and pointed him out. Then the chase began. Billy dashed around -and around the deck with Hans and the sailors close after him, and at -last, when they were almost upon him, he came to the open door of the -hold. Seeing no other way to escape, he was about to dash down this and -had already placed his forefeet on the topmost stair, when he saw two -great greenish-yellow eyes close to him, staring up at him out of the -dimness. One of the tigers had broken loose from his cage and had come -slinking up the stairs, and Billy stood face to face with him! - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE TIGER* - - -Billy felt his heart beat hard and fast, and for a moment his knees -trembled under him. He backed slowly up to the solid deck and the great -flaming eyes slowly crept up after him. Billy still backed away. The -men who had been chasing him were now very close, but one of them saw -the tiger's head coming up on the deck, and he yelled to the others, who -immediately pressed back. As soon as he felt the firm deck floor under -him and could see the animal's head as well as his eyes, Billy felt his -courage coming back to him. He knew that he had to stand and fight. He -felt that he could never run fast enough to get away from this powerful -animal, and that before he could even turn and start to run the tiger -would be upon him. - -Slowly Billy backed away with his sharp horns lowered, and slowly the -tiger came out on the deck, crouched down until his body almost touched -the boards, his tail, full of hard muscles, waving slowly like a red and -yellow snake. The men were panic-stricken and scattered in all -directions, seeking places of safety wherever they could find them. -Poor Hans Zug was the slowest of all. In his fright he stumbled over -his own feet and fell three times to his hands and knees in trying to -get away, and then he tried to hide himself behind a slim iron rod that -ran up from the deck to the bridge, for he was too much paralyzed with -fear to pursue his hunt any further for some safe hiding-place. - -The tiger was not in a very big hurry about making his spring. He did -not like the looks of Billy's horns, although he knew that he was much -stronger and more powerful than the little white goat. Still they came -on, Billy backing away and the tiger creeping toward him until they were -almost where Hans Zug stood trembling so hard that his teeth chattered. -Suddenly the tiger, with a swift spring, went up in the air, intending -to jump clear over Billy's long horns and land upon his back, but Billy, -himself as watchful and as careful as the tiger had been, sprang aside -just as the tiger jumped, jerking his head sharply upward as the tiger -went over him. One of his horns caught in the tiger's under side and -ripped a big gash in him. Billy immediately sprang in the other -direction, and the tiger, now fiercer than ever, wheeled quickly. This -time his sharp claw caught Billy's shoulder as Billy jumped aside, -tearing a big patch of Billy's hide loose. The pain staggered Billy and -made him feel faint, but he knew it would never do to give up. The -animal men now came running up from the rear hold, where some of the -other animals were being fed, and one of them had a pistol, but the two -animals were jumping about so swiftly that he could not be sure of -shooting the tiger without shooting Billy, so he waited to see how the -fight would turn out. - -Time after time the tiger tried to get hold of Billy, but the goat was -too quick for him, though each time they met one or the other of them -got a mark. At last Billy felt that he was nearly whipped. The two -animals were now facing each other for another spring. The tiger, too, -was suffering from the last hook that Billy had given him but he was -fresher than the goat. Billy swayed on his feet. The light seemed to -turn into darkness before his eyes and he felt as if he were sinking -down, down on a soft bed, but he kept his head bent in the tiger's -direction. He felt, rather than saw, the tiger spring once more, and in -spite of his weakened condition he braced himself up and gave one more -sharp, hard toss of his strong neck. His horn caught the tiger right -behind the front shoulder blade and pressed deeply in. This time he had -found a vital spot. The tiger rolled over on his side, and, after a -quiver or two, lay still. He was dead, but Billy did not know it, for -the brave little goat had sunk to the floor with the tiger and lay as -motionless as his dead enemy. The animal men came running up first, the -one with the revolver in front of the others. Holding his revolver -pointed straight to where he knew it would reach the animal's heart, he -approached as slowly and cautiously as a cat creeping up to a mouse -hole, felt the tiger's side and pronounced him really dead. Two of the -men dragged the tiger away and the others crowded around the poor goat. -At first they thought that he too was dead, but when they examined him -they found that his heart was still beating slowly. One of them ran to -bring water and another to get bandages. - -When Billy woke up his wounds had been nicely washed, ointment had been -applied to them, and bandages were carefully bound over them. The men -were patting him gently and saying what a fine, brave goat he was and -what a splendid fight he had made of it, and one big gruff voice, which -Billy found out afterwards belonged to the captain, said: - -"Well, this goat is not to be tied up any more. He shall have the -freedom of the ship." - -Billy moved his legs feebly and tried to get up, but not feeling quite -strong enough yet, he sank back and found that his head was lying on -somebody's knee. And now came the biggest surprise of all, for when -Billy looked up to see who it was, here it was Hans Zug who was holding -him! - -"Ach, such a fine little goat, yet," Hans was saying, patting Billy's -neck gently, while the great tears rolled down his round cheeks. "Such -a brave little goat, yet. Thunder weather! He can butt me overboard -once again if he should to like it! Aindt it?" - -[Illustration: "WELL, OLD FELLOW, IF BROKEN BONES ARE ALL, WE CAN FIX -THOSE."] - -Billy was the hero of the ship. It did not take him long to get well, -and on the third day he was trotting around the deck as unconcerned as -if he had never had a fight in his life. His bandages were off and only -a little, red-edged scar on his shoulder remained to show how bravely he -had fought the tiger. Hans Zug never was through praising him, but -nevertheless, every time he went to speak to Billy he came toward him -from behind, for Billy still had a way of shaking his head at him that -made Hans feel like climbing a ladder. On the first day that he could -go around unbandaged, nobody seemed to be able to pat Billy enough, but, -true to his name, Billy could not long stay out of mischief. - -Soon tiring of pacing the long decks, he went below in the cook's galley -and began to hunt for dainties. He had learned by this time that people -were very curious about things to eat. When they saw a goat helping -himself, something was almost sure to happen to the goat and he could -not understand it. You see, he could not know that everything belonged -to somebody. All that he knew about it was that if you saw anything you -wanted, and was lucky enough or strong enough or quick enough to get it, -it was all right. Accordingly, he watched the cook, and when the cook's -back was turned Billy grabbed a fine, big bunch of celery and trotted -off with it. When he got in a dark corner he ate it and it was so fine -that he wanted more. He went back into the cook's galley but could not -see any. Then he went into a little, dark room that opened into it and -found himself in a place full of the nicest things to eat he had ever -seen in one pile. There were carrots and radishes and peas and fine, -crisp, tender lettuce and all sorts of green stuff which had been -brought aboard for the captain's table. Billy ate until he could hold -no more, and then he happened to think that his mother would like some -of that nice celery, so he picked out an extra fine bunch and trotted -off with it. No one saw him and he made his way down into the hold -where his mother was crowded in the pen with the other goats. He gave -her the celery and while she was eating it he told her all that had -happened to him and how much the ship's crew thought of him, and how -even Hans Zug had become his friend. - -"My, that was fine!" said his mother as she finished the last of me -celery. "It is the nicest thing I have had to eat since we left home." - -"Ho!" said Billy. "That is nothing. We cabin passengers have some of -the finest things in the world to eat. What you need now is a bunch of -tender lettuce to finish off with, and I'll go get you some," and he -hurried off, leaving his mother very proud of his rise in the world. - -Billy trotted boldly through the cook's galley, and the cook, who knew -all about Billy's fight, tossed him some carrot tops as he passed. -Billy was not at all hungry, but he ate the carrot tops just out of -politeness, then he went on into the store room and picked out a nice -big head of lettuce for his mother. He was just going out of the cook's -galley with it when the cook turned round and saw him. Right away the -cook forgot what a hero Billy was, and angry that Billy had taken some -of his precious lettuce, cried: - -"Hey! Drop that, you bobtailed thief!" and threw a skillet at Billy. -It hit the goat in the side with a thump, but Billy never stopped. He -only ran on until he had gained the hold where his mother was and had -given the nice, cool lettuce to her, when he turned round to hurry away. - -[Illustration: Threw a skillet at Billy.] - -"Wait a minute, Billy!" she called after him. "I want to talk to you." - -"I haven't got time," Billy called back over his shoulder. "I've got a -little business with the cook." - -When Billy got back into the cook's galley, the cook was over in a -corner reaching up for some baking powder that he kept on a high shelf. -He was stretched out just right for a good bump and Billy gave it to -him. - -"Great Scott!" cried the cook, and jumped up until his head bumped the -shelf. He quickly turned around but Billy had backed off and now jumped -for him again. This time the man put out his hands and caught Billy by -the horns firmly enough to keep the bump Billy gave him in front from -smashing him. Billy, however, jerked away and backed off for another -bump, and the man, jumping up, grabbed the shelf with the foolish notion -of climbing up out of range. He could not have been in a better position -for another bump behind, so Billy gave him that one and he dropped loose -from the shelf, yelling for help with all his might. In dropping, he -turned around, and this time Billy landed with all his weight right in -the middle of the man's appetite. - -By this time the cook had lost his head so that all he could do was to -spread his arms and legs like an old-fashioned, jointed doll and yell -for help. Several men came running down the ladder and the foremost one -was Hans Zug with his whip. Hans had just been over to straighten out a -fight in the goats' pen, and when he saw one of his goats butting the -cook, he never stopped to think that it was the same Billy he had been -petting and praising, so he hauled off and gave Billy a mighty slash -with his sharp leather whip. Billy got through with the cook in a -hurry! - -So Hans Zug, who had been following him around and patting him on the -back and calling him nice goat and fine goat and brave goat, was ready -to start in again, was he? Well, Billy would show him! Like a flash he -wheeled and was after Hans. - -"Donnervetter!" cried Hans, and turned to run. - -The men who had followed him down the steps were in the way, however, -and Hans ran square into them. A second later Billy ran into Hans with -enough force to send him sprawling among the men, and four or five of -them went to the floor grunting, with Hans on top. Before Billy could -back off for another stroke Hans turned quickly and was just in time to -grab Billy by the fore legs. At the same moment the cook caught Billy -by the hind legs, and these two carried him upstairs to the deck. - -"Over he goes," yelled the angry cook. - -"Sure!" said Hans. "He done it to me. Ein! swei! drei!" - -As Hans counted his one, two, three in German, they gave three mighty -swings, and with the last one they let go. - -Splash! went Billy into the sea! - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *ALONE IN AN OCEAN STORM* - - -Poor Billy! Once more he had lost his mother! He looked for the ship -to turn round and send out a boat as it had done when Hans fell -overboard, but it did nothing of the sort. Instead, it steamed straight -ahead. In the excitement nobody had noticed that Billy had been thrown -into the water. - -The cook got a life preserver and threw it over after Billy, thinking it -a good joke, then the cook went below and Hans stood at the stern -railing shaking his fist at the poor goat. Billy swam as long and as -hard after the boat as he could, but it was no use; he could not begin -to keep up with its great speed. Presently, however, he came to where -the life preserver floated. It was a big circular one and Billy put his -front paws upon it. His weight made it tip on edge and Billy was -surprised and delighted to find that it held him up in the water, making -the work of swimming much easier. In trying to get his legs further into -it he slipped once or twice, but finally in his struggles his head and -horns went through it, and, after swimming and wriggling a little bit, -he got his front shoulders through and there it clung round him, holding -him up splendidly. It was too small to pass backwards over his body, and -it could not get off over his head on account of Billy's horns. - -It was a lucky thing for Billy that this happened, for that night a -terrific storm came up. The wind shrieked and howled, the lightnings -glared, the thunders rolled, and great foam-capped waves, some of them -nearly as high as a house, broke over Billy, one after another, nearly -drowning him and sometimes almost crushing him by their weight. - -In all his life Billy had never passed such a terrific night as this, -but through it all the big life preserver held him up and carried him -safely through. Many times there seemed to come a lull in the storm and -Billy began to breathe easier, thinking that he would get a little rest, -but the storm would break out again with new fury each time, until, when -morning came, the poor goat was battered and bruised and nearly dead. -With the dawn, however, the storm calmed down. The skies began to -clear, the waves grew smaller, and the wind, shifting by-and-by to the -opposite direction from that in which it had been blowing all night, -beat back the waves and smoothed them down until by ten o'clock the -ocean was quiet, only ruffled by gentle swells over which Billy and his -life preserver bobbed in comfort, although he was very tired and -beginning to get hungry. - -Ever since the sky had cleared he had seen smoke away off where sea and -sky seemed to join. Billy knew what smoke meant. Wherever there was -smoke there were people, and wherever there were people there was food, -so he started toward it, swimming a little bit and resting a long while -between times. The smoke grew blacker and presently he saw a little -speck under the smoke. It grew larger and larger, and by-and-by he was -able to make out that it was a big ship coming in his direction. Poor -Billy swam harder than ever then, and fortunately for him the ship was -coming almost straight toward him. Still more fortunately, the captain, -sweeping the sea with his glass, made out the life preserver holding up -something white, and immediately thought it must be a woman in a white -dress. He altered the direction of the ship slightly so that it came -nearer to Billy, and had ordered a boat to be lowered before he made out -that it was only a goat, otherwise he might have passed on by. The -boat, however, was already lowered, so he let it go. - -[Illustration: The ship was coming almost straight toward him.] - -The ship was a big passenger steamer, and by this time scores of -passengers were thronging to the rails to see what the excitement was -all about, and when the boat was drawn up, Billy, a comical looking -sight with his big life preserver around him, was placed on the deck. A -boy among the passengers at once ran forward with a shout. - -"Why, it's my Billy goat!" he cried. "Papa, come and look! See the -singe marks on his back?" - -Billy "baahed" joyfully. He rather liked Frank and was very glad that -he had found a friend. The captain himself, interested and amused, had -joined the crowd by this time. - -"Your goat?" he asked Frank, in amazement. "Do you always keep your -goats out at sea in life preservers?" - -"Not always," laughed Frank. "In fact, this is the only goat I have. -We lost him in Havre. The last I saw of him he was tied to the back of -our carriage with a rope. When we got down to the wharf he was gone. -Then we went down to Cherbourg, where papa had some business, caught -your ship the next day and here we are. How Billy ever got here from -Havre, I don't know, but here he is and he's my goat." - -"Well, according to the law of the sea," said the captain with a twinkle -in his eye, "he is salvage now and belongs to the men there who picked -him up. Of course I have a share in the salvage too, but I'll take a -cigar for mine." - -Mr. Brown, laughing, gave him the cigar and then gave the sailors some -money, and Billy was taken below to a large, white, clean room where -some fine blooded horses were hitched in roomy stalls. Here he was -given a big bowl of warm milk and a bed of clean straw, both of which he -was very glad to get. As soon as he had drunk the bowl of milk, he felt -so good and warm that he lay down and went sound asleep. - -When Billy woke up he saw something that made him gasp with surprise, -and at first he thought he must be dreaming. Right beside him, sleeping -peacefully, an empty bowl that had contained milk just in front of it, -lay another goat. It was his mother! Billy was so overjoyed that he -did not know what to do. He licked her face gently and when she opened -her eyes he capered around till the horses in the stalls near by thought -that he must have gone crazy. Billy's mother was no less happy and when -they had calmed down Billy told her how Hans Zug had thrown him -overboard, how he had suffered through the storm and how the ship had -picked him up. - -"You were lucky, I guess, that he threw you over," said his mother. "We -got into that same terrible storm and our ship struck upon the rocks and -broke