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diff --git a/old/65763-0.txt b/old/65763-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index def3dc5..0000000 --- a/old/65763-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4150 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Billy Whiskers at the Fair, by F. G. -Wheeler - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Billy Whiskers at the Fair - -Author: F. G. Wheeler - -Illustrator: Arthur DeBebian - -Release Date: July 4, 2021 [eBook #65763] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David E. Brown and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive/American - Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BILLY WHISKERS AT THE -FAIR *** - - -[Illustration: “HELLO, PUMPKIN MAN,” WAS BILLY’S CORDIAL GREETING.] - - - - - BILLY WHISKERS - AT THE FAIR - - By - - F. G. WHEELER - - [Illustration] - - Drawings by ARTHUR DEBEBIAN - - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - - NEW YORK AKRON, OHIO CHICAGO - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1909 - By - THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY - - MADE BY - THE WERNER COMPANY - AKRON, OHIO - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. The Automobile Arrives 9 - - II. Fair Day Dawns 25 - - III. In the Needlework Exhibit 39 - - IV. The Baby Show 51 - - V. The Balloon Man 61 - - VI. The Fortune Teller 71 - - VII. The Laughing Gallery 81 - - VIII. Billy Has an Encounter 93 - - IX. A Night with the Duke 99 - - X. Toppy to the Fore 107 - - XI. Threatened with Lockjaw 121 - - XII. The Pumpkin Man 131 - - XIII. A Triumphant Home-Coming 141 - - XIV. The Reward 155 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - “Hello, Pumpkin Man,” was Billy’s cordial greeting _Frontispiece_ - - Whack! resounded a broomstick on Billy’s broad back 21 - - Billy landed in a great tub of water 45 - - Louder and louder came the shouts of his pursuers 65 - - “I geeve you von neekle alreaty. Now you say anodder?” 85 - - There peeping from behind the skirts of the second woman - was a handsome goat 133 - - -[Illustration: BILLY WHISKERS AT THE FAIR.] - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE AUTOMOBILE ARRIVES - - -Affairs at Cloverleaf Farm had been running very smoothly for a month -or more. School had begun, the boys were occupied with studies and -so well out of mischief’s way for five hours each day. Summer crops -had been harvested, the barn was bursting with the sweet-scented hay, -the well-filled silo promised many a juicy meal for the farmyard -inhabitants during the approaching winter months, and in the fields the -pumpkins lay like huge nuggets of pure gold, with the shocks of corn -standing guard over their richness. - -Billy Whiskers, as you will remember, had returned from his long -travels with the Circus, the troupe of monkeys had come and gone, and -the Farm was left in comparative quiet. - -Yet under the outward calm there was a vague uneasiness, and a strange -restlessness was apparent among the boys, which at times infected -even the older members of the Treat household. All this was proven -conclusively because Billy Whiskers and his gaily-painted cart were -neglected, and catalogs had held much more interest than outdoor sports -for the last week or more. - -But such a condition of things could not last very long. One fine -afternoon when the sun was casting long, slanting rays across the -fields, and there was the soft haziness of first October days in the -air, Tom, Dick and Harry were passing the Corners on their way home -from school when the postmaster, a genial old fellow, hailed them from -his seat on a cracker barrel in front of the store. - -“Here, boys, wait a minute. There’s a postal for your father, and the -new automobile is a-comin’, all right, all right!” - -[Illustration] - -“Hooray!” shouted Tom, as he leaped up the steps. - -“Hur-_rah_!” exulted Harry, a close second. - -“_Hur_-rah,” echoed Dick, as he was dragged along, for the smallest of -the Treat boys tugged at Harry’s hand, determined to be on the scene -with his older brothers. - -Three pairs of eager hands reached through the narrow little window of -the board partition which served to divide the post-office from the -general store, but agile Tom secured the coveted prize and was away, -out of the store and off up the dusty road like a flash. - -“Father, father, look here!” breathlessly shouted the trio, as they -turned into the yard and drew up at the front porch steps. - -Father and Mother Treat hurried to the veranda to learn the cause of -all this wild commotion, and their faces wreathed in smiles at the -welcome news that the auto was on its way. - -“When do you think it’ll get here?” - -“Will you let me drive her?” - -“I may, mayn’t I, papa?” - -The beleaguered father shook off the eager questioners with: - -“Now, boys, the card says that the machinist who is to deliver the -automobile will probably arrive to-morrow afternoon. I think we’ll have -to make it a holiday, so you will be on hand when it comes.” - -“Now, father,” remonstrated Mrs. Treat quickly, “that is unwise. They’d -much better be in school.” - -“Tut, tut, mother! Boys must have some good times, I think.” - -“Oh, father, do let us!” petitioned the boys, and a cheery nod -satisfied them that the victory was theirs. - -Very little indeed was accomplished by the Treat boys the next morning, -and kind Miss Clinton, their teacher, was at a loss for an explanation -of the wriggling, twisting and manifest uneasiness possessing them. - -Tom was detected in the act of attempting to communicate with Harry, -the note was confiscated by Miss Clinton, and Tom himself straightway -sent to the platform, where he whiled away the dreary, lagging moments -by driving an imaginary automobile over the hills at a terrific speed, -much to the envy of his schoolmates. - -“I’ll ask everyone of ’em to ride, except Miss Clinton,” he pondered, -planning revenge for his present predicament. “And _then_ I guess -she’ll wish she hadn’t punished me.” - -[Illustration] - -Noon came at last, as all noons do, and then the note was presented to -Miss Clinton by little Dick, though by this time it was very much the -worse for frequent fingering. The little fellow had not been able to -keep his hands off the precious thing for longer than five minutes at a -time. First he had to make sure that it really was in his pocket. Then -again he took just one peep inside to reassure himself that it asked -that he and his brothers be excused from the afternoon session. Each -time he took it out, he patted it lovingly, and therefore it now bore -many a print of chubby and very smudgy finger tips. - -Miss Clinton’s consent was readily given, for rules in the country -districts are not so iron-clad as in the more crowded city schools, and -away hastened the boys for the noonday meal at home. - -It proved to be rather a tempestuous one, and Mrs. Treat was glad -indeed when chairs were pushed back from the board and the restive -group betook themselves to the wide, shady veranda. It commanded a -splendid view of the road toward Springfield, for it mounted a gradual -ascent of a mile or more before it scurried over and down again in its -eagerness to reach the city. - -“I wonder what Billy will do when he sees the machine,” piped up -little Dick, as they settled themselves comfortably in hammock and in -spacious, comfortable porch chairs. - -“Well, he has seen plenty of autos go by here, and after all his -experiences with the Circus this summer, he ought to behave, I’m -sure,” said Mrs. Treat uneasily, for she was never quite sure that she -understood Billy and all his varying moods. - -Now Billy overheard this remark, for he was just around the corner of -the house, on the outside cellar door, this being his favorite spot on -warm afternoons. - -In fact, he was very fond of luxury, and always took a siesta after a -hearty meal and during the heated portion of the day. - -“Don’t be too sure of that, Mrs. Treat,” soliloquized mischievous -Billy. “I am not so old yet that I shall rest content without -occasional adventures. I really believe I am beginning to be a trifle -bored, now that I think of it. Nothing interesting has happened in this -countryside for a whole month, and it is high time that I stir up the -community a bit. It really seems too ba--” - -“He’s coming! He’s coming!” shouted Tom. “Just over the hill! Don’t you -see him?” - -And the three boys, unable to control their delight, pranced around, -threw their caps high into the air, and then raced down to the gate. - -“Look at her go! Bet she can make thirty miles an hour,” predicted -Harry. - -“She is surely plowing through the sand in great style,” said Tom, -as the automobile reached the flats and struck the heavy sand of the -bottoms. - -“I’m a-goin’ to sit on the front seat,” announced Dick confidently, -hanging over the gate and swinging back and forth. - -“Oh, no, you’re not, sonny! I am, you know,” declared patronizing -Harry, but Tom, the deliberate, silenced them both. - -“You’ll neither of you sit on the front seat. Babies belong back -in the tonneau with their mother, and that’s just where you’ll be, -youngsters. Father and I will sit in front, you’ll see.” - -“Huh!” grunted Harry, with fine contempt. “Think because you’re an inch -taller’n me you own the farm, don’t you?” - -They were still arguing this all-important question when with toot of -horn and a fine flourish the automobile drew up at the gate, and the -chauffeur bent over the wheel to inquire: - -“This Cloverleaf Farm?” - -“Well, I just guess, and that is our automobile!” was the satisfactory, -if rather inelegant response. - -“Glad to see you, very glad to see you!” was Mr. Treat’s cordial -welcome as he hastened to shake hands with the driver. - -“Glad to meet you too, sir, and to deliver the car safe and sound. -She’s in finest trim. Suppose we might as well proceed right to -business. I must get back to Springfield to-night to catch the -eight-forty westbound. Shall I teach you to drive her now?” - -“Well, to-morrow is Fair day, and we’ll want to use her, of course. But -come in, and have a drink of sweet cider and a doughnut first. You must -be thirsty,” urged Mr. Treat, not forgetful of hospitality. “Boys, run -and tell mother to put on her bonnet and to come out for a little spin.” - -During this time Billy Whiskers had not been idle. He had observed the -approach of the car, and leisurely ambled around to the front of the -farmhouse, nibbling grass and occasionally taking a sample of Mrs. -Treat’s special pride, a gaudy bed of scarlet geraniums bordered with -sweet elyssum. - -At last he took up his station on the front steps, in order to view the -automobile to best possible advantage. With one long look, he said to -himself: - -“That is a mighty fine contraption. Glad I was able to earn it for the -boys. ’Twas well worth a summer of toil, hardship and privation to give -my Dick a bit of pleasure. What fine times we’ll have in it! But why, -w-h-y, how is this?” questioned surprised Billy from the porch steps, -for Mrs. Treat had needed no second bidding to take her first ride in -the automobile, and had brushed past him, unheeding. - -In fact, she had laid her hat on the bed of the spare room downstairs -early that morning, all ready to be donned for this very occasion, and -even now the family was being stowed away in the rear seat of the auto, -doors were being securely fastened, last cautions and warnings given, -and the driver was cranking the machine preparatory to starting. - -“Why, w-h-y,” repeated Billy in astonishment, “They’ve forgotten _me_. -I’ll just remind them,” and he ran down to the gate, bleating his -displeasure. - -“Good-bye, old Billy!” - -“Race along behind! There’s a good fellow!” Harry called. - -And with these words of scant consolation, the machine glided off, -leaving Billy a very much disconcerted and crestfallen goat. - -Then jealousy crept into his heart, and filled it near to bursting. - -“They surely remember that it is my automobile. I am the one who really -earned it, I’d have them to know! I am the one who should have had the -honor of the very first ride. It is my money they are spending, and yet -here I stand, alone and forsaken, while they go whizzing off in such -fine style!” - -Now as everyone knows, boys and girls especially, jealousy is a very -naughty thing to cherish, and revenge is even worse, but, his anger -mounting higher and higher, Billy proceeded to plan vengeance. - -“I don’t like the smell of the thing, anyhow, and if they don’t let me -ride in it, perhaps my horns can take some of the shine off its sides. -I’ll bite a piece out of the tires, too, and then maybe they’ll have -time to remember a little of what Billy Whiskers has done for this -family. I might even drink the gasolene, but you see that might explode -after it’s inside of me and not prove altogether a safe undertaking,” -and he sadly returned to the cellar door for his usual afternoon nap. - -The Treats did not return for two hours or more, and then all were -so loud in their praises of the automobile that poor Billy was quite -forgotten. - -A bountiful supper was spread, and the machinist entertained in true -country style. After the meal, all repaired to the porch for a final -chat before the driver should be taken to Springfield by Mr. Treat. - -“I’ll remind them of my existence,” thought Billy, and he stalked -slowly across the front lawn with majestic tread, in full view of the -group, on his way to the barn and his quarters for the night. - -“What a very fine goat you have there,” complimented the chauffeur. - -“Oh, yes,” agreed Mr. Treat, “but a great nuisance, I sometimes think.” - -“Why,” interrupted Mrs. Treat, “what do you think? A few weeks ago he -came back home with a whole pack of trained monkeys he had led in a -Circus performance this last summer, and glad enough I was when we were -finally rid of them. He’s a scapegoat, I’m sure of that.” - -“A goat is all right, but an auto is lots better,” decided unloyal Tom. -“I wish we could sell him now.” - -“You do, eh?” thought Billy, as he disappeared around the house. “If -I ever have a chance at some of the people who are always so ready -to discard their old friends, they will wish I had never come back -from the Circus with enough money to buy their automobile,” and as a -balm for his wounded vanity, Billy wandered down to the barn to spread -discontent and rebellion among his animal friends. - -“Well, Browny,” he began, as he entered that faithful horse’s box -stall, “the new auto has come, and all the farmyard animals will have -to look to their laurels now. They may even be entirely forgotten and -perhaps left to starve.” You can see from this remark that Billy was -possessed of a remarkably vivid imagination.