to pieces. I do not know what became of the other goats or of -Hans Zug. Of course all the circus animals in the cages went down. I -was swimming about in the water when some sailors in a boat grabbed me -and took me with them. They said that they had not had time to get -provisions and that they might have to eat me. I would have jumped -overboard when I heard this but they had already forced me under one of -the seats in such a way that I could not scramble out. The storm was -still upon us and the waves spun us around like a top, and two or three -times we thought we were gone. By morning, however, the storm calmed -down and we were safe, although some of the men had been swept overboard -by the big waves that broke over us. All day long we drifted about. One -of the men had brought along a box of crackers and another one had got -some dried beef. A keg of water was already in the boat so that there -was nearly enough for everybody for breakfast, and when the noonday meal -came, one of the men wanted to kill me, but the others would not let -him. They wanted to save me, they said, until the next day. It was -nearly dusk when this ship saw us and stopped to take us on board. If -this ship had missed us I suppose that to-night would have been my -last." - -Billy shuddered. - -"Well," said he, "at any rate we are together again, and this time I -suppose that we will stay together. If you are rested enough come on -and let us look around the ship." - -First the two goats trotted side by side past the big clean stalls of -the horses and all around the room they were in, then they made their -way to the stairway that led up to the deck. They were about to climb -this when Billy spied the open door of a little closet, scarcely large -enough to put his head in. Full of curiosity, he went up to it and -stuck his nose inside. - -"Oh, come here, mother!" he suddenly cried. "Here is a rope with a very -strange taste. I had some of it in a big hotel in Bern and I did not -care for it very much, but it has such a queer taste that you must eat -some of it." - -The rope Billy meant was not exactly like the ones he had chewed in -Bern, for those were single big wires with a covering to keep them from -touching. This rope in the little closet was not a solid one but was a -big bundle of tiny wires, each one covered with a queer tasting sheath. -The wires ran from the pilot's room and the captain's room to the -engineer's room and to the other working rooms of the ship, and, by the -use of little push buttons were intended to direct the movements of the -mighty floating palace. - -"Why, this is quite a treat," said Billy's mother, taking a big bundle -of the wires in her mouth. Another little closet just like this one -stood alongside of it and Billy saw that the door of this was also -slightly ajar. He pushed it open with his nose, and inside he found -another bundle of wires. These ran from the passengers' cabins to the -steward's cabin, and the electrician had just been fixing them, -carelessly leaving the doors unfastened. - -"Why, here's another bundle! I'll try some of them myself," remarked -Billy, so both the goats got to work at once. - -Billy's mother had only chewed at her rope of wires a little while when -the coverings began to come off and the wires to touch. Instantly things -began to happen. The first wires that touched gave the engineer a -signal to stop and instantly the mighty ship began to slow up. Within a -short time it had come almost to a standstill and the first mate, up in -the pilot room, immediately took down his telephone and called up the -engineer. - -"What's the matter?" he asked. - -"Nothing, sir," said the engineer. "You gave the signal to stop and we -stopped." - -"I did no such thing," said the mate. "At any rate, start up again and -we'll investigate." - -Just then came another signal, and with a great jangling of bells the -big engines began to turn and the ship wheeled square around. There was -another jangling of bells, and, shaking with the force of the mighty -engines, the ship began to pick up speed, headed straight back for -France. Again the first mate called up the engineer. - -"What are you doing?" he asked. "Are you crazy? Why have you tacked -about?" - -"Had orders, sir," said the engineer. - -"You lay her northwest by north at once. Put the second engineer in -charge and report to me immediately." - -"Aye, aye, sir," said the engineer and started up to present himself to -the first mate. - -The ship was swung back on her proper course and had gone straight a -little way, when all at once the whistles began to blow and bells to -ring, and with this the captain came running up to the pilot room. The -first mate already had his telephone off the hook and was screaming down -to the engineer. - -"What are you doing, sir?" he demanded. "I thought I told you to report -to me at once!" - -"This is the second engineer, sir," repeated the voice. "The chief -engineer has just gone up to report to you, sir." - -"Well, why did you blow a landing whistle out here in mid-ocean? Can't -you obey orders? Are you crazy, too? Are you all crazy?" - -"I had the signal and obeyed orders, sir," said the second engineer. - -By that time the captain came bursting into the pilot room, while Billy -Mischief and his mother were chewing wires. - -"Are you a plum idiot?" demanded the captain. "Can't you be left in -charge of this ship? Have you been drinking? First you stopped the -ship, then you put back for France, then you turn again, and now you -blow a landing whistle." - -At that moment the fog horn began to sound, although the sea was almost -as bright as day with a round moon shining overhead and the stars -studded thick in the sky. - -The captain himself grabbed the telephone. - -"I want to know who's doing all this!" he demanded. "Who's in charge -there?" - -"I am, sir; the second engineer," answered the voice. - -"Put your assistant in charge and report to me in the pilot room at -once." - -Just then the chief engineer came in. - -"What does all this mean?" roared the captain. - -"I don't know, sir," said the engineer. "I got signals to stop, then to -put about, then to come back on the course, all of which I did." - -"I don't want you to attempt to put this on to me," said the mate. "I -haven't touched a button for an hour. There has been no necessity. We -have been going straight on our course." - -[Illustration: "SHAKE HANDS," SAID BOBBY.] - -All this while the steward had been going nearly crazy. The bells were -ringing from every cabin on the ship, and the waiters were running about -the place like mad. First one bell, then another would ring, and always -when the waiters went to those cabins they were told that nothing was -wanted and were abused for waking people up. That part of it was Billy -Mischief's work and he did as much to put the ship in an uproar as had -his mother. The sound of the fog horn and the stopping and starting of -the ship, the whistling and the clanging of the bells, kept everybody -awake that had been awakened by the waiters, and hastily throwing on -clothing, the passengers began to hurry out on to the decks to find out -what was the matter. - -The steward came hunting the captain, right after the second engineer. - -"This ship is bewitched," he cried, wringing his hands, and he told the -captain of all the trouble he was having with false alarms. - -Everybody looked at everybody else as if they thought that the others -had all better be in the asylum, and it was just at that moment that -Billy Mischief, down in the hold, turned to his mother and said: - -"Oh, come on! I don't like this stuff very well, anyhow," and leaving -the little closets to themselves, they trotted innocently upstairs not -knowing all the trouble they had made. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - *THE GOATS BECOME A FIERY DRAGON* - - -Not stopping on the lower deck, they went on up until they reached the -main saloon deck. It was ever so much wider and nicer than the deck of -the cattle ship, and just now it was crowded with passengers who had -hastily dressed themselves and had come out on deck to see what was the -matter with the ship and its queer actions. - -"Oh, there's my goat!" said a boy who was standing at the rail just at -the head of the stairway. - -It was Frank Brown and, walking up to Billy, he patted him on the neck. -A bright faced young man who was with Frank also stooped over and patted -Billy. - -"Whose goat is this other one?" he asked, turning to pat Billy's mother, -who, being jealous like most animals, crowded up to get her share of the -attention. - -"I don't know," said Frank. "It was picked up from a wreck; but the two -goats seem to be very chummy." - -Frank was looking along the deck at the long row of excitable -passengers, and suddenly he began to laugh. - -"I wish we could play some sort of a trick on all these people," he -said. - -The young man's face lit up with a smile as he gazed at the nervous and -worried looking passengers, then all at once he laughed aloud. - -"I've got it!" he cried. "Bring your goats and come into my cabin -quickly. It's just inside here." - -So Billy, willingly enough, was led by the horns into the young man's -cabin, and his mother followed after. As soon as they had reached the -cabin the young man rang the bell, and when the waiter came to him the -young man gave him a check and sent him after a trunk which was soon -brought up. Opening it, the young man took out an enormous dragon's -head made of papier mache and painted in bright colors. It was a fierce -looking head and almost filled the trunk. It had a great, double row of -gleaming white teeth, red lips, a red tongue that worked out and in, -immense saucer-like eyes and winged ears, while a "scary" looking spine -started from the top of its nose and arched high over its neck. The -balance of the trunk was filled with a long, thin, sack-like arrangement -which was painted green and red and yellow, and which was to represent -the dragon's body. - -"You know I told you," said the young man, "that I am the property man -of a big spectacular show company, and this is a new dragon that I have -just had made. It is intended for men to get inside of to walk it -across the stage. We'll put the goats in it and start them along the -deck, and then we'll see some fun." - -Neither Billy nor his mother wanted to get inside that strange looking -thing, but the two boys suddenly slipped the big head over Billy and -there was no way for him to get out. Then, catching Billy's mother by -the horns, they dragged her to the second slit and put her inside. The -young man quickly straightened up the ridges and the long, scalloped, -folding side fins of the body, while Frank held the head tightly and let -the goats prance inside. The young man opened the door and looked out. -The passageway was clear and they soon gained the deck. The young man -lit a match and stooped down for a moment. Instantly the big eyes were -lit up with red. Red flames came out of the tip of the tongue and smoke -rolled out of the nostrils. - -They headed the dragon up the deck before anybody noticed it, and as -soon as the goats were let go they started to run in their efforts to -get away from this heavy, dark thing that surrounded them. The young -man put his hands to his mouth, and making a megaphone of them, gave a -tremendous roar. Instantly everybody looked, and when they saw this -great, red-eyed and fire-breathing monster coming toward them there was -a grand scamper. A great many of the passengers thought that a sea -serpent had got aboard and they did not care to see it any closer. Away -they went, making as much noise as a Sunday school picnic, with the -fiery dragon right after them. Around and around the deck they chased -and the two poor goats were as scared as any of the women on board. - -It had been twice around the deck when the red powder that the young man -had lighted in its tongue began to die out, so the young man grabbed it -just as it passed the place where they had started it off and, quickly -turning it in toward his cabin, was struggling with the now thoroughly -frightened goats. He got the dragon safely into his room, but, as soon -as it was lifted off of Billy and his mother, those frightened goats -made a dash for the door and out on deck. Their only idea was to run as -fast as they could to get away from that dreadful thing, so when the -passengers saw them coming, they thought that some other sort of a -monster was loose and they began to run again. Some of the men stopped -to see what it was, however, and more than one of them had his revolver -in his hand ready to shoot. One of them, in fact, had his finger on the -trigger and was going to pull it when another man suddenly called out: - -"Wait a minute! They're only goats." - -The men caught the goats as they were struggling to get through and the -captain, who had been everywhere trying to stop the panic, now came up. -The second mate came up also, and when he saw the two goats he was very -angry and called one of his men. - -"Here," said he, "take these animals down where they belong and tie them -up with wires or chains so that they can't gnaw themselves loose. If I -see them again before we get to New York there's going to be trouble for -somebody." - -So Billy and his mother, their fun all over, were taken back down in the -hold and tied up tightly, and it was the last time they got loose until -they landed in America. - -"At any rate," said Billy's mother, "we are together." - -"I don't know how we can stay together, though," said Billy, shaking his -head. "I belong to Frank Brown and, so far as I can tell, you don't -belong to anybody. If you only did, maybe Mr. Brown would buy you, -although I don't believe he wants any more." - -And Billy was right about Mr. Brown's not wanting any more goats. - -The day they landed Frank Brown went to claim his goat. Billy and his -mother were still together, but as Frank was about to take Billy away a -woe-begone looking little fat man came rushing up. - -"Those should been my goats yet!" he exclaimed. - -"Your goats?" said Mr. Brown, rather angrily. "Why, man, that one with -the singed spots on his back we have just brought over with us from -France." - -"It makes me nothing out!" exclaimed the man. "They should been my -goats! I know them both like it was mine own brother and sister, yes! -I know the biggest one by such a black spot on her forehead and the -other one by such singed places like vat iss on his back. So! I should -bring them both over from Havre, and our ship got such a wreckness in -the big thunder weather, and Ach, I could cry mit weeping. My name is -Hans Zug and I am a poor man. Yes! I had more as two hundred goats and -these two is all what I got now, and if you take them away I don't got -any. No!" - -One of the sailors from the cattleship who had been taken on board with -Billy's mother came up just then and said that Hans was telling the -truth. Mr. Brown looked perplexed. - -"It's true," he said, "that we got this goat out of the ocean. It is -scarcely possible that two goats should be burned exactly alike and this -one either slipped loose from our carriage in Havre or was taken away -from us there by this man. I have already paid twice for it; once in -Europe, once on the ocean, and now I am expected to pay for him a third -time in America. Frank, get your goat and come on!" - -Poor Hans did not know what to say or do. Mr. Brown was evidently rich -and powerful and Hans was afraid he might get himself into trouble. He -looked so miserable, however, that Mr. Brown relented, and taking out -his pocket-book, handed Hans some money. - -"Here," he said, "I'll buy this goat again and then I'll be tempted to -hire somebody to hang it, only I'm afraid some butcher would sell it to -me a fourth time for mutton." - -Frank giggled at this and his father, too, cleared up his anger in a -laugh. Then Billy, in spite of all his mother's bleatings, was led away -from her. Within an hour he was put in a baggage car of a train for the -West where the Browns lived. This time he was not crated, but was tied -to a ring with a stout rope. - -Up to the time that the train began to start he struggled and pulled, -hoping to get away and run back to join his mother, but it was no use. -The train pulled out, and every minute Billy was carried farther and -farther away from the one goat in the world that was dear to him. He -was a very sad goat and he would have been sadder still if he had known -that his real misfortunes had only begun. All through that afternoon he -chewed at the stout rope, trying to get it loose, and all that night -whenever he woke up he began to gnaw at it, not knowing, of course, how -far he was being carried away, nor how impossible it would be for him -ever to get back to New York, over hundreds of miles of ground, across -rivers, through tunnels and over ferries, or even find his mother if he -ever did reach New York City. - -By morning he had his rope nearly gnawed through. Not long after -daylight the train stopped at a little station and the baggage doors on -both sides of the car were standing open when the train pulled out. -Billy gave a tug at his rope and then another one. It came loose, and, -giving a short run, he jumped out of the door. The train by this time -was going at a good speed, and Billy landed in the gravel of a steep -embankment, rolling over and over. After the train went on he lay quite -still, for he had fainted. Poor Billy had broken a leg. - -[Illustration: Poor Billy had broken a leg.] - -After a long time he crawled painfully up to the country road that -crossed the railroad track and led into the village they had just -passed. He dragged himself along this road quite a way toward the -village, but the pain was too great for him to continue very far, so -presently he crawled to the side of the road and lay down in the cool -grass. He tried to nibble a bit at this but he was too sick, and -finally he stretched himself out and closed his eyes. More and more, -now, he missed his mother, and felt that if she could only be there to -lick his wounds his leg would get well again, but now he felt that there -was no hope for him. All he could do was to close his eyes and die. - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - *BILLY JOINS A HAPPY FAMILY* - - -Whoa!" cried a brisk, cheery voice. - -Billy slowly opened his eyes. There on the road above him a pretty -Shetland pony stopped suddenly and shook his saucy looking head, while a -boy a little bigger than Frank Brown jumped down from a little cart full -of grass and ran to the pony's head. - -"Now stand still, Dandy, till we see whether our friend here by the -roadside needs any help," went on the boy. "It's a fine looking