--“I’ve gone supperless -to-night, which may be but the beginning of the new order of things.” - -“Now, Billy Whiskers, that is sheer nonsense. Why, I’ve been with the -Treats ever since they were bride and groom, and I have carried each of -the boys around on my back as soon as they were able to hold on to my -mane. They’ll never forget the services of old Browny.” And he proudly -tossed his noble head. - -“Oh, don’t be too sure of that,” returned Billy. “Just remember what I -did for them this summer. And now Mrs. Treat is calling me a nuisance -and a scapegoat, whatever that is. This minute they are planning long -trips, but never a word of thanks to Billy.” - -Browny gave a hoarse laugh of mingled contempt and ridicule. - -“Why, William Whiskers,” he said in a tone of sharp rebuke, “you are -carrying on like a half-grown kid instead of a full-grown, bewhiskered -goat!” - -“Never mind, we’ll see how you behave when your time to be cast aside -comes. You’ll not even get to the Fair this year.” - -“You’re wrong there, Billy. I’ll go the same as I have for the past -fifteen years. Be up bright and early to-morrow morning and you’ll see -me on the way.” - -“Perhaps, and again perhaps not.” - -“Well, at any rate I’m not worrying. Why, this morning you saw our -farmyard beauty, the Duke of Windham, along with Dick’s Plymouth Rock, -Toppy, as they started for the exhibit. They’ll be prize winners, or -I miss my guess. The Treat farm is always well represented. By the -way, Billy, are you going? Lots of fun--such fun as you’ve never seen. -Better come along,” cordially. - -“Oh, I’ll be there. But be sure you are among those present, that is -all,” retorted the goat, with a knowing wink. - -“Going to walk, same as you did to get to the Circus?” prodded droll -Browny. - -“Not if I know it,” was Billy’s quick reply. Ambling up closer, he -reached up and whispered confidentially: - -“I’m going in the automobile, with the rest of the family. A goat of -my experience and breeding goes with the best,” and with that Billy -stalked off, head held high, well satisfied at having filled Browny as -full of uncomfortable forebodings as he himself had been a short time -before. - -[Illustration: WHACK! RESOUNDED A BROOMSTICK ON BILLY’S BROAD BACK.] - -“I surely smell doughnuts,” thought Billy as he sniffed the keen -outside air, and he quickened his steps toward the kitchen, which had -been the scene of unusual activity that day. - -Peering cautiously in, he found the field clear, much to his -satisfaction. - -“Deserted! I’ll now eat the supper I didn’t have a while ago.” - -And into the pantry walked the naughty Billy, to pilfer the results of -Mrs. Treat’s day spent at baking and brewing. - -“Dear me! there surely are doughnuts somewhere about. I never make -a mistake in that regard, for they are prime favorites with one B. -W. Ah, there they are, and a two-gallon crock piled high with the -brown beauties! I’ll try just one, and then that pumpkin pie on the -next shelf looks a bit toothsome, too. I really think that all these -doughnuts, six pies all in a row, a chocolate cake, and then another -that they call a sponge, though I never could see the reason for the -name, besides three fried chickens in that earthen bowl are just a -little more than the boys ought to be allowed to eat to-morrow. It -might make them sick, and so I’ll play the good fairy and remove -temptation from their path,” and Billy fell to with a will. - -His stomach was commencing to bulge with the goodies, and even his -goatish appetite was half satisfied, when Whack! Whack! resounded a -broomstick on Billy’s broad back, wielded vigorously by the mistress of -the household. Discouraged and back beaten, his goatship scurried to -the barn, there to nurse his many grievous wrongs. - -“Small use in my trying to do right,” he cogitated. “Somebody is always -against me, and as soon as I am up, they are sure to knock me down. I -am getting sore,” and he rubbed his poor back against Browny’s stall. -“Anyway, there’s a good time ahead to-morrow.” - -Now Billy had heard a great deal of this annual county event, for the -Treat boys had discussed it at length. Nevertheless, it would all be -new to him. As he sought his bed of fragrant hay, his thoughts ran: - -“Wonder what a Fair is like. Maybe just a miniature Circus, and then -it will be a bore to me. But I’ll go in the auto. That will be a new -experience, anyway. Will sit on the front seat, too; if not going -to the Fair, at least on the return trip. There will be room for me -somewhere. I have always managed my own affairs with a fair measure of -success, and I believe I can this time. They say where there’s a will -there’s a way, and I am the Will in this instance. With a good night’s -rest and an early breakfast, I will be in trim and--and--” but Billy -was off to the land of dreams. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -FAIR DAY DAWNS - - -As is the invariable custom with all thrifty farm folk, the Treat -family was astir as soon as the sun had begun his journey across the -sky. Just as the first bright streaks of light shot up from the horizon -in the east, Mr. Treat went to the stock barns to do his morning -chores, and his good wife was busy in her kitchen preparing the morning -meal. The boys were eager to lend a hand--an extraordinary state of -affairs, to say the least, but they were so brimming full of excitement -at the prospects of the day before them that finally they were banished -from the kitchen, their mother declaring them nuisances and far more of -a hindrance than a help. - -As the sound of the clicking gate leading from the barnyard to the -vegetable garden at the rear of the house proclaimed Mr. Treat’s -return, his wife poured out the steaming, fragrant coffee and Tom was -summoned to carry the savory ham and eggs to the table. Mrs. Treat was -one of those women who realize that a farmer must dilly-dally at his -meals no more than any business man, and seldom indeed was this family -asked to wait for a meal. - -“Looks like a fine day ahead of us,” Mr. Treat reported as he opened -the door. “The little fog in the valley is clearing fast, and by noon -it will be warm enough for our picnic dinner in the maple grove.” - - “Evening red and morning gray - Sets the traveler on his way,” - -quoted Mrs. Treat. “I was not worrying about the weather, for that sign -never fails.” - -“Goody! Goody!” exulted Dick. “Let’s hurry, father.” - -“Well, all the stock has been fed, and my work is done. If mother will -pack the lunch, we’ll be off within the hour. I’ve taken a look at the -automobile and everything is in shape for the start.” - -“I’d much rather go in the carriage, with Browny,” remonstrated Mrs. -Treat nervously. “You know, father--” - -“Oh, father, please don’t!” chorussed Tom and Harry in a breath. - -“I’ll drive Browny!” cried cheery little Dick, always ready to -acquiesce to any plan. - -“Now, mother,” wheedled Mr. Treat, “don’t you worry! That machinist -told me a lot of things about the auto, and you know I drove to -Springfield and back again last night after supper. I made the return -trip alone, too, and so nothing’s going to happen to-day. Boys,” -dismissing the subject, “help pack the hamper, and I’ll fill the -gasolene tank.” - -Boys and girls who have lived all their years in the city have scant -idea of all the good things that went into the Treat hamper that -morning. - -There was a crisp salad of celery, apples, nuts and lettuce, dozens -and dozens of sandwiches with a liberal filling of boiled ham, -pickles--tomato pickles, cucumber pickles, pickled pears, pickled -onions--cold chicken, sliced ham, baked beans, mince pie, pumpkin pie, -doughnuts, and a delicious cake. - -The preparation of the lunch was Mrs. Treat’s special pride, and all -her housewifely art was exerted to make it the best her ovens could -produce. As she spread the snowy napkins over the top of the bountiful -feast, she said: - -“This lunch basket is rather large, but it will set in that hamper on -the auto very easily. I’ve packed this basket tight, and the things -won’t jiggle at all. Now, Tom, you take hold of this side, and Harry, -you may take this, and tell your father to crowd in newspapers securely -about it so it can’t move an inch. I always think when I see an auto -go spinning by that the trunk’ll surely bump off when they go over the -thank-e-ma’ams on the hill.” - -“Mama said to fix it tight,” cautioned Tom, as the basket was lifted to -its place in the larger hamper on the rack. - -“I’ll do that, my son, and now run in and bring me some more papers. -This lunch must carry safely, or our day will be spoiled.” - -“There!” sighed Mr. Treat, as he tested the hamper to see that no -amount of bumping would disturb the lunch, “that will do, but I will -let the lid be open, for mother’ll be sure to want to tuck in something -else at the very last moment. Come along, boys, we’ll get our hats and -then be off,” and they merrily trooped into the house. - -Jealous Billy had not been idle all this time. Indeed, he had been -spying out the situation from a favorite hiding-place in the hay mow, -and now he descended to reconnoiter further. - -“How am I ever to get to the Fair in that? There’s no place underneath -where I can hang on. I can’t get inside, for they’ll see me first -thing, and then I’ll be taken into the barn and securely locked up. -That was the treatment I received in the summer when the Circus came to -Springfield. I can’t ride anywhere that I can see.” - -Once more he circled around the machine. - -“If there was only a top to the machine, I might manage to ride on it. -To be sure, it might prove rather slippery, but I’d dig in my toes. -There would be one disadvantage, though. I’d receive the full benefit -of all the bumps on the road, perched up there.” - -With a saucy side toss of his magnificent head, he paused suddenly to -chuckle: - -“Ha, ha! Ho, ho! Just the very place for me! Ha, ha, ha!” and with one -light spring he was up beside the hamper. - -“Plenty of room with a few of those papers out of the way,” so he -proceeded to dispense with them by eating them--not a very appetizing -meal, but goats are not the most epicurean of beasts. When they had -been disposed of in this manner, he stepped daintily inside the hamper, -though it was a very tight fit. Then his eyes popped open and a broad -smile lighted up his countenance, and he wiggled his chin whiskers, a -trick he had to express extreme pleasure. - -“What luck for Billy! Breakfast all laid! And Mrs. Treat’s best -cooking, too.” - -With a little flirt of his horns, wicked Billy brought the cover down -over himself and the lunch basket, and to all outward appearances -everything was very snug. - -“Good thing this is so large,” ruminated Billy. “Really it is more of -a rattan trunk than a hamper. I suppose it is meant to do duty for a -trunk on short trips,” and he settled himself comfortably, and only -just in time, for Mr. Treat was even then calling in his hearty, jovial -way: “All aboard!” and was helping Mrs. Treat into the tonneau. - -After an argument as to whom belonged the honor place--the seat beside -the driver--Tom was installed there, while the younger boys were -tucked in beside their mother, pacified by the promise that on the -return trip it would be turn-about. - -In the excitement of getting off, Mr. Treat forgot all about the -unfastened hamper, and so with a few preliminary coughs and rumbles, -the machine glided smoothly out of the drive on to the highway--a -_six_-passenger car. - - * * * * * - -From the time the boys had been out of bed, they had been popping to -the front window in the kitchen at every noise made by passing vehicles. - -“Mama, mama, there go the Ripleys!” they complained, eager to be off. - -“We’ll never get there if we don’t start pretty soon,” they fairly -groaned. - -“Never mind, never mind,” Mother Treat comforted. “We are going in the -automobile, you know, and we will overtake all those people before they -are so very many miles on their way.” - -And now that they were skimming along so rapidly, they really began to -pass their neighbors in their slower, horse-drawn conveyances. - -Farmer Treat honked merrily as he rolled up behind them and as horses -were turned to one side to give liberal passing room, the boys -answered the friendly greetings with happy shouts and waving caps. - -“We will beat the whole township to the Fair,” predicted Tom, ever full -of confidence. - -“B-b-b-b-u-u-u-r-r-r-r-r-r!” came a hoarse, grating sound from the -depths of the auto as they reached the first slight incline which began -the long, steady half-mile mount of Rex Hill. - -Mr. Treat, full of fear at the unusual noise, put on the emergency -brake and brought the car to a standstill with a sudden jolt. - -“Mercy me!” shouted Mrs. Treat, from the tonneau. “Let me out! I told -you something would happen and we’d all be killed. Let me out!” she -repeated, fumbling frantically at the door. - -“What’s the matter?” inquired the boys, as they began to tinker with -spark plug, brake and lever. - -“Let those be!” commanded Mr. Treat, not in the best of humor, and -trying in vain to conceal his uneasiness. “I’ll soon have it fixed,” -and he continued his search for the cause of the trouble. - -“It isn’t the tires as I can see, and nothing’s wrong with the sparker, -either,” he said nervously. “And there comes the George Petersons, and -he’ll have a spell if he sees me in difficulty. He is always glad to -laugh at one in trouble. Besides, I know he’s wanted an auto for a long -time, and a chance to laugh at--Mother, come on! Climb in. It’s all -right. I must have fed the engine too much gasolene. Climb in and we’ll -be hustling along.” - -All went well until they topped the hill and struck a new cinder road -when b-b-bu-ur-r-r-r! came the same dismal, warning sound. - -“Land sakes! What_ever_ can be the trouble now? I am getting that -fidgety that I sha’n’t be able to enjoy anything at the Fair when we do -get there!” fretted Mrs. Treat. - -“I’m pretty certain it is the gear,” said her husband, “or else the -carbureter.” - -“Perhaps it is the spark plug,” offered knowing Tom. - -“Mightn’t it be the batteries,” suggested Dick with a wise expression -in his great blue eyes, and a frown on his face. - -“Or may be one of the differentials,” added Harry, eager to be of help -to his father. - -“Well, I am pretty sure it is a judgment on us,” responded Mrs. Treat. -“I think we had better turn back and get old Browny and the surrey. -We’ll be sure to get there some time then. Now I don’t know that we -ever shall.” - -“What did I do?” questioned Mr. Treat as the engine began to respond to -his vigorous cranking. “I’ve cranked and cranked and _cranked_, and why -it should begin now and not ten minutes ago is beyond my comprehension.” - -If the driver had been of an inquiring turn of mind and had conducted -his investigations a little further, he might have located the real -cause of all his difficulties. - -In the course of the last half hour, Billy Whiskers had been feasting -himself upon the pies and cakes and other delicacies stored in the -hamper. - -“My, what would Browny think if he could see me now!” he thought. And -it was his roar of delight that resulted in the first consternation of -the inexperienced chauffeur. - -“Deary me!” thought the goat when the auto brought up with a violent -jerk. “I wish Mr. Treat would be more careful. I’ll surely be caught -now, and he will be the death of me if he finds me in here,” and a -nervous shiver or two ran down his spine. But when all quieted down and -the machine was making good time over the country roads, Billy resumed -his repast, only to be interrupted once or twice by his chuckles of -bubbling good nature. - -At last, even his appetite being fully satisfied, he began to lay -further plans for his outing. - -“In the first place,” he mused, “how am I ever to get out of this box? -My legs are cramped, and I ache in every bone from remaining so long in -such an awkward position. I’ll stretch a bit and see where we are, at -the same time,” and he cautiously raised the hamper lid with his head. - -“Well, well! If there isn’t the gate to the grounds. How glad I am to -see it. I’ll crouch down here and ride right in with the family.” - -But the flowers on Mrs. Treat’s hat proved his undoing, for they waved -so temptingly near, Billy could not resist one little nibble to see -if they were as delicious as they looked. Feeling the twitch as his -teeth fastened upon them, that lady turned suddenly, and Billy, making -a hurried effort to escape her eye, dodged down behind. Unfortunately, -he lost his balance and fell into the dust, and it was only due to the -fact that the hamper was strapped on securely that he did not carry -that along. He rolled over and over in the deep dust of the unpaved -roadway until his beautiful white coat was soiled and grimy. - -[Illustration] - -Regaining his footing with a bound, he shook himself to free his coat -of the dirt and to express his disgust. - -“’Twill never do to let a trifle like this keep me from the Fair. I -must gain an entrance somehow,” and he ran as fast as his fleet legs -could carry him. - -[Illustration] - -He made a desperate effort to overtake the automobile, now almost at -the gate, but just as the machine rolled past the entrance and into -the enchanted territory, Billy dashed up, only to be confronted by the -gateman, who nimbly swung the wide gate back into place--and Billy was -outside! - -“Beaten!” he gasped, gazing wrathfully after the fast disappearing -automobile. “How can I get inside of that high fence?” - -The gateman threw a few stones at Billy to chase him away, and so he -sadly and slowly began to patrol the fence, searching for some place -that would offer easy entrance. Two or three times he was half way -under, squirming his way in like a common dog, but a crowd of boys -found him and, taking advantage of his helpless position, threw sticks -and stones, and forced him to withdraw. - -Coming to a high bluff that overlooked the grounds, he climbed it and -lay down for a few moments of rest, to rearrange his disordered plans. - -[Illustration] - -He could see the tops of the many tents and the roof of the grandstand, -dazzlingly white in its new coat of paint, and the long, curving course -of the race track stretching before it. All of these things he quickly -recognized from the descriptions he had heard the boys give, and then, -too, it resembled the Circus to a striking degree. - -About the tents and buildings he could see the crowds beginning -to surge. He could hear the barking of many dogs, the cackling of -chickens, the lowing of the cows, the baaing of the sheep, the -squealing of the pigs, and the confused murmur of the people,--a great -hubbub down there, but just a faint murmur at this distance. - -“Oh, if only I were there! It must be glorious. See that beautiful -horse trotting around the track at the far side--and there, there is -our auto, I’m sure of it! I wonder what Mrs. Treat will say when she -discovers that something has happened to her fine lunch. But here, I -must gain entrance to these grounds by hook or by crook.” - -He thought a long time, but one plan after another was cast aside as -being too foolhardy, or unworthy his prowess, or beneath his dignity. -At last, just below him, he spied little Dick coming along beside his -mother. - -“Ah, there is my playfellow!” and with no thought but to join him, he -bounded over the forbidding fence. - -“Oh, Billy, Billy!” shouted surprised Dick. “I’m so glad to see you,” -but Billy needed just one quick glance at Mrs. Treat’s face to realize -that it was wise for him to keep his distance and away he scurried, -free as when on his native hills in far-away Switzerland. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -IN THE NEEDLEWORK EXHIBIT - - -After Billy had put a safe distance between himself and Mrs. Treat to -feel at ease, he wandered aimlessly along, letting himself be carried -here and there, wherever he chanced to see anything that offered -interest, when suddenly he heard a squeaky, high-pitched voice saying: - - “Oh, where have you been, - Billy boy, Billy boy?” - -“Who is that? I do not recognize the voice, but it may be some of my -old friends from the Circus,” and knowing that the voice issued from a -tent near by, he promptly stuck his head under the canvas side and took -a look about. - -Billy Whiskers, as you already know, had a very large bump of -curiosity, and tents were no mystery to him after his long experience -of the summer just gone. - -“Nothing there,” he quickly decided, when from the other side of the -tent came the inquiry in a sing-song, high falsetto: - - “Oh, where have you been, - Billy boy, Billy boy? - Oh, where have you been, - Charming Billy?” - -By this time Billy’s eyes commenced to bulge with wonder, for he was as -susceptible to flattery as any. - -“I wonder which of my friends is playing this joke. Come out, old -fellow, and give me a fair chance,” he demanded. - - “Oh, where have you been, - Billy boy, Billy boy? - Oh, where have you been, - Charming Billy? - - I’ve been to seek a wife, - For the pleasure of my life, - She’s a young thing, - And cannot leave her mother!” - -came the mocking answer. - -“If I could find the insolent fellow, I would cure him of prying into -other people’s affairs. More trouble is made in this world by prying -eyes and itching ears than any other one thing. That much I’ve learned -in my short career. But there is nothing here except that box with the -tin horn sticking out of the top. It must be someone is trying to play -a practical joke on me.” - -Billy crept all the way into the tent, for he still hoped to find one -of his friends in hiding. Walking about cautiously to explore, he had -all but reached the mysterious box when once more the voice began to -repeat: - - “Oh, where have you been, - Billy boy, Bil----” - -“Now I know who ’tis. It’s one of those parrots who traveled with the -Circus, and that box must be her cage. They always were the sauciest -things, and full of importance, and I’ll teach her a much-needed -lesson.” - -Backing away to gain a start, Billy made the attack and struck the box -full in the center. Over it went with a great clatter, and the noise -summoned an attendant, who rushed in to see what had happened. - -[Illustration] - -“Get out o’ here! Get out o’ here! You’ve smashed the greatest -invention of the age,” and, stick in hand, he started after Billy with -wrath in his eye. - -Deciding that discretion was much the better part of valor, Billy took -quick refuge in precipitous flight. He crept under the side of the tent -once more, but this time his departure was hastened a trifle by a final -prod from his pursuer. - -“No use,” thought the discouraged goat. “I receive many rough knocks -in this great world. If they had not called me in here, I would never -thought of entering, and then the moment I am inside, they boost me out -as if I were an intruder, and so it goes--but here I am at this large -building. Let me see what it has to offer. I always like to make the -rounds to these show places before the crush commences. Besides, this -seems to be devoted to the ladies, so it deserves my first attention. -Then I am always a wee bit shy and timid when the ladies are around, so -altogether it behooves me to get in early.” - -In reality, Billy had wandered into the needlework department of the -great Fair. The walls were hung with quilts of all colors and makes. -There was the common four-patch, the more pretentious nine-patch, and -then the intricate, puzzling designs of the tulip pattern, and, above -all, some proud owner had brought her wonderful Rising Sun design, with -its limitless amount of work. - -Large pieces of embroidery likewise were displayed, and show cases were -filled with the most expensive and exquisite hand-made laces. Tables -were strewn with fine doilies, elaborate handkerchiefs, scarfs and what -not. - -Billy was plainly amazed, and stood with wide-open eyes gazing about. - -“Just look at those handsome pillows and the soft, downy cushions! -How fine it must be to sleep on them instead of on a hard bundle of -straw or perhaps on the hay beside the hay stack,” and so musing, Billy -walked the length of the hall. - -People were now beginning to crowd the building, and Billy was scarcely -noticed among the throng. Petticoats were much in predominance, as men -are little, if ever, deeply interested in such things as were here -displayed. Billy rejoiced at this, for he did not hold women in such -respect as men--they might shriek louder, but instead of giving chase -and inflicting merited punishment, they much more often merely screamed -their fright, and then collapsed in a little, limp heap. Therefore his -seeming boldness on this occasion. - -Once an old lady, dim of sight, patted him on the back, but, bending -closer, discovered his horns and drew fearfully away, wondering at her -fortunate escape. - -As Billy strolled along, he became conscious that he was frightfully -hungry, and when he heard a lady exclaim in admiration at a “biscuit -quilt,” he edged nearer to that center of attraction. - -There on the wall he saw what appeared to be a mammoth pan of many -colored biscuit. For a long time he gazed at the sight, lost in happy -contemplation of the feast that it would afford. The longer he looked, -the hungrier he grew, and the wilder became the desire to sink his -teeth in the delicious, puffy looking things. - -When most of the crowd had pressed on to another point of interest, he -crept up to the toothsome dainty and began to nibble at it. - -“Rather tough,” he commented, “but perhaps they’ve baked too hard -around the edge and when I get nearer the middle, the biscuits will be -more tender. It must have been rather a large pan, and the outer ones -had too much heat,” and he ate on with a right good will. - -Having consumed all that was within easy reach, he began to pull. With -a crash the entire supporting frame fell to the floor, knocking two or -three people down and striking Billy a spiteful blow on the head. - -Blinded for the moment, and enraged, he plunged madly into a show-case. -There the shower of falling, shattered glass terrified him the more, -and he turned to make a frantic rush through the rapidly gathering -throng, knocking down any and all who blocked his path with those -cruel, lowered horns. - -Finding progress almost impossible and fearing immediate capture, he -leaped up on a table and ran helter-skelter from one end to the other. -In his mad careening, his horns caught an exquisite lace shawl, and -it went streaming behind him like the tail of a comet as he made one -long, flying leap through an open window, to safety, as he thought, but -S-P-L-A-S-H! Billy landed in a great tub of water in which seven or -eight ducks were calmly besporting themselves. - -[Illustration: BILLY LANDED IN A GREAT TUB OF WATER.] - - “Three rings for five cents! - Try your luck! - Seven for ten cents! - Win a duck!” - -screamed the fakir. - -Hearing the wild hissing and quacking of his prize fowls, he turned to -investigate, and just in time to see Billy Whiskers scramble out of the -miniature duck pond and vigorously shake himself free of the water of -his involuntary and unexpected bath. - -“There,” thought Billy, “I’m away from that mob of petticoats, and also -from that stringy thing that fastened itself to my horns,” for one -duck, more daring than its fellows, had plucked the