goat, -Dandy, but he looks sick." - -Dandy danced his front feet up and down and rubbed his nose -affectionately against the boy's neck, while a beautiful collie came -rushing up and capered and danced around them both, giving little, -short, sharp, playful barks. - -"Steady now, King, steady," said the boy. "That's no way to make a -noise when there are sick people around. Behave yourself," and patting -the dog's silken coat with a hearty thump, he turned to see what he -could do for Billy. - -The dog reached the goat first and Billy shivered as he felt the dog's -muzzle touch him. He jerked his head and began to gather his limbs to -get up and defend himself, when the dog whined a little and he felt that -the touch was a friendly one. - -"Why, you poor goat!" said the boy, as he saw the bruised and bleeding -leg. "I wonder how you ever broke such a pretty, fine limb as that. -Well, old fellow, if broken bones are all, we can fix those." - -He passed his hand gently down Billy's neck to his fore flanks, where it -rested for a moment. Billy felt better right away. He liked this young -fellow. He had never heard a voice or felt a touch that seemed to do -him so much good. A tiny little stream ran across the road not far -ahead, and, taking a bright little pail from his cart, the boy ran to -this stream and came back with some water. He carefully bathed Billy's -leg with his handkerchief and then, wetting the handkerchief thoroughly, -he tied it around Billy's leg. - -"That will do for a little bit," said the boy, "and now we will just -take you right home and fix you up properly." - -He stooped down to pick Billy up, and Billy, just as the pony had done -to the boy's neck, rested his nose affectionately on the boy's bare arm. -They were strong arms, too, and with but very little trouble they lifted -Billy up and laid him in the cart on the bed of soft, springy grass, -King barking joyous circles around them all the way. - -"It's lucky for you, old fellow," said the boy, as he gave Billy a light -pat and climbed back to his seat, "that I happened to be out cutting -some feed for my pets." - -The dog, King, sprang up on the seat beside the boy and sat there -looking as grave as an owl. - -"Get up, you Dandy!" said the boy. - -The saucy little pony stopped to prance for just a minute to show how -good he felt, and then away he darted. The road was smooth, the little -cart was supplied with good springs and the grass kept off the jar still -more, so that the ride was a very easy one. Just at the outskirts of -the village the boy sprang down again and opened a wide gate. Billy -raised up his head a little to look after this splendid fellow. He wore -a gray sweater, a pair of overalls, and a straw hat, and he was in his -bare feet. His nose tilted up a little at the end and his face was all -covered with freckles, but he was tall and straight, his yellow hair -curled from under his hat and his blue eyes were bright and kind, and -Billy thought he had never seen any human being in this world so fine -and handsome. As soon as the gate was opened, the busy little pony -darted through it and, without a word from the boy, stopped until his -driver could close the gate and take his place again. Two other dogs -came running down to meet them. - -"Hello, Curly! Hello, Spot!" called the boy, and he patted each of the -dogs on the head before he climbed back up on his seat and took the -reins. - -Back a little way from the road sat a small, white house with green -vines and bright red flowers clambering all over the wide front porch. -The ground in front of the house was glowing with flower beds; -everything looked neat and clean, and as if happy, contented people -lived there. The road from the gate led right past this house, and back -by the kitchen the boy stopped with a "Whoa!" A pleasant looking woman -came out of the kitchen door, and in her hands she held up a cooky. - -"Just out of the oven, Bobby boy," she said, and came up to the wagon to -hand it to him. He reached down and patted her cheek and with the same -hand took the hot cooky. - -"Look in the wagon, mother," he said smiling. - -"Well, Bob Sanders!" she cried. "Another animal! I don't know what -your father will say." - -"Oh, but look, mother!" said the boy, turning round to show her. "I -picked him up at the side of the road and see, he has broken a leg." - -"Oh, the poor goat!" said Mrs. Sanders, her voice as full of sympathy as -Bobby's own. Billy liked her voice too. The sound of it seemed to do -him good in the same way that Bobby's voice had. "I'll go right in and -get him some milk," she added. - -"No, I'd rather you wouldn't, mother," said Bobby. "I'll give him a -drink of water out at the barn, but I don't want him to eat anything -just now. I have got to set that leg and it's likely to be very painful -for him. If he ate anything it might make him very sick. After it is -all through, I'll make him a little mash and feed it to him." - -"All right, Bobby, you know best," said his mother, and she stood there -watching them until Bobby and his wagon had disappeared through the -gates of the barnyard and behind the barn. - -When Bobby jumped out of the wagon, chickens came squawking and running -to him, and clustered around his feet so he could hardly walk without -stepping on them; down from the gable of the barn whirred some pigeons, -which circled about his head and one of them lit on each shoulder, while -another one tumbled off in trying to get a foothold. Bobby laughed, -and, stooping down, stroked the feathers of some of the chickens and -then he reached up and took one of the pigeons in each hand. - -"Go, Flash! Go, Rocket," he called, pitching each one of them into the -air as he spoke, and after circling about him they flew back to their -perch under the eaves of the barn while Bobby unhitched Dandy. - -No sooner was that surprising pony unhitched than he ran back to the -pump. There was a little water standing in the bucket under the spout, -but Dandy upset this at once, and then turned the bucket right side up -again with his nose. There was a leather loop nailed firmly to the pump -handle and, gripping this with his teeth, Dandy jerked his head up and -down until he had pumped a bucket of water, which he drank with great -relish. Then he trotted into the barn where Bobby presently carried the -goat. - -He gave Billy a drink of cool, fresh water and then, after preparing -splints and bandages and getting everything ready, he set the broken -bone in Billy's leg with cool, firm hands. Poor Billy! It hurt him far -worse than it had hurt to break his leg, but after Bobby had put some -ointment on the leg and wrapped it up in soft bandages and had bound the -stiff boards on it to keep it firm while the bone was healing, it felt a -great deal better. Billy's bed was made of some sweet smelling hay -right in front of Dandy's stall, just where a cool breeze could blow -across him, and after Bobby had gone away, Billy closed his eyes in -comfort. Next to being back on Farmer Klausen's farm with his own -mother, this was the nicest place he had ever been in his life. - -After a long nap, Billy woke up to find Dandy clattering into his stall. - -[Illustration: After a long nap, Billy woke up.] - -"Whew, but I'm hot!" said Dandy. "How do you feel?" - -"Pretty good," said Billy, "only my leg does throb and hurt." - -"No doubt," replied Dandy. "I know when Queen had her leg broken she -told me how it hurt her. You must get around and see Queen and her -babies as soon as you are able, although I expect by that time they will -be in here, tumbling around you. They are the cutest little puppies I -ever saw in my life." - -"I shall be glad to," said Billy, "but just now I'm only thinking about -one thing. I'm hungry." - -"That's good," laughed Dandy, "you'll get something to eat all right. -Nobody stays hungry around here. Bobby will be here with something to -eat soon. He's the best boy in the world. As soon as you get well -enough, he'll teach you to do tricks." - -"Tricks?" said Billy in surprise. "I never heard of them. What are -they?" - -"Oh, you'll find out," said Dandy. "I can do a few of them myself. I -can waltz on my hind legs, and stand on my head, and roll a barrel, and -now I'm learning to stand on a globe and roll it backwards and -forwards." - -"My, but you are smart!" said Billy. "And does he ever whip you if you -don't do them right?" - -Dandy laughed and tossed his head. - -"No indeed!" said he. "Bobby never had a whip in his hand. We're all of -us glad to do anything he tells us." - -"If you know how, stupid," croaked a new voice, and Billy looked up to -see a tame black crow sitting in the window. - -"Stupid yourself, Tarwings," said the pony, but it was in a friendly -tone. - -"You must have good times here," said Billy, sighing as he thought of -all the places of trouble he had seen in his travels. - -"We do," replied Dandy. "Of course it isn't all play. Now I just came -in from hoeing the corn." - -"You mean that Bobby hoed the corn while you pulled the hoe," croaked -the crow. "Don't mind what he says, Mr. Goat. He'll make you think -that he does it all around here," and then, laughing hoarsely, the crow -flapped his wings and flew away. - -Dandy laughed heartily. - -"He thinks he's a great mischief maker, but nobody gets angry at what he -says. He doesn't mean a bit of harm by it." - -Just then Bobby came