cob-webby lace off -Billy’s horns and was waddling off with the filmy plunder. - -More concerned about the safety of his ducks than with the intrusion -of the goat, the fakir bustled about restoring them to their tub, and -Billy made off, much to the amusement of the ring throwers. - -Perhaps you have known people that were so engrossed with their own -small troubles that they had no thought for the countless beautiful -things in the world about them--never saw the blooming flowers, never -heard the warble of the feathered songster, never enjoyed any of the -countless wondrous things God has put into His world for His children’s -pleasure? - -[Illustration] - -Well, Billy was not that kind. No sooner had he extricated himself from -his predicament of the duck pond than he cocked up his head, shut one -eye in a provoking wink, and drank in what was as pleasing to his ears -as rare wine to the palate of the epicure--the strains of music from a -merry-go-round. - -It was just coming to a standstill as Billy approached, and in the -attending bustle and excitement of unloading the youngsters, he managed -to secrete himself between two prancing, though wooden steeds. In a -moment the shrill whistle tooted its warning and last invitation to -another group to board, and the children crowded the circular platform. -Hurriedly they chose their places, one little fellow crying: - -“Oh, let me ride the Billy dote! He is just like the Billy I want at -home, favver!” - -And there stood our Billy, rigid as a statue, never wiggling so much as -one whisker while the youngster bestrode his back and clutched at his -horns. - -Round and round and round the merrymakers circled, as dizzy as they -were happy. The piano played, the children laughed, and the grown-ups, -though scarcely so boisterous, enjoyed the trip fully as much as the -little folks whom they accompanied--for of course they had to go along. -Wouldn’t it be too dreadful if the boys and girls should tumble off -their steeds? - -Presently the merry-go-round stopped, and as the children poured -fourth to make room for the next relay, Billy cautiously watched his -opportunity to escape, dizzy and very weak of leg from the rapid -circling of the merry-go-round. As he made off, he skulked behind this -building and that, fearful that someone who had witnessed the havoc he -had created in the fancy-work department might still be on his trail. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BABY SHOW - - -“Now, Billy Whiskers, this is much like your experience in the early -summer at the Circus, and you know full well what dire consequences -followed then,” scolded the goat, for one of Billy’s favorite pastimes -was to talk to himself as though he were two goats, Billy the good -reproving Billy the mischief-maker; Billy the first admonishing Billy -the second for his escapades and bewailing his abnormal capacity for -evil doing. - -“It is high time that you decide to keep out of harm’s way,” he -continued with a wag of the head, “for if you don’t, someone with a -blue coat and a shiny piece of metal on his breast will catch you and -then there’ll be the end of all fun and the beginning of a most dreary -time in captivity.” - -“Well, well,” impatiently agreed the fun-loving goat, “you’re in the -right, as always, wise William, and we’ll reform--for to-day. We’ll see -all there is to be seen at this Fair in a becoming manner, though I -fear me it will be a trifle dull and prosy--like spice cake minus the -spice.” - -All this time he had been ambling slowly along, following the general -trend of the crowd down a street lined both sides with booths and -buildings which flaunted the gayest of bunting and flags, and now he -drew up with a start as he found himself at the end and facing an open -door, for he was wary of buildings in view of his recent experience in -the needlework department. - -Here before him was a great sea of faces. Long rows of chairs and in -every one of them a woman with a baby! Babies and babies and babies -were there. Some were fat and rosy, well content to sit quietly on -their proud mothers’ laps, others were lean and agile, and forever on -the move, but all were beruffled and belaced in billowing garments of -purest white. - -“Ah!” ruminated Billy, “this must be the Baby Show. I heard Mrs. Treat -talking about it the other day. I’ll see what sort of specimens are -carrying off the palm these days,” and in he sauntered. - -“Now I’m sure that if my Dick was a baby again, he’d have first place. -Even now he is the roundest, rosiest, merriest little youngster I’ve -ever met--and goodness knows, I’m rather an experienced judge. Didn’t -I see thousands and _thousands_ of boys and girls all last summer? If -ever you wish to see all sorts and kinds, the Circus is the place for -you. Why, I remember one day--but there, to the business in hand,” and -he commenced to pace slowly down one aisle. - -“Isn’t she the dearest thing?” ejaculated one woman immediately in -front of Billy, pausing so suddenly to fondle a baby all done up in -blue ribbons and lace that Billy, now on his good behavior, had much -ado to save her from an uncomfortable and unpleasant encounter with his -horns. With skilful maneuvering, however, he essayed to pass by, but, -his curiosity aroused, he peered around to discover the cause of her -admiring words. - -By this time the baby was undergoing a series of pattings and huggings -at the hands of the visitor, while the delighted mother hovered over -the two. - -“Doesn’t she look bright? But then, she ought to be. Now my Jamie, he’s -only five, and he’s the smartest boy,” and motherly pride beamed as she -launched into the story. - -“Jamie is the cutest chap, and can wind his father right round -his little finger and lead him where he pleases. Last winter when -Washington’s birthday came, I thought he was old enough to hear about -the Father of his country, so I told him all about the boy George. The -next morning I saw him climb up on his father’s lap and, opening his -big blue eyes in that cunning way all his own, he asked: - -“‘Papa, did George Washington really and truly cut down that -cherry-tree?’” - -“‘Yes, my son, so they say.’” - -“‘And didn’t his papa whip him for being so dreadfully naughty?’ with a -shake of the head to express his wonder.” - -“‘No. You see, Jamie, he was proud to have a son who was brave enough -to tell the truth even though he thought a whipping would follow owning -up.’” - -“‘Well, papa, would you whip me if I cut down a tree?’ came next from -our boy.” - -“‘I think not, Jamie. Yes, I’m sure I would not whip you. I would be -just every bit as proud of you for telling the honest truth as George -Washington’s father was of his boy.’” - -“‘Say, father,’ and Jamie snuggled up closer to his father, ‘I -never told you, but one day last summer I went over to Rob’s house -and--and--I ate a whole bushel, almost, of mulberries!’ came the -hesitating confession.” And the mother glanced around quickly to note -the effect of the story on her audience. - -“He is a little diplomat, that I see from your story,” commented one of -the group of ladies who had gathered about. - -“Boys are dears,” offered a little old lady, dressed in quiet gray that -matched the silver of her waving hair and brought out the wonderful -blue of her beautiful eyes, still alight with youthful fire. “Of course -I never had a son, nor a daughter either, for that matter, but years -ago I lived next to a little girl named Alice, and then I decided that -girls were really nicer than boys. - -“Alice was the brightest child, and it was my delight that she came to -my home for a daily call. - -“I always kept a jar of cookies in the kitchen cupboard, just in -easy reach for her, for Alice was passionately fond of cookies, and -especially if they boasted a raisin in the center. She always visited -that cupboard as soon as she came in, and always found the jar was -waiting for her with its store. - -“But one day her mother told me the habit must not be allowed to grow, -and so I promised faithfully to do my part. - -“It was not long until Alice, her curls bobbing and her eyes dancing -with fun, came running in to see me. Straight to that cupboard door she -went, and opening it, was about to reach for the sweet cake when she -discovered the jar empty--empty for the first time in weeks and months! - -“Looking at me out of the corner of her eye, she tapped on the jar and -inquired: - -“‘Any tookies at home to-day?’” - -“And you?” asked one of the bystanders, eager for the rest of the -incident. - -“Well, I--I didn’t keep my promise to help break her of the habit that -day.” - -“That is a good one,” seconded another woman eagerly, “and brings to my -mind a story of my boys, now grown men. In those days we lived on the -farm, and my sons were just old enough to venture out into the fields -alone. You know what a lark it is for boys to hunt? Well, my boys -developed the instinct early. One day in spring George saw a squirrel -flirt its saucy tail over in the woods, and off they were after it. - -[Illustration] - -“I had not noticed their absence until I saw Charles, a toddler of -four, come racing down the road and turn into the dooryard. - -“‘George has broked his neck! Mama, mama, George has broked his neck, -he has!’ he screamed. - -“‘Tell me how,’ I demanded, my heart thumping wildly. - -“‘He fell off a tree. He’s broked his neck. Come quick,’ the child gave -answer. - -“I needed no second bidding, but frantically started for the wood lot. -Charles ran along by my side, and when we came to the fence I lifted -him over first, and only then thought to ask: - -“Charles, how do you know his neck is broken? - -“‘Well,’ he explained, ‘you see, he climbed the tree after the -squirrel, and he went out too far, and the old rotten limb it just -snapped and George fell and he is hurted, and he said to run and tell -you to come quick. I started and then he called and said: - -“‘Charles, better say my neck is broked right off. I guess then she’ll -hurry, sure!’” - -“The little rascal!” laughed one of the bystanders who had listened to -the tale. “I don’t believe you hurried so much after that enlightening -speech, did you?” - -“Well, hardly. You see,” beaming, “I wasn’t so sure that his neck was -broken after that!” - -“Hump!” thought Billy, disgust written on his face. “These mothers -are the queerest things. They tell stories by the full hour of their -children as if they had the most wonderful boy or girl in the whole -world. And, after all, they prove to be just about the average--nothing -so exceedingly bright about any of those stories that I can see,” and -off he strolled, for he meant to make his way out of the building -without further delay. - -He would likely have carried out this determination, but before he had -proceeded half way to the door, all his sympathies were aroused by one -of the exhibited babies. For whatever other faults Billy possessed, a -hard heart was not one of them, and any sign of suffering brought quick -sympathy from him. - -“Deary, deary me! That child must have the whooping cough! What a -crying shame to bring it here. It is black in the face already, and -there sits its mother doing absolutely nothing for its relief. I’m sure -she doesn’t know what ails the poor baby!” - -[Illustration] - -Now it happened that the Treat trio had had a long siege of the disease -the winter before, and Billy knew very well what to do when a paroxysm -of coughing wracked the sufferer. Had he not seen Mrs. Treat, who was -usually so gentle a mother, vigorously pound her offspring on their -backs? And hadn’t the boys come out as hearty as ever? - -So Billy resolved to take the same measures in the present case, and -thereupon he backed away, gained a start, and gathering momentum with -every forward step, he hurled himself pell-mell against the child. -Off it went, rolling and tumbling from its mother’s lap to the floor, -emitting shrill screams, though they were more from fright than from -injury. - -“There! It’s recovered its breath, at any rate, and that is the main -thing,” was Billy’s self-congratulatory thought, but alack and alas -for the philanthropically inclined goat, punishment swift and sure -followed. - -Cries of alarm, a general stampede among the onlookers, and an umbrella -wielded by a hearty farmer hastened Billy’s ignominious flight from the -scene. - -“Oh, ma li’l darlin’, ma honey chile!” crooned the mother over her -wailing, rescued daughter, rocking it back and forth to comfort and -quiet it, for Billy had attacked a negro baby! - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE BALLOON MAN - - -By the time Billy had made good his escape from the Baby Show, the -grounds were crowded with merrymakers. The annual county Fair was an -event that no farmer and but very few of the townspeople of Licking -County would willingly miss, and the genial sunshine had brought -thousands of sightseers out on the first day, for such ideal weather -could not be expected to last long at that season of the year. - -The country folk, for the most part, provided their own lunches, for -noon was the time set apart for social gatherings of old friends and -neighbors. Many times five or six families would spread their picnic -dinners together and, not having seen each other since the last Fair, -the hour would pass pleasantly enough with comparison of rival crops, -a discussion of the outlook for another prosperous year, exchange of -advice on farming subjects, and kindly gossip about mutual friends. - -The townspeople, on the other hand, depended on the numerous lunch -booths and tents scattered over the grounds, and now as Billy followed -in the wake of the crowds, the odor of coffee coming to him in -delightful, fragrant whiffs, proclaimed that noon was fast approaching. - -“If lunch-time is here, I must be on the lookout for something to -eat. Nothing keeps one in better humor or in finer condition to meet -the trials of the day than a good meal. I’ve observed that this truth -applies to men and women as well as to goats, too, and the fact likely -explains why so many, many people are overly