in with a pail of warm mash for Billy. The goat -hardly knew whether he liked it at the first taste, but as he ate more -of it and felt it warming him up inside, he began to realize how good it -was, and after he had eaten all that Bobby thought it wise for him to -have just then, he lay very contented and lazy while Bobby rubbed -Dandy's smooth coat with a cloth. - -Later in the evening a pretty, little red and white cow came into the -barn and turned into her stall beside Dandy's. She was properly -introduced to Billy, and the crow made so much fun of their politeness -that he laughed until he fell out of the window, where he lay on the hay -with his legs sticking up until he was quite through cackling. - -"Yes, I heard all about your case," said Tiny, the cow. "King came out -in the pasture to tell me about it. You were very unfortunate, but -after all you were very lucky that you got to come here, where nobody -ever even gets cross." - -A sharp yelp behind her heels made Tiny jump half out of her hide, and -then King, laughing at the trick he had played on her, sprang from -behind her and over her stall to inquire about Billy. It seemed strange -to Billy to have a dog come near him without getting ready for a fight, -and he could not get over the surprise of being in a place where -everybody seemed to get along so nicely. He could not understand it at -all until Bobby came in again, and then he reflected that all these -animals were simply trained to the kindness and gentleness that was in -their master. Before he went to sleep that night Billy had some more -mash and a few tender mustard plants to eat, and he slept like a top -until morning. - -Those were tiresome days for Billy. He did long to get out and play -with the other animals, but he knew that he must first let his leg heal, -so he stood it as patiently as he could. Bobby came to see him at least -two or three times a day and rebandaged his leg as often as was needed. -The leg healed rapidly, and at last Bobby said one morning: - -"Well, old fellow, be good two more days to make sure and we'll let you -out." - -Those were the most welcome words that Billy had heard in a long time, -and he licked Bobby's hand for saying them. After Bobby went away he -began to wonder how he should put in those two long, long days, but -before he had time to fret about it he heard a whole chorus of little -yelps, and here came Bobby with King and Queen and half a dozen pretty -baby collies. - -"Here, old fellow," said Bobby, "I brought you some playmates. Introduce -them, King, and amuse our friend Billy all you can." Bobby took Dandy -from his stall to hitch him up and go into the village for some lumber, -leaving Billy in good company. Such puppies as those were! They nipped -at him, they pulled his tail, they clawed his beard, they hung on his -horns, they sprawled all over him and came tumbling down on all sides, -little, awkward, white and brown bunches of down. There was no chance -for Billy to get blue or fretful, for those puppies kept him laughing -all the time. Their awkward antics would have made anyone laugh. For -the two whole days that Billy had to stay bandaged up for safety's sake, -those puppies kept him amused, and when on the third day his splints -were taken off and he was allowed to walk out-doors with only a cloth -bandage wrapped around his leg, the puppies scampered out after him. - -Billy blinked his eyes when he got out-doors again. - -My, what a fresh, pretty, green world this was, to be sure! How good it -was to be alive! How good it was to be in such a fine home as this! - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - *BILLY EARNS HIS NAME* - - -The first day Billy was allowed to walk around for only an hour. The -second day he was allowed out for two hours, and by the end of that week -he was turned loose without a bandage of any sort on his leg, as well as -ever. And how he did enjoy his freedom! He had all the chickens to get -acquainted with, including the two little black bantam roosters, Spunk -and Saucebox, who would jump up on Bobby's finger and crow whenever they -were told to do so. A dozen pigeons he had to meet, and four dogs--a -pair of pointers, Ponto and Patty, and a pair of greyhounds, Hurricane -and Lightning,--none of which had been in the barn to see him while he -was sick. - -It was while he was meeting all these new friends that he felt something -suddenly swoop on his head, just between his horns, while something -sharp dug into his hair. The other animals to whom he had been talking -began to laugh and a hoarse voice from between his horns joined in the -merriment. Then Billy knew that Tarwings was taking one of his -surprising ways of saying good morning. - -"Of all the animals here you're the only one that hasn't given me a -ride," said Tarwings, "and now I think I'll take it. Get up!" He -grabbed his beak into the hair on Billy's forehead and spread his -jet-black wings. - -"Oho!" said Billy, "I'll give you a ride you won't like." So he started -forward, but all at once lay down and rolled over. Tarwings was too -quick for him, however, for as Billy went over he flew up in the air a -foot or two, and as Billy came back on his feet there was the crow -again, holding tight with beak and talons, and laughing more than ever. -The pony and the cow were both loose in the barnyard and they enjoyed -the joke on Billy as much as the dogs or the chickens or pigeons. Billy -was the only one in the barnyard who did not seem to see the fun. His -next attempt to get rid of Tarwings was to run straight at the fence and -butt it, but once more the crow was too quick, and Billy only got a hard -bump for his pains, while the crow settled down on his head again. - -"You're the best of all," laughed the crow. "You put so much more -spirit and spunk into your work. I believe I'll ride with you always -after this." - -"All right," said Billy, "this time I'll give you a good ride." So -Billy began to go in a circle around and around the barnyard. All the -time he had his eye on a thick clump of gooseberry bushes over in one -corner, and as he ran he gradually widened the circle until one trip was -right close up to those bushes. On the next circle, just as he came to -them, he suddenly wheeled and dived head first in among them, and this -time he caught Jimmy Tarwings. The sharp branches scraped the crow off -of Billy's back and mussed up his feathers till he looked as if he had -been in a cyclone. The thorns scarcely bothered Billy's tough hide and -he quickly made his way out of the bushes, to join his particular -friends, Dandy and King. This time it was Billy's laugh. - -"Caw, caw!" cried the crow presently, limping out from the bushes. He -was a sorry looking sight, but the other animals did not have much pity -on him, for he was such a mischief and it was fun to see him caught at -his own game, so they simply capered around and laughed at him. Bobby, -who had just come out in time to see Billy plunge into the gooseberry -bushes, also stopped to laugh, but when the crow flew to him he quit at -once, and smoothing down the feathers, examined Tarwing carefully to see -whether he had any serious hurt. - -"Serves you right, old fellow," said he, holding the bird close up to -his cheek. "If you will indulge in rough play, you may expect to get -hurt now and then. Come here, Dandy!" - -Dandy came running to him and Bobby quickly hitched him up. Bobby was a -busy boy and a thrifty one. He had bought an acre of ground just behind -the barnyard on credit a long time ago, and had paid for it out of the -proceeds of the garden truck which he had raised on it. He sold eggs -and chickens in the village and raised squab which he sent to the -near-by city. Besides this he sometimes used Dandy and his wagon for -light hauling, turning an honest penny wherever he could. As Mr. -Sanders ran the mill in the village and was doing very nicely in a -business way, Bobby was free to keep all his money for himself and to do -with it as he pleased, for he had long ago proved that he could be -trusted with money. To-day he had a little hauling to do and he drove -Dandy out to the road with a cheery good-bye to his happy barnyard -family. - -Bobby left the barnyard gate slightly ajar and he had no more than gone -when Billy, as full of curiosity as ever, managed to swing the gate and -push it wide open, then he darted out followed by all the chickens, -which immediately scattered to the flower beds and vegetable garden to -scratch and eat the tender leaves. - -Mrs. Sanders had just hung out her clothes. Nice white linen always had -struck Billy as being a fine thing to chew on. He liked it almost as -well as boys and girls do chewing gum. Of course when he saw some -hanging down for his especial benefit, it was no more than polite for -him to walk up and take a nibble. - -Just as he reached up for it, however, Jimmy Tarwings swooped down on -Billy's back to give him a scratch with his talons and a nip with his -bill, and Billy, not expecting it, of course gave a jump and his head -ran right through the neck of one of Mr. Sander's undershirts, where he -stuck. Of course Billy struggled to get away and of course Jimmy -Tarwings, seeing that Billy was fastened, jumped on his back again and -began to claw him with his sharp nails. - -[Illustration: Jimmy Tarwings swooped down on Billy's back.] - -"Get up!" croaked Jimmy. "I'm