fond of table pleasures. -But there, stop your philosophizing, Billy, and take hold of the -pressing business in hand--the location of the base of supplies.” - -An empty stomach quite often proves as great an incentive to action -to people as well as to goats, and this may have accounted for the -unusual bustle of the sightseers for, try as he would, Billy had much -difficulty in wriggling through the crowds and made slow progress. - -“I do believe everyone is heading for the Treat automobile, same as -me,” he reflected. “I do want to get there early, for it is my one -opportunity to secure a meal honorably. If I was at Cloverleaf Farm, -I should be provided with plenty and to spare. That I am at the Fair -instead is no reason at all why I should be neglected by the Treats.” - -You will see from this that Billy meant to do just right, and likely -would have put his resolution into effect had it not been that at this -juncture he spied a great mass of red, yellow, blue and green balls -floating in the air near by. - -They were such gaudy, attractive things that Billy determined to secure -at least one, to take home to Dick as a memento of the day. He pushed -on, and soon saw that they were all held in leash by one man, who was -now in a heated argument with a little fellow not more than six or -seven years old at the most. - -[Illustration] - -“I did give you a quarter!” he was explaining, while the street peddler -emphatically shook his head and repeated: - -“No, no! But one dime, but one dime you did give to me. No, No! I give -you your right change!” - -“I want my money, I do!” wailed the boy, the angry tears beginning to -stream down his chubby cheeks. - -“Those Turks are all browbeaters, and here seems to be one of the -worst of his tribe,” thought Billy. “Poor toddler, to lose his coveted -quarter that way! I know how Dick has treasured up his Fair money, and -I for one do not propose to stand idly by and see any boy treated so.” - -With this resolution Billy charged with one mighty butt into the -wrangling Oriental. But what was this? Instead of a head-on collision, -as Billy had anticipated, with a fleeing, howling victim, it was Billy -himself who was in mad flight, with a mysterious something tugging away -at his horns, gently but nevertheless persistently pulling straight -_up_. - -Now that is not the way a man holds a goat. They invariably push -_down_, and Billy first grew impatient and then angry because he could -not account for this strange feeling. - -He broke into a trot, thinking to rid himself of his tormentor, but -that only served to attract a crowd of hilarious boys and girls, who -ran screaming and screeching behind him. - -On he galloped, by this time at full speed, and quite reckless of -consequences. Would he never be able to free himself? Louder and louder -came the shouts of his pursuers, larger and larger the following until -poor Billy, quite bewildered, decided to turn and “face the music” as -Tom would express it. - -No sooner did he wheel about than there was a wild scattering, and it -was only one boy, more venturesome than the rest, who braved the -threatened danger and marched boldly up to our Billy. - -[Illustration: LOUDER AND LOUDER CAME THE SHOUTS OF HIS PURSUERS.] - -Imagine, if you can, the amazement of the boys and girls to see him pat -Billy on the head with impunity, and then capture the huge bunch of toy -balloons that had so frightened him with their bobbing about. But their -wonder lasted no longer, and they pounced on the rescuer and demanded -a share of the plunder. He proved to be a generous lad, and was gladly -distributing the gaudy things among the clamoring youngsters when the -peddler, with face every bit as red as the scarlet fez which topped it, -came upon the scene, panting and puffing. - -He threw his arms up in the air, bellowed his wrath, and then descended -upon the children to claim his wares. Knowing too well the folly of -remaining, they scattered to the four winds, and left the Turk to nurse -his anger as best he might. - -Billy the brave had not thought it wise to stay for all this, but as -soon as he saw victory assured for the children, betook himself off. - -“I’m so hungry that my horns rattle, and it is high time that I’m -nearing the automobile,” thought he, bending his steps toward the green -circle inside the race course, where many vehicles were left for the -day. - -“Most likely Mr. Treat thought that the safest place for the new -machine, so I’ll look thereabouts first,” decided the goat, crossing -the track and squirming under the fence. “Anyway, it’s not so crowded -over here, and I can lay down and rest. Goodness knows, what with -babies and boys to rescue, I’m somewhat overworked and very weary, and -need a nap soon after lunch!” - -He was carefully picking his way between carry-alls, buggies and the -more pretentious surreys to the farther end of the circle when he spied -an automobile close at hand. - -“Can’t tell whether or not that is ours until I’m near enough to see -the hamper. I’m better acquainted with that than with any other part of -the automobile,” he was musing, but brought up short as he discovered -a figure suspiciously resembling that of motherly Mrs. Treat hurrying -along a few yards ahead. - -“Dear, dear! This will never do! I’ll have to make a flank movement -and come up to the base of supplies before she does,” and with a flirt -of his stubby tail, he galloped off in double quick time, taking a -roundabout way toward the automobile. - -“Now when the attack of the fort is made, I’ll capture that hamper by -quick assault and retreat with my prize with all possible speed,” he -planned, but alas! as he was about to make the raid, he found the foe -already on the ground. - -“Well, they say it’s an ill wind that blows no one good,” gloated -Billy. “Even if I do lose my dinner, I will have the satisfaction of -seeing Mrs. Treat find out how I came to attend the Fair. Hope she -lifts the lid--oh, my! see her face! Isn’t it lucky for one William -Whiskers that he’s a safe distance away? Why, how, _what_ is she -doing?” as she began to scatter neat, tissue-wrapped packages right and -left. - -“It can’t be that she’s throwing all that luscious stuff away! I -nibbled just a wee bit at it, to be sure, but plenty was left for their -dinner. But here is where I lay in my ammunition for my afternoon -campaign,” and with that he made his way to the automobile, arriving -on the scene soon after Mrs. Treat, bubbling over with righteous -indignation at her untimely discovery of the pilfered feast, hurried -away with her ample, but exceedingly light lunch basket. - -As you may happen to know, goats are not as fastidious as might be -wished about their food, and what appeared the height of luxury to -Billy had been scorned by the mistress of the Treat household as unfit -to grace their table. The marks of Billy’s depredations were all too -plain to be mistaken, and fully half the lunch had been discarded -because Billy had poked his inquisitive nose into it. - -“My mother taught her kids that extravagance is a sin, and to waste -good food like this must be very wicked indeed. If I should leave it -here to be tramped under foot, I’d not be able to rest easy for ever -and ever so long. My conscience would prick me for not heeding my dear -mother’s teaching, and that is about the worst punishment that can come -to goat or man,” pondered Billy, as sandwiches, pickles, doughnuts, -olives, and other goodies disappeared as if by magic. - -“Now for a drink, and I’m ready for the afternoon. Of course, there’ll -be many more people here in the afternoon, just as the evening crowds -at the circus were always so much greater than those at the matinee -performance. Large crowds make you step lively in order to keep up with -the procession, and, fortified by forty winks of sleep, I’ll be equal -to anything.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FORTUNE TELLER - - -After Billy had quenched his thirst at a watering trough roughly hewn -out of the trunk of an enormous chestnut tree and filled to brimming -with cool, sparkling water piped from a bubbling spring not far off, he -felt a longing for a nap, for so strong had the habit of an afternoon -snooze become that even with all the hubbub of a county fair about him, -with all the gay banterings of the jostling people, with the toots -of the horns and the squawks of the squawkers, Billy was undeniably -sleepy, and a yawn brought him to the realization of how very much he -needed a rest. - -“I remember seeing some hay in a barn over near the grandstand, and I -will make that serve as my couch,” he was planning when his further -progress was checked for a moment by a crowd surrounding a haranguing -fakir. Billy was impatient at this delay, and fretted and fumed. - -“Some people lose every vestige of good manners the moment they’re one -of a crowd,” he grumbled, but a second later and he, too, was guilty of -this very thing, and was just as eager to push his way to the front as -any of the people whom he had been berating. No thought of sleep now -troubled him; no thought of politeness, either, judging by the reckless -way he was forging ahead. - -What was it that worked this sudden change? Let us accompany Billy as -he wriggles and squirms and wriggles again, steadily pushing his way -forward, for there in the center of the group is a very queer looking -individual. - -He is taller than most men, but this may be because his head is swathed -in a high turban, the gayly colored cloth being wound around and around -his head in soft, voluminous folds, underneath which peers out a -typical Oriental face with snapping dark eyes, and teeth gleaming like -ivory, while a crafty smile plays about his thin lips. - -He carries an enormous pen holder, fully two inches in diameter and -eighteen inches long. He has just explained how he is able to do -wondrous things with the Magic Pen, as he calls it, and is now screwing -it together, having shown the bystanders that it is merely a hollow -tube, with nothing concealed in it, yet possessed of wonderful power. - -As he distributes sheets of paper and pencils among his listeners, he -cries: - -“Write your initials plainly. Then the Magic Pen will tell your -fortune. It will reveal your past, and it will foretell your future. -The Magic Pen sees all. The Magic Pen knows all. Sign your initials! -Sign, sign, sign!” - -As he passes the paper, he catches sight of Billy, and laughingly -bestows on him paper and pencil, much to the merriment of the crowd. - -[Illustration] - -“They are making fun of me, that much I know. Well, we’ll retaliate,” -and with that Billy begins to trace his initials, holding the pencil -in his mouth, and using one foot to hold the paper on the ground. To -be sure, they are crude and look like a beginner’s, for goats are not -skilled in penmanship, and Billy, though much more highly educated than -most of his kind, would never have picked up so much of the art had it -not been for the kindness and inexhaustible patience of Smart Jim, the -educated horse traveling with the Circus. He had devoted long hours to -teaching Billy, with the result that he is now able to write the two -letters rather creditably. - -It is impossible to describe the surprise pictured on the faces of the -onlookers as Billy picks up the lead pencil and, carefully adjusting -it between his teeth, bends over and writes those two significant -letters. They go mad with delight, and clamor: - -“The goat’s fortune! Tell the goat’s fortune!” - -“The Magic Pen is able to do even that,” and the boasting fellow rolls -up the paper with a great show of care. - -Unscrewing the pen holder, he places the sheet inside the tube, -securely fastens it, twirls it in the air, and while repeating this -weird incantation: - - “Magic Pen, reveal to me - All this creature is to be; - All he is to do, to see, - Oh, Magic Pen, reveal to me.” - -he gives it a final toss high into the air, deftly catching it as it -falls, and opening it, unfurls the paper. - -He first passes it to two or three for close inspection, and then reads -aloud: - -“B. W. is endowed with altogether extraordinary talents. He has a large -amount of curiosity, and often butts into other people’s business.” - -“That I do,” chuckles Billy, “though I butt into them quite as much and -as often as into their affairs!” - -“He was born on the continent.” - -“Right again,” shouts Billy, though the crowd think he is merely -bleating, but we who understand goat language know much better. - -“And his future seems in some mysterious way to be connected with -China.” - -“Suppose I’m going to travel again,” muses Billy at this information. - -“B. W. will rise to a great height in the world, but this may be -followed by a fall. Sudden fame is also foretold, and, having been born -under a lucky star, he may venture much and gain even more. Thus saith -the Magic Pen.” - -“Now I’ll salt that down in my memory’s storehouse, and see if the -Magic Pen really knows anything. I’ve always thought people silly -who believed in signs and such things, but, come to think of it, I -_did_ walk under a ladder just before Harry gave me that beating as a -punishment because I butted the Duke of Windham around the barnyard -a bit for being too obstreperous and presuming too far on our good -nature. Perhaps, after all, there is some virtue in signs and fortunes.” - -“By the way, speaking of the Duke reminds me that he is on these -grounds, and I must find him and have a little chat. He will be glad to -see some of the home folks, I know.” - -If ever you have attended a county fair, you know that it is very -easy to locate the cattle exhibits, for they are invariably in stalls -or sheds at one end of the grounds, and what with the cackling of the -chickens, squealing of the pigs, and all of the many peculiar and -distinctive calls of the farm animals, there is not much chance of -losing your way. Billy, of course, walked straight to the stalls, for -animals seem to know instinctively how to find one another. - -[Illustration] - -First he came to the pigs, and such piggy looking pigs