ready for another ride now. Get up, -goat!" - -Billy ran backwards but the undershirt stuck on his horns and he could -not get it off over his head. He ran forward and it stuck on his -shoulders. One of the clothes-props came down and the line sank still -lower, so that he had a better chance to struggle, which he did. -Another clothes-prop came down and now a great many of the nice, white -clothes lay dragging on the ground. Billy, goaded on by the crow, gave -another terrific lunge, and this time the line came loose at both ends -and the whole string of clothes dragged on the ground after the -galloping goat, while Jimmy Tarwings spread his wings and shrieked with -joy. He was having the ride of his life. - -Around the house and past the kitchen Billy tore, scattering chickens -right and left and followed by all the dogs, yelping and barking and -thinking it the greatest fun that had happened in a long time. Around -to the front of the house went the queer procession and straight through -Mrs. Sanders' pet geranium bed, all scarlet with beautiful blossoms that -Billy's samples of wet clothing mashed down flat. - -Mrs. Sanders was just opening the front door to scrub off her porch when -she saw her clothes making such a queer trip. Of course she ran out, -but just as she stooped to catch the line a flapping sheet whipped -around her foot and gave her a jerk that sent her rolling over in the -grass, while the rest of the string of clothes swept on over her, some -of the wet garments dragging right across her face. She was not hurt a -bit and she even had to laugh at what a ridiculous figure she must have -cut if anybody had been looking, but nevertheless she took after Billy -and her clothes again. Billy, by this time, had made a circle which -wiped out a pansy bed and now, frantic to get away from this strange -harness and from his tormentor, the crow, he made a dash for the open -front door. The line of clothes caught on the front step, but now Billy -was going so fast that the undershirt tore and let him kick himself -free. Moreover, as it passed on over his back it caught Jimmy Tarwings, -and for the second time that morning swept him from Billy's back. This -time he was in a worse fix than before, for the wet garment, in -springing back, rolled him up in a tight wad and thumped him back on the -steps. - -Billy dashed straight on toward an open door across the room. He was so -confused that he did not see exactly where he was going and did not -dodge the center table quite in time. He ran against one leg of it, and -over the table went with a crash, throwing a big lamp over and spilling -it on the sofa, drenching it with oil and breaking a lot of choice china -bric-a-brac that Mrs. Sanders had collected. - -Out through the kitchen Billy hurried with the dogs, Mrs. Sanders right -after him. The kitchen door was closed but the window was open, so -Billy gave a jump through it, and here he made more trouble, for on a -low, wide shelf, just outside the kitchen window, Mrs. Sanders had -placed some pies which she had just taken from the oven. Billy landed -on this shelf and upset it, throwing all the pies upside down on the -ground, while the dogs came pouring out of the window in such haste that -some of them turned somersaults when they reached the gravel. Even the -collie puppies had toddled behind on this chase, and now they could be -heard yelping in the kitchen and wishing that they would hurry and grow -up so that they too could jump through windows. Billy began to think it -was time for him to get away from there, so he whirled again for the -front of the house, ran with all his might down to the gate and jumped -square over it into the road outside. - -"Fine!" said a cheery voice that Billy recognized at once. "That was a -great jump. I guess I'll have to make a high jumper out of you." - -Billy stopped, ashamed of himself. For a minute he had been wanting to -run away from this kind friend of his, but all at once he made up his -mind to stay right where he was and take a whipping if he had to have -it, and, as all the dogs piled out of the gate after him and set up a -yelping and capering around Bobby and Dandy, Billy stood among them, his -head hanging down, feeling very cheap. Bobby, who had forgotten -something and come back for it, was a little puzzled, until he looked up -to the house and saw his mother sitting on the front porch holding up -her line of draggled, dirty clothes, while Tiny, the cow, was calmly -eating up her nasturtium bed, unnoticed. Then Bobby understood. - -"You're a bad goat," he said to Billy, shaking his finger at him. "I -have been puzzling what to name you, but now I know," and by some -strange accident he landed on the very name that Billy's mother had -given him long before. "I'm going," he said, "to call you Billy -Mischief." - -Billy had to behave himself splendidly to make the Sanders family forget -that morning's mischief, but at last Mrs. Sanders remembered that she -had seen Jimmy Tarwings on Billy's back when he was running with the -clothes fast to his neck, and so they blamed it on the crow. They were -used to blaming mischief on that busy bird, so that a little more or -less did not matter much to him. - -And now Billy's education began. Every day, for an hour or so, Bobby -taught tricks to the pets. The first time Billy saw this he scarcely -knew his new friends, they were so different and so much in earnest. -First of all, Bobby, who had been training his animals for a long time, -placed a row of boxes in front of the barn. - -"Dandy!" he cried, and the pony ran quickly to the big box in the center -and stood upon it. "King! Queen!" Bobby cried, and the two dogs jumped -upon the boxes, one each side of the pony. "Ponto! Patty!" and the next -box on each side was filled. "Curly! Spot! Hurricane! Lightning!" and -the next four boxes, two on each side, were occupied. - -This disposed of all the dogs except the six little collie puppies, and -Bobby next called the names of these, one at a time. Of course the -puppies did not know what to do, but as soon as Bobby had called the -name of one of them he set that one up on its box so that it would soon -learn to know where it belonged. - -"Jimmy!" called Bobby, and down from the barn fluttered Jimmy Tarwings -and sat on the pony's head. Then Bobby gave a peculiar low thrilling -whistle, and with a whirl and a rush the pigeons came circling and -fluttering down, each one landing on a head of one of the dogs. "Spunk! -Saucebox!" Bobby called, and the two bantams jumped up, one on each of -his outstretched hands. Two of the pigeons settled down on each of -Bobby's shoulders and one on top of his head. The two bantam roosters -started to crow as loud as they could and that was the signal for the -pony and all the dogs except the puppies to stand up on their hind feet, -while the crow and the pigeons fluttered their wings. "Down!" said -Bobby, and they all settled back upon their haunches. Bobby dropped his -arms and the bantam roosters fluttered to the ground. - -Next Bobby brought out a barrel and called Dandy. The pony came running -and with a little jump landed right on top of the barrel, rolling it -forwards and backwards, without Bobby helping him in any way or even -coming near him. Then Bobby took a mouth harp from his pocket and began -to play a lively little waltz tune, upon which Dandy jumped on top of a -little platform that Bobby had built and standing on his hind feet, -began to waltz. - -"On your head, now, Dandy," called Bobby, and the pony, after much -struggling, managed to stand on his head for a moment. This was a new -trick that Bobby had been nearly a year in teaching him, but now he was -almost able to do it without trouble although it was very, very -difficult. This was not all of the tricks that Dandy could do, for he -could spell his own name and Bobby's and some others by pawing printed -cards around, and could pick out colors when told to do so, and could -answer questions by nodding his head, and count up simple figures by -pawing with his foot, but his master did not ask him to do all these -tricks this time. Bobby was as considerate of his animals as if they -were human friends. - -Bobby next called King and Queen and they came with a rush, jumping upon -the platform and sitting with their fore legs up, happy and eager. -Bobby put the empty barrel, which was open at both ends and scraped -smooth inside, on the platform. Then King and Queen got one on each -side of it and rolled it backward and forward, then they both jumped on -top of it, one facing one way and the other the other, and rolled it, -King walking backwards and Queen walking forwards. When it was at the -very edge of the platform King walked forwards and Queen walked -backwards and rolled it the other way. Then, at Bobby's command, they -stopped it in the middle of the platform where King stood toward one end -of it, tilting the other end up while Queen pushed that end so that it -stood upright. Then King and Queen jumped into it, both at once from -opposite directions, tilting the barrel over and coming out side by -side, a very difficult trick and one that had taken Bobby a long while -to teach them. Then he threw them a light rubber ball, and King, taking -it in his teeth, would toss it and Queen would catch it. Then she would -toss it back. They were ready to do still more tricks, but Bobby never -put them through all that they knew at one time, not wishing to tire -them. - -"Ponto and Patty!" he called, and the two pointers took the places of -the collies. They stood on rolling globes, turned somersaults and -jumped straight up in the air to catch a piece of red leather that Bobby -had hung from a light, horizontal bar which he kept putting higher and -higher for them. They did other tricks, and then the greyhounds did -some very wonderful high jumping. The terriers waltzed and turned back -springs and walked a tight rope. The pigeons, at Bobby's command, -wheeled in the air, two by two, by four's, in single file, and in fact -went through a regular drill just above Bobby's head. - -It was a finer performance than those usually seen in traveling shows. -Bobby had taught all these pets of his just for his own amusement and -they seemed to enjoy it just as much as he did, and after each one had -done his part, Bobby always had some little delicacy for him; a lump of -sugar for the pony, little pieces of meat for the dogs, some special -seed for the pigeons, and he had a pat on the head and a loving word for -all of them. - -"All over!" he cried at last, and the patient animals ran scampering -from their boxes. "Now, Billy Mischief," said Bobby, turning to our -friend, the goat, "come on, and we'll learn a stunt or two ourselves." - -Billy came willingly enough when his name was called and when Bobby -patted his hands on the boards, Billy jumped upon the platform. - -"Shake hands," said Bobby. - -Of course Billy did not know what this meant, but Bobby caught hold of -one of his fore feet and lifted it up, shaking it gently, then he set it -down and patted Billy on the flanks. "Shake hands," he said again, and -this time he tapped Billy on the leg. Still Billy did not know what to -do, so Bobby once more picked up his foot and shook it, then patted him -on the shoulder. A dozen times Bobby patiently did this, until at last -when he said, "Shake hands!", and tapped Billy gently on the leg, Billy -lifted up his hoof and laid it in Bobby's hand to be shaken. - -"Good boy," said Bobby, patting him and, reaching in his pocket, he drew -out some tender lettuce leaves which he had found Billy liked better -than anything else. That was all for that morning. - -The next morning Bobby only had to say, "Shake hands!" twice until Billy -lifted up his hoof, and before that lesson was over he only needed the -words and did not even need to be tapped on the leg. For two or three -days longer that was all the lesson he got, because it does not do to -try to teach animals too many tricks at once. It only confuses them, -but Billy, once started, was very quick to learn. Soon he could do as -many tricks as the best of them, and had his box right alongside his -friend Dandy's. Some of the tricks that he had learned were brand new -ones. They had never been seen in a show or anywhere else, and how -Billy did like the work! How he did like Bobby and all his animal -friends, and how he did like this peaceful happy place! - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - *A HAPPY REUNION* - - -One evening Bobby and his father were standing at the front gate talking -when a dusty, red-faced, little fat man came trudging along the road -with a white goat dragging at his heels. He was a queer looking figure -and he seemed to be very much worried as he came up to them. - -"Mister," said he to Mr. Sanders, "could you told me where I should get -such a job yet?" - -"I don't know of any place," said Mr. Sanders. "Where are you from? -What countryman are you?" - -"I been a Switzer," said the man. "I got no money, no job, no anything, -only this one dumb-headed goat." - -Mr. Sanders smiled as he looked from the man to the goat, both of them -woe-begone tramps. - -"Rather queer," he said, "to be tramping around the country with a goat. -Where did you get it?" - -"That should be all of my troubles, yet," said the man mournfully. "When -I start von Switzerland I have more as two hundred goats what I have -bought for a partnerships to a man for a goat farm back there about four -hours' walk. I have such a wrecks by my ship and I lose me all but this -one dumb-headed goat. Well, I have my ticket by the railroad to where -this man should have the goats. I promise him some goats, I got one -left, I come all the way von New York und take it to him and what you -think? He won't have any. Because I don't bring him the more as two -hundred goats what I promise, he won't take even this one dumb-head," -and he scowled at the poor goat at his heels as if it had been the cause -of all of his woe. - -"How much will you take for your goat?" suddenly broke in Bobby. - -"Oh, Bobby boy, you don't want another goat?" objected his father. -"You've got the place overrun now." - -"Oh but, father, I want a team," said Bobby. "I've been wishing for one -to put on the other side of Billy when I'm having them do stunts, -besides hitching them up to a cart that I am making. They will make a -fine team." - -"Don't you think you could find better ways than that to spend your -money?" said Mr. Sanders. - -"I don't think so," said Bobby. "If I can get it at the right price, -it's a good investment. How much will you take?" he asked, turning to -the man. - -"I take me ten dollars," said the man. - -"Too much," said Bobby. "It's more than I think the goat is worth and -more than I care to pay." - -"How much then?" asked the man. - -"Seven dollars," answered Bobby. "I don't want to dicker with you or I -would have offered you less. That is the most I can pay." - -"Take the goat yes!" said the man. "It's a dumb-head, anyhow. I belief -me." - -Bobby opened the gate joyfully and patted the goat on the neck. The -goat, tired and dusty, felt grateful for that touch just as Billy had -felt and when Bobby said "Come on," it followed gladly. - -"I'll bring you the money right away," said Bobby. "Come on," he called -again to the goat, and ran back to the barn. Running into Billy's stall, -he said: "Billy, my boy, I've brought a new friend for you and I want -you to be good to this stranger." With that the strange goat came in -after him and Billy leaped up with a bleat of joy. The new goat was his -mother! - -Bobby ran back to the house to get his money, leaving the two goats -together, and they had so much to tell each other at once that neither -one of them heard very much what the other was saying, until Billy -happened to pay attention to where his mother was explaining how she had -just been sold to Bobby. - -[Illustration: Neither one of them heard very much what the other was -saying.] - -"Wait a minute," said Billy, "did you say that man was out there now?" - -"Yes," answered his mother. "Bobby just went to get him some money." - -"Wait right here a minute," said Billy. "I owe him something for -throwing me overboard into the sea, and I always like to pay my debts." - -Out of the barn he ran, through the gate, down the drive, and cleared -the road gate with a pretty jump. Then he wheeled to where the fat man, -the money in his pocket, was saying good-bye to Bobby and his father. -Billy had no time to say anything just then; he just ran with his head -down. The fat man turned and saw Billy coming and started to run toward -the village, going so fast that he fairly waddled sideways, but there -was no use for him to run. Like two freight cars bumping together, -Billy landed on fat Hans Zug just once. - -"A thousand lightnings yet again!" yelled Hans. - -Billy did not stop to answer him. He just trotted back, jumped over the -gate and hurried on to the barn to talk to his mother, about this -splendid, contented home that was to be theirs for a long time to come. -And we could not say good-bye to them in a happier place. - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - *The* - - *Billy Whiskers Series* - - - *By - Frances - Trego - Montgomery* - - -The antics of frolicsome Billy Whiskers, that adventuresome goat Mrs. -Montgomery writes about in these stories make all the boys and girls -chuckle--and every story that is issued about him is pronounced by them -"better than the last." - - - *TITLES IN SERIES* - -1. Billy Whiskers -2. Billy Whiskers' Kids -3. Billy Whiskers, Junior -4. Billy Whiskers' Travels -5. Billy Whiskers at the Circus -6. Billy Whiskers at the Fair -7. Billy Whiskers' Friends -8. Billy Whiskers, Jr., and His Chums -9. Billy Whiskers' Grandchildren -10. Billy Whiskers' Vacation -11. Billy Whiskers Kidnaped -12. Billy Whiskers' Twins -13. Billy Whiskers In an Aeroplane -14. Billy Whiskers In Town -17. Billy Whiskers at the Exposition -18. Billy Whiskers Out West -19. Billy Whiskers in the South -20. Billy Whiskers In Camp -21. Billy Whiskers in France -22. Billy Whiskers' Adventures -23. Billy Whiskers in the Movies -24. Billy Whiskers Out for Fun -25. Billy Whiskers' Frolics -26. Billy Whiskers at Home -27. Billy Whiskers' Pranks - - - BOUND IN BOARDS - COVER IN COLORS - PROFUSE TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS - FULL-PAGE DRAWINGS IN COLORS - - - *THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY--AKRON, OHIO* - - - -[Illustration: back cover] - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BILLY WHISKERS' TRAVELS *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43872 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. 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