you never -saw. At least, Billy thought them ugly things, for he himself was so -immaculate that he scorned other creatures who had no personal pride, -and pigs--Ugh! How they do love the mud and the mire! - -So Billy now merely tilted his head to one side and hurried on -unseeing, until there, right under his feet, was the most cunning, -fat little thing, with a little pink, trembly nose. Plainly it was in -sore distress, and in great need of instant care and sympathy. Without -one moment’s hesitation, Billy conquered his aversion to the pig -family, and up he marched, and gently rubbed his nose along piggy’s -back--his only way of caressing. Billy next inquired the cause of all -the trouble, and piggy only grunted his reply, but that was enough for -Billy to comprehend, and very tenderly did he lift the fat little -roll by the nape of the neck--the only way there seemed to be to hold -him--and carried him back to his mother, who also grunted to express -her relief at the restoration of her lost baby. - -“I’ll not remain to receive my thanks,” thought Billy, as he dropped -the little pig over into the pen. “That’s not my way of doing good,” -and he was off in further search of the Duke of Windham. - -That worthy was proudly pacing his narrow stall when he spied friend -Billy approaching. - -“Ah, here comes His Highness, Sir Billy. I’ll not let him see how I -chafe to be out of this box; no, not for a minute would I confess to -him how irksome are the hours I have spent here,” and so, when Billy -arrived, he was munching hay and looking the acme of contentment. - -“Good afternoon, Duke,” began Billy. “I’d not been on these fair -grounds ten minutes until I began to look for you. Old friends ought -not to forget each other, and I knew you would be glad to see some of -your home folks. What a vantage point you chose, away up here on this -hill where you can see all over the Fair!” he continued, as he turned -to take in the panorama before him. “Indeed, you have a better view of -the race course than many have in the grandstand itself,” and with such -subtle flattery Billy sought to ingratiate himself with the calf, who -at once beamed his delight and most graciously responded: - -“Yes, I’ve had a fine day of it. And you see this blue ribbon round -my neck? That means that I’m the winner of the first prize,” and the -vain Duke began turning and twisting in a useless effort to secure -one glimpse of the tag that had caused so many to stop and admire him -during the day. - -“It’s no surprise to me to see you wearing that, Duke. The Treat boys -know far too much to waste their time feeding and currying a beast that -is not blue-blooded. And you have been their special pride this season, -that I know.” - -“Well, it is no secret that Tom is my favorite, and he did give me -numberless curryings and rubbings down this summer. My coat is as -smooth and glossy as any thoroughbred could wish, and my markings -are especially fine, I fancy. That star on my forehead, now, is near -perfect, don’t you think?” waiting eagerly for further approbation. - -“To let you into a secret,” replied sly Billy, “I’ve made the entire -rounds, but there’s nothing here that can hold a candle to your beauty. -That’s my candid opinion. You know I’m not one to flatter, and you can -depend on my word.” - -“Such appreciation of one’s good points deserves some substantial -recognition,” thought the Duke, and so he said: - -“By the way, Billy, are you going to stay over night? If so, I’ll be -proud to have you as my guest, for my quarters here are plenty large -enough to accommodate you.” - -“That is just like your generous self,” replied the goat. “And while I -had thought to return to Cloverleaf Farm at nightfall, the prospect of -being entertained by you leads me to change my plans. I’ll be more than -delighted to accept, and will be back soon after twilight.” - -“Yes, that might be best, for the keepers feed us about six o’clock, -and if you were found here, they might not like it. However, I shall -save my supper until you arrive, and then we will dine together.” - -“Agreed! I’ll be off now, and thank you again for your most hospitable -offer.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LAUGHING GALLERY - - -“I know not what other people think about the matter, but there -is nothing in this wide, wide world so useful to me as flattery,” -meditated Billy after leaving the Duke of Windham. “It will bring -quicker returns than anything else, and I fancy that with this weapon I -can conquer almost any foe. - -“Now the Duke of Windham has not the faintest idea that my call was -made for the sole reason that I wanted a comfortable lodging for the -night, and that I had planned my visit with care. He is congratulating -himself on his bigness of heart this very moment, that I’ll wager. -Anyway, my object is attained, and now I can enjoy myself with no -thought or dread of the night. The time was when I did not think -anything of spending a night in the open, but then it is not so much -that I’m growing old as it is these disagreeable, rheumatism-breeding -fogs that accompany the October nights.” - -Billy disliked to acknowledge even to himself that old age was creeping -on apace, and that it was necessary to have extra care if he would -enjoy good health. - -“Who can explain why all the people are hurrying and scurrying so? They -act as crazy as loons, and that is no exaggeration.” - -Just then a raindrop hit Billy spitefully on the tip of the nose, and -others pelted him on the back. - -“Ah, ha! So this is the trouble, is it? I’ve been so deep in thought -that I’ve not cast a glance at the sky, but the outlook is that we will -have a little rain storm. Clouds like that great black bank there in -the west mean something to me. Ho, ho! And some Fourth of July effects -thrown in!” chuckled the goat as a vivid flash of lightning was quickly -followed by a reverberating roll of thunder. - -“The greatest fun I know is watching a crowd caught in a storm. I’ll -stroll along and enjoy it to the full extent.” - -Billy did not realize how impolite it is to make light of another’s -distress. His mother, I fear, had been negligent in his training on -this point of etiquette. - -“Did you ever see anything one-half so laughable as that old lady? -See her picking her way along, skirts held high, revealing her gaudy -hosiery. They look as Dutch as my old master Hans--red and dark blue is -the color combination I do believe! Why doesn’t the goosie put up her -umbrella instead of holding it so tightly under her arm? Forgotten that -she was wise enough to bring it, I suppose. Guess I will follow her a -way and see the excitement she’s bound to create.” - -Taking up his position immediately behind her, he began the chase, for -he found it such, experiencing some difficulty to keep at her heels -as she dodged first this way and then that, in and out, in a frantic -attempt to push her way quickly through the hurrying throng, all -jostling, all wet, all bedraggled, but all good-humored, taking the -sudden downpour in good part. - -In fact, there is nothing more infectious than the good spirits of a -fair-day crowd. Nothing is sufficient to upset their equanimity, and -although in nine seasons out of ten there is a shower or a steady, cold -drizzle which plays havoc with new fall millinery, suits and footwear, -each year sees everyone bravely arrayed in their best bibs and tuckers -as if tempting the weather man to do and send his worst. - -Country maidens were there, all bedight in bright colored finery, -blushing under the escort of brawny farm lads whose genial faces wore -the ruddy glow of perfect health, youth and happiness peeping through -the thick coat of tan left by old Sol’s summer visits as they toiled -harvesting the golden wheat and later in cornfield and potato patch. - -Business men in their trim, conventional clothes were likewise present, -glad to see so many evidences of prosperity in the exhibits; glad, too, -for the brief release from office and store. Their wives, some plainly -arrayed, others with nodding plumes and rustling silks, flaunting their -riches with pride, accompanied them. - -School girls and boys from the town were there, for this was -“children’s day” and no dull lessons called them. The whole country was -in festive spirits, but most of all the school children enjoyed the -freedom from books and studies. - -All these, young and old, the rich and the poor, the honored and the -humble, made up the throng now so eagerly seeking shelter from the -driving storm, but Billy was far too much engrossed in his pursuit to -have eyes for anything or anyone but the excited, blustering old woman -he was tagging so persistently. - -“She reminds me of the posters I see on every hand of the Dutch woman -chasing after something with the big stick in her hand. Harry says it’s -dirt she’s after, but Dick always asks, ‘Well, where’s the dirt, then?’” - -“All this old lady needs is the wooden shoes, for she’s the stick and -the stride already.” - -“Oh, no, you’ll not leave me so easily as that,” as she darted into -a building. “I’m right after you,” and in he dodged, only to be -confronted by a doorkeeper who was wrangling with the victim of Billy’s -ridicule. - -“Vat you say? I geeve you von neekle alreaty. Now you say anodder? You -vant the good leeking, young man, to dake some of your smartness out -yet still!” her voice running the gamut of the scale in her excitement. - -[Illustration: “I GEEVE YOU VON NEEKLE ALREATY. NOW YOU SAY ANODDER?”] - -“Ten cents is the price,” calmly replied the ticket-taker, “and it’s -stretching the rules to let you in at all. You should be made to buy -your ticket at the stand outside. We take no money here, and I’m doing -wrong to admit you.” - -“Vell, vell, I’ll pay, I’ll pay! Dis rain it is so wery wet, or I spend -not one cent mit you!” - -She lifted her full petticoat, groped about for the hidden pocket and -gingerly produced the second nickle. - -The two had been so much interested in their haggling over the -admission fee that Billy was unnoticed as he crept stealthily around -the German woman, scarcely breathing, so anxious was he to gain -entrance. Now that he was effectively shielded from the doorkeeper’s -view by her voluminous skirts, he scurried on ahead. - -“This is very queer. I thought we were in a large building. But this -seems to twist and turn and twist in a most bewildering and aggravating -manner,” thought Billy, as he pushed rapidly forward through a narrow -hallway. “I begin to think Mrs. Treat’s saying that ‘Things are not -always what they seem,’ is pretty true.--Oh, me, what _is_ this?” - -Billy was treading on something that swayed and rolled and pitched -beneath him like the billows of an angry, boisterous sea and, indeed, -he felt much like an inexperienced sailor on his maiden voyage who has -not yet found his sea legs. - -“I--I--don’t like--this--buffeting. Wish--I was--well--out of--this! -My stomach feels--too--shaky--for--comfort,” and in his eagerness to -secure a stable footing, he made for the wall, lifting his fore feet -very high and planting them very carefully and very, very firmly, -trying to feel his way in the midnight blackness. At last he found the -wall, or at least what he judged to be the wall, but it swayed away -from him as he leaned against it for support, and the pitching and -rolling and tumbling grew worse minute by minute. - -“A most provoking place, and I don’t see why anyone would pay a dime to -get into such a fix!” he mumbled. “Wonder where the old lady is, and -how she is enjoying her sea voyage. This is worse than crossing the -stormy Atlantic.” - -Standing still brought no relief, and so Billy determined to forge -ahead, and he resumed his perilous journey with a few excited bleats. -Frightened cries from the front and rear followed. Billy repeated his -bleating, and wilder grew the commotion. - -“It is dark as a dungeon in here, or else I would certainly face about -and make for outdoors in double quick time. But as it is, I must go -on. If I collided with anyone, it might prove the undoing of both of -us, and I for one am not yet ready to end my career. I’ve just enough -ginger left in me to want to see what lies at the end of all this.” - -“Come to think of it, this must be the ‘unusual experience’ foretold by -the Magic Pen,” and Billy’s legs began to shake and his chin whiskers -to tremble at fear of the unknown. - -“I’m not real sure but that I want to turn back and--” but as he came -to this conclusion he turned a corner in the labyrinth and emerged into -a dazzle of light which blinded him for a minute after the Stygian -darkness of the entrance way. - -Halting to get his bearings and to take a general survey of the room, -Billy found a wonderful fairyland spread out before him. - -Myriads upon myriads of electric lights flooded the hall, revealing -wonder upon wonder, for everywhere were the queerest people. Some were -giants, others were pigmies. Part were exceedingly tall, with necks -stretching out like the giraffe’s at the zoo, lank arms and dangling -hands, faces narrow, chins pointed and noses long enough to pry into -the business of the whole world. Some, on the other hand, were only two -feet tall, but, strange to relate, they were as fat as the tall persons -were lean--as fat as the man in the song: - - “He’s six feet one way, two feet tudder, - An’ his coat won’t go half way round.” - -“Pudgy, I call ’em,” decided Billy with a wag of the head, turning -around to take a complete inventory of the room and its occupants. He -brought up with a jerk, however, when he discovered his German woman -immediately behind him, in excited conversation with another creature -exactly like her. - -Violently she gesticulated with her large, green-covered umbrella, and -just as violently did her counterpart wave her rain-stick and nod her -head. - -“Vot you look like me for, eh?” the angry woman inquired. “Ain’t you -any sense got? I vent hill up und hill down to get here and you come -fun to make mid me. Eferyboty they just laugh und laugh at me all dis -day, und I von’t haf it any more yet. You are Sherman, too, so then for -why do you laugh?” - -“There’s just one time that I wish I had been made a boy instead of -a goat. Ordinarily, goats have much better times than boys, but when -I laugh so hard my fat sides ache, I wish for a pair of hands that -I might hold them the way the Treat boys do when they’re mightily -tickled. I’m sure I could laugh both harder and longer and enjoy it -much more with such a convenience as hands about me,” thought Billy, as -he watched this by-play, a broad grin spreading over his face. - -With a final threatening look, the woman turned and made off, but only -to confront another equally German looking person a few feet farther -on, who bore a striking resemblance to her. - -“Oh, Maggie, Maggie, don’t you know your own seester any more? How -theen you haf got! Been seeck since I vent away from home, Maggie? -Shpeek to me, Maggie. ’Tis your own lofing Barbara you see,” putting -out her arms to welcome her in a warm embrace. - -“Ha, ha, ha, ha!” laughed Billy uproariously. “It takes the Germans to -get angry. Ha, ha! Look at her, she’s trying to hug her own image!” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -BILLY HAS AN ENCOUNTER - - -“Such a goosie as she is,” chuckled Billy in delight, “I shall not lose -sight of--O-o-o-h!” his merriment changing to wonder, for there peeping -from behind the skirts of the second woman was a handsome goat, whose -coat was as white, whose horns were as long and well-shaped, whose very -_whiskers_ were as fine as Billy’s own. - -There were very few occasions and small reason for Billy Whiskers to -envy individuals of his kind, for, as you have often been told, he -was a king among goats. He was finer looking, had a better carriage, -was larger and stronger, he could leap farther and butt harder than -ordinary goats, and so his proud position was not often questioned, -even though he sometimes grew overbearing and a trifle too boastful of -his prowess. - -“O-o-oh!” he repeated, peeping out from the other side, only to find -the other goat doing exactly the same thing. “He’s a fine animal, to -be sure, and might prove a close rival. We’ll see how much backbone he -has,” and Billy slowly advanced, stepping high and tossing his proud -head from side to side the better to display his good points. - -Goat Number Two likewise advanced, stepping just as high and lifting -his head and tilting it provokingly to one side. - -“Ah, ha! So he’s going to show me he’s a thoroughbred, is he? Perhaps -it might be well for me to make his acquaintance and have him for my -friend,” weakening a little. “He’s sure to be a power wherever he may -live.” - -Billy always did believe that it was a wise thing to make friends with -those who occupied prominent positions. This policy put into effect had -brought both adventure and many good berths to him, and so now it had -become almost second nature to Billy to bind to him as close friends -and allies all those he could not conquer. - -“Anyway, even if he proves as overbearing as he looks, it will be -a great relief to talk to someone who can understand what I say. I -am not accustomed to being without companions, especially since my -Circus experience, and it’s lonesome without a companion to share my -pleasures.” - -Bleating his greeting, Billy advanced with a smile. Billy the Second -nodded, but no answering bleat opened the way to conversation. - -“I must admit that he’s rather offish and high and mighty. He could -at least pass the time of day,” thought Billy, unused to having his -friendly overtures met so coldly. “What shall I do to bring his High -Mightiness down from his throne?” and Billy half closed his eyes in -thought. - -“Well, the impudent rascal! I do believe he’s mimicking me to arouse my -wrath. I’ll prove it to my entire satisfaction and then I will give him -the punishment such behavior deserves.” - -There followed a series of advances, retreats and side steppings in -which Billy’s adversary proved an adept, closely imitating Billy’s -every move. - -Jealousy began to grow in Billy’s heart, and, what is more, for the -first time in all his life Billy was AFRAID. Yes, he really doubted -his ability to conquer this foe in a fair fight, and the longer he -hesitated about closing with the enemy, the greater hold did this fear -have on him. - -Were not those horns most splendid specimens? Of what would they not be -capable in battle? - -Was not this goat strong of limb and well-nigh perfect in every point? - -Did not those eyes fairly gleam with fighting zeal? And the nostrils -tremble with repressed excitement of the coming contest? - -As many a wise general has evaded the enemy rather than risk a battle -when little would be gained if victory perched on his banners and much -would be lost if defeat met him, so Billy now decided that discretion -demanded withdrawal, and he quietly covered his retreat by using the -German woman and the ever-moving crowd as a shield. - -“This is the first time Billy Whiskers has ever waved the white -feather,” he mused, hanging his head for very shame as he thought -of the cowardice of his actions. “I can never, never redeem myself -and--and, say, wouldn’t all my friends deride me if they knew? But I -shall hide my disgrace and keep it a close secret. Even old Browny -at the Farm shall never know, and I tell him most everything I do or -think.” - -“Reputation is a great thing in this world, but self-esteem is better,” -he philosophized. “_I_ shall always know that away down deep in the -very bottom of my heart I am a coward, and that is what hurts. I am -half tempted this minute to return and give battle even if--but hello, -there he is and the opportunity to redeem myself is here!” - -With that Billy was off like a rocket, and made his onslaught without a -moment to consider what the result might be. - -With one leap he dashed at the goat, struck something hard--and crash -fell the mirror, for Billy had charged his own likeness in the Laughing -Gallery. Enraged by the noise of the falling of the shattered glass, -he plunged back to renew the contest. There before him stood his foe -unharmed, with head lowered and as eager for the fray as he. - -[Illustration] - -Once more forward, once more only the impact with the splintered glass, -and then another backward leap to locate his slippery enemy. - -“Ah, ha! You won’t escape me the third time, my fine friend,” mumbled -Billy, with blood in his eye, gazing steadfastly into Billy the -Second’s, where gleamed the same bold, undaunted spirit. - -“Come on! Come on! Fight fair!” bellowed Billy, renewing the fray--and -the third pier-glass was in atoms. - -“Clear the room! Clear the room! Everybody out!” rang the cry, but -small need to issue the command, for those who had come to laugh had -departed quickly, as eager to be out and away from the scene of strife -as the burly, blue-coated officer was to have them. - -“Hi, there, goat!” he shouted, and at the summons Billy turned to see -the officer bearing swiftly down upon him. - -“I know his type too well,” was his quick thought, and he wheeled, -spied the door, and was out in the open air, now one of the crowd, now -skulking back of the buildings, dodging in and out between the small -tents to evade all possible pursuit. Once when the search grew too -harrassing for comfort, he even took refuge beneath a building which -was set on piles. He had to crawl under and lay perfectly flat and -quiet, for cruel nails and long slivers of wood from the rough sills -caught his coat and caused him exquisite pain whenever he ventured to -move. - -“I would like to know how the other goat fared,” he thought. “Perhaps -they’ve caught _him_--hope they have. And will punish him--hope they -do. He was about the most impudent piece of goathood I’ve ever met, so -there!” and Billy wagged his head sagely. - -He remained in safe hiding until all grew quiet--no murmur from the -passing crowds, no shouts and calls of fakirs hawking their wares. -The gloomy part of the day, when darkness falls without a sunset to -mark its close, had come ere he poked his head out, cautiously glanced -around, and found that in truth the grounds were deserted. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A NIGHT WITH THE DUKE - - -“Don’t you think it is the first duty of a guest to be punctual? -Especially a dinner guest?” was the Duke of Windham’s greeting as Billy -knocked on his stall door for admittance. - -“And do you think it according to the rules of etiquette for a host -to remind his guest of his shortcomings in such a fashion as this?” -retorted the glib Billy. - -“I’ve misplaced the key to the door of my house, so you’ll have to -jump,” said the Duke, ignoring Billy’s question. “I’m very sorry, but -then I know you are an expert at leaping and vaulting, so it will not -inconvenience you as it might old Browny, for example.” - -“Not at all, not at all,” returned Billy, and with one light bound he -was over and beside the Duke, and they were cordially greeting each -other. - -“Now, Will-_yum_, into what mischief have you been this afternoon?” -queried the Duke, shaking his head to show his disapproval of any -escapade. - -“Been on my good behavior all day, I would have you to know--and didn’t -find it half so dull as I had anticipated.” - -“Come, come, old fellow, none of that. You might as well confess first -as last. There is a suspicious cut over your left eye which wasn’t -there when you called early this afternoon. Besides, you’re all over -shavings. There’s a story back of it, I’m sure.” - -“If you must have it, old pry, when the storm gathered, I encountered -the most laughable old woman,” and with a chuckle of intense enjoyment -at the recollection, he launched forth into the story of the Laughing -Gallery episode, and it lost nothing by the telling. - -“Do have some of this sweet clover for dessert,” pressed the Duke as -Billy finished the recital. “The flavor is delicious, I think.” - -Billy accepted a liberal portion of the dainty, and the Duke, feeling -it his bounden duty to reprove his friend for his prank, looked very -solemn and began: - -“Billy Whiskers, it seems to me that a goat of your broad experience -ought to have better sense than you possess, and you’re a disgrace to -Cloverleaf Farm!” - -“Don’t preach to me! You’re not an example I’d care to follow!” - -“Which reminds me to ask if anything has occurred at Cloverleaf Farm -since my departure,” calmly finished the Duke. - -“Um--um,” from Billy, as he busily munched the scented hay. “Um--um, I -guess there has! More than I can begin to tell you before our bedtime!” - -“I’m all ears, as the donkey would say,” and the calf playfully tweaked -Billy to hurry him with the news. - -“In the first place, the automobile arrived the afternoon of the day -you departed for this Fair. That is how it happens I’m here,” and Billy -wiggled his ears and rolled his eyes to watch the effect of this on the -Duke. - -He was disappointed. There stood the prize calf calmly chewing away, -all unmindful of the fact that he was expected to be overwhelmed at the -statement. - -“Yes, I came in the automobile,” repeated pompous Billy. - -Still no evidence of surprise from the Duke. - -“I came to the Fair in the new machine,” almost thundered the goat. - -“Well, and _I_ came in the _wagon_. The main thing is we’re here, not -how we came. You may proceed with your story, little Mr. Puff-ball.” - -“If you’re going to be impertinent, I think I’ll go home for the night, -after all,” Billy decided, and was even edging toward the door of the -stall, slowly to be sure, but still moving in that direction. - -“Don’t be foolish, Billy! You always carry a chip on the tip of your -horns. See, here is a nice, soft bed waiting and ready for us. You may -have that corner where the straw is the thickest,” and mollified by -this generosity and evidence of great good will, Billy settled himself -comfortably for the night. - -“Pleasant dreams,” from the goat. - -“Sweet sleep,” from the calf, and all was quiet. - -“Say!” hailed Billy so soon as he was sure the Duke was well on the -road to dreamland. - -“Uh-huh,” sleepily. - -“Duke, wake up, you sleepyhead,” urged Billy. - -“What’s the matter now?” impatiently inquired the calf, yawning and -stretching in the hope that the goat would take pity on him and leave -him to his slumbers. - -“I must tell you a story I heard yesterday.” - -“Well, out with it quick!” - -“The machinist who brought the automobile told it to Mr. Treat, and -it’s surely a good one. - -“It seems that over in York State they have a lot of foolish rules -about speed limits and so on, and this man was touring last summer and -experienced all sorts of trouble about it. He was spinning along a -fine stretch of level country road one day, and noticed that he passed -several men as he neared the outskirts of a small town. Well, these men -proved to be outposts set to nab speedy automobile drivers, and they -telephoned on to the next guard. So when he was just about to enter -the town, there was an officer standing directly in the center of the -roadway, waving his arms and calling on him to stop. - -“As he blocked the highway, of course the driver drew up, and after -finding that he was making better time than the rules allowed, he -courteously invited the deputy to get in and ride along to the mayor’s -office. The blue coat was only too glad to accept. In he jumped and -away sped the car. Gradually the driver put on power until they were -tearing along at a mad pace, much faster, in fact, than he had hit it -up out in the country. - -“‘Hold on, there!’ cautioned the officer. ‘Too fast, young man, -entirely too fast!’ - -“‘Oh, no, sir! You see, I’m so anxious to get there and have it over.’ - -“‘But--but, sir, you’ve already passed the city hall!’ remonstrated the -man. - -“‘Well, well, so I have. Guess I’ll have to take you on to the next -town now. You see the machine is going so fast I really can’t stop!’ - -“‘Can’t stop?’ exploded the arm of the law. ‘I tell you you’ll pay -dearly for this trick. Dearly, I say! Let me out! Let me out!’ almost -choking with rage. - -“‘Certainly, my dear sir,’ as the auto slowed down. ‘Much joy to -you on your return trip. I hope the sun isn’t too hot and the road -too dusty!’ he remarked as he deposited the sputtering fellow three -miles from the town limits, with no alternative but to walk the weary -distance.” - -As he finished, Billy was convulsed with silent laughter, but the Duke -never so much as smiled to show his appreciation of the tale. He looked -solemnly at Billy and wagged his head. - -“Young fellow, it would have served that driver right if his car had -been confiscated, and he’d been compelled to walk to his destination. -These automobile people as a rule are altogether too reckless. I hope -Mr. Treat will escape the speed fever.” - -“You’re doomed to be sadly disappointed, then,” retorted Billy, -confidently. - -“I can’t believe Mr. Treat will so far forget himself as to go racing -madly about the country in his automobile, frightening the poor cattle -and horses half out of their wits. Why!” and the Duke waxed indignant -at the memory, “do you know, Billy Whiskers, as I was coming to the -Fair yesterday, I saw a poor chicken laying all mangled in the road, -the victim of one of those idiotic auto enthusiasts?” - -“And do you know, Your Highness, that we made several chickens step -lively and use their wings a bit beside, on the way to the Fair -to-day? And, remember, this is your master’s first time out,” Billy -replied, prodding the calf in the ribs in a playful mood. - -“I’ll not believe it!” championed loyal Duke. “Mr. Treat has far too -much thought of the comfort of farm animals to make them suffer so. -Let’s go to sleep, I say!” fetching a yawn. - -“All right,” agreed Billy, and they settled themselves once more, each -to his particular liking. - -The Duke had given his first snore--if you don’t believe that calves -snore, just go out to the barn late some night next summer when you’re -visiting in the country, and listen to all the queer sleepy sounds of -the animals and you’ll agree with me that calves do snore. - -Yes, Billy waited until the Duke had given his first good-sized snore, -when he lifted his head and called: - -“Say, Duke! Duke, I say!” - -“W-e-l-l?” drowsily. - -“Duke!” repeated the goat in sharp staccato. - -“Y--e--e--s!” in a long drawn out yawn. - -“I merely forgot to say good-night, and since you’re such a stickler on -manners, thought I’d tell you that you had omitted it, too.” - -“Good-night!” snapped the Duke, “and don’t let me hear another word -from you till daylight!” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -TOPPY TO THE FORE - - -“The top o’ the marnin’ to yez!” Billy called to the Duke the next -morning as the first faint streaks of dawn tinged the east with a ruddy -glow. - -Goats are no sluggards about arising. In fact, they are wide awake with -the first crowing of the first chanticleer. - -“The same to you, and may this be your lucky day,” was the Duke’s -equally amiable reply. - -“I’ve been thinking,” said Billy, “while I’ve been waiting for you to -waken--I myself roused hours ago--that I may as well take myself off -before the keepers make their rounds. I suppose they come early. Am I -right?” - -“Well, yesterday it was about six, and I suppose that is the usual -time.” - -“Then I’ll be up and away, with many, many thanks, my dear Duke, for -the pleasant time you’ve given me. I cannot express my appreciation in -mere words.” - -“But, Billy, do have just a bite of breakfast first,” urged his host. -“Surely you can stay long enough for that! See, here’s some of that -tender clover hay that you enjoyed so much last night.” - -“Now you mention it, I believe I will, though I’ve not any appetite so -early in the day.” - -Stepping up in front of the rudely constructed manger, Billy began to -nibble at the hay. As he continued, the Duke watched him out of the -corner of his eye, first glancing at Billy, now busily gorging himself, -and then again at the rapidly diminishing pile of hay, then at the hay -and again back at Billy. He decided to remonstrate and began:-- - -“Billy!” - -No response. - -“Oh, I say, Billy!” - -“Um,” from the occupied goat. - -“But Billy! I say, Bill-ee!” - -“Uh-huh, what is it?” - -“You remind me of Mrs. Treat.” - -“I do? How?” - -“You remind me of Mrs. Treat and a saying that’s so often on her lips.” - -“She’s most always talking, and so it’s not strange I don’t even now -see any connection.” - -“You know,” the Duke explained, “she says she’d much rather feed six -men who confessed they were hungry as bears than one who declared he -couldn’t eat a bite.” - -“Well?” queried the goat, still busy at the manger. - -“I’ve begun to think it ought to be a dozen to one when the proverb is -applied to goats!” - -“You do, eh? Which reminds me of a story.” - -“Out with it then,” commanded the Duke. - -“There was once a pet calf on the Treat farm, or so I’ve been told, who -was such a greedy youngster that Tom, his owner, never dared to set -the pail of milk down and leave it for him to drink. If he did, that -calf would invariably plunge his nose to the very bottom, and in his -unseemly haste would bunt the pail, over it would go and he would lose -all. - -“One day Tom carried a large wooden pail of rich, sweet milk out to the -young apple orchard where the calf was kept with two pet lambs, and he -waited until the calf should finish his drinking. Now that calf plunged -down and drank deep and long, never stopping until he was compelled to -raise his head for air. And then how he spluttered and blew the milk -out through his nostrils! In his hurry to recover his breath, some -milk went down his wind-pipe and such a fuss! He commenced to choke -and cough, and his fat sides began to bloat. Tom raced to the barn for -Chris, the hired man, who hurried to the rescue. As soon as he saw the -calf’s lolling tongue, wobbly legs and bulging sides, he went for -the buggy whip and they ran that down his throat. Then, breaking off -an apple branch, Chris used it to urge the calf to keep on the move -and around and around that orchard they circled until every bit of -the bloating had disappeared. Let--me--see,” pondered the goat, as if -racking his brains, “I believe they do say his name was the Duke of -Windham. And now that very self-same goat dares to stand up and preach -about the wickedness of greediness! Oh me!” - -Billy pretended to be boiling over with rage, though really not a -whit disturbed, and, taking the very last wisp of hay in his mouth, -chewed it slowly, as if it was too good to lose any of the pleasure by -hurrying, all the time glowering frightfully at the Duke. - -“You’re a heathen! You’ve no glimmering of the first rules of -politeness, and deserve just this--” - -But the nimble Duke was ready for a frolic, and cleared Billy’s back as -neatly as most boys do when playing leap-frog. - -Over and over Billy charged, but each time Duke escaped by using the -light leap. They were in the very midst of the fun, and had forgotten -all about the dreaded morning visit of the keeper, when the rattle of a -key in the padlock gave warning. Billy heard--and instantly Billy knew -what it meant. In pure self-defence, to escape sure capture and tedious -imprisonment, the goat backed to the farther corner and quickly made -ready. - -Back swung the gate and in came a tall, slender youth. Billy felt a -qualm or two about his real right to attack so delicate a boy, but -when he saw the lad take a glance around and quickly turn to flee at -sight of a goat cornered as he was, he decided such cowardly action -deserved a drubbing, and with a bound he took the fellow just below the -knees. His joints worked beautifully, Billy thought, for he collapsed -in a heap on Billy’s broad back, and his long arms flew out for some -support, and his longer legs first dangled on the ground and then -flailed the air, conforming to every motion of the beast beneath him. - -[Illustration] - -“Ouch! Ouch!” groaned Billy, after having made several uneven leaps and -bounds, the better to show his rider the advantage of a goat over all -other steeds. - -“Ouch! Ouch! He’s holding on by my coat! He’s pulling my hair out by -its very roots. He has no humanity--not a bit!” wailed Billy. - -That the tables were merely turned had not occurred to Billy, nor the -fact that he was receiving only a fraction of the discomfort he was -giving. - -“I’ll not stand it! I’ll not have it! Ouch! Ouch! He’s caught my tail, -he has! Ouch!” - -Billy was _mad_. Not angry, but furiously mad. And gathering all his -strength, he made one high backward leap, turned a complete somersault, -and his victim described a circle, too, landing in a deep mud puddle, -left by the storm of the day before. - -The fellow had no more than realized what had befallen him than Billy -was upon his feet and charging at him. That he had chosen a muddy seat -seemed no very great disadvantage to Billy. In fact, he now determined -to give him a mud bath, and first he prodded him on one side and then -on the other. All the fight the fellow ever possessed had fled when he -saw that magnificent pair of horns bearing down on him. He screened his -eyes with his hands and gave himself up to the tender mercies of the -enemy, rolling this way and that at Billy’s pleasure. - -“He’s so deep in the mire that he may not be able to get out,” thought -Billy, when he himself began to pant for breath. “It’s only fair to put -him on his feet, I suppose,” and so he hooked him by the coat, and with -a toss that required every atom of his strength--though Billy never -admitted the fact--the boy was up once more, though oozing with mud. - -“He’ll never show himself to his chief in that state. It will take an -hour to make him presentable, and in the meantime I must make tracks. -Still, I’m not one to run from danger, and it may be the fellow will -never report his experience.” - -[Illustration] - -Billy had studied human nature enough to know that one does not -willingly tell a story in which he does not play a creditable part. - -“I’ll not dare to show myself in this vicinity to-night, though,” he -meditated. “That means that I shall have to seek new lodgings. I wonder -who will be so kind--but let me think! Toppy also came to be exhibited. -It’s no more than her plain duty to entertain me one night. I’ll hunt -her up!” - -Putting this resolution into action, he hurried down the Cattle Row. At -the farther end was a large barn, now his objective point. - -Long before break of day, the coming of the morning had been noisily -heralded by the cocks, and Billy knew that all the fuss came from this -building. - -“One thing I forgot to ask the Duke, and that is how long this county -jollification lasts. Toppy surely won’t know--it’s her first experience -here, as she’s nothing but a pullet. Of course, the Duke is not much -better--nothing but a calf--but at least he could inquire of some of -his older neighbors.” - -As the goat approached the barn which had been temporarily turned into -the exhibition house for the chickens, he made a wide detour, circled -round it twice and reconnoitered thoroughly, to reassure himself that -it was altogether safe for him to enter. Seeing no one in sight, he -hurried back to the main entrance, bent on finding Toppy. - -“Of course she’ll see me as soon as I enter and will fly straight to -me. Toppy has been my vassal ever since I saved her from the hawk down -in the wood lot when she was just a scrawny, ugly chick getting her pin -feathers.” - -Billy was by this time well inside the building, but no flutter of -wings or delighted cackle from Toppy greeted him. Not a chicken was -busily scratching in the deep straw that covered the rough flooring. -Instead there were little, square boxes--piles and piles of them--set -neatly in rows one upon the other, each with a wire screen front, -and each containing a chicken. Poor things! cooped up in tiny houses -that were scarcely large enough to permit them to turn around without -stepping in the dish holding their portion of water for the entire day. - -Billy’s kind heart bubbled over with rage at the sight, and his eyes -kindled at the thought that Toppy was in one of these prison houses. - -“Our Toppy, who has always had the freedom of the Farm, to be shut up -in such a bird cage!” he lamented, waxing indignant at the situation. - -Up and down he walked, looking in each box, always hoping that the next -one would hold his feathered friend. Big Buff Cochins, tiny Bantams, so -full of fighting zeal, Wyandottes, Speckled Hamburgs, every kind was -there but Plymouth Rocks. - -“I’ll search all morning if necessary,” he vowed, as he turned into the -third aisle. - -Carefully he conducted his quest now, not merely casting careless -glances up and down the long rows. Instead, he peered into every box, -though it meant tedious and wearisome work, for at last he had reached -that part of the exhibit devoted to the pretty Plymouth Rocks, all -decked out in their Quakerish gray. The first three rows of boxes were -easily inspected, being on Billy’s own level. The fourth and fifth -tiers were a real problem, however, and caused the eager searcher much -trouble. Each time he wished to look into one of these homes perched -up so high, he had to rear up on his hind feet. This is not a natural -position for four-footed animals, and Billy often lost his balance. -He was afraid to use the boxes for support for his front legs, lest -they might topple over and the consequent cackling and crowing of the -terrified fowls put to rout his plan of rescue, for this his search for -Toppy had now become. - -Down, down, down went Billy’s heart as he progressed. Tears of -vexation welled up in his eyes, for he was a very determined goat and -disappointment was hard to bear. - -“No use, I guess,” he decided, and he was hurrying along, glancing -neither to the right nor to the left, but wholly bent on reaching the -door quickly. - -“Cluck, cluck! Cluck, cluck!” sounded a familiar call. - -Billy stopped short. - -“Cluck, cluck, cluck!” scolded the hen. “Billy Treat, turn back; turn -right back, I say!” - -“Why, Toppy girl!” - -“No Toppy-girling me!” she responded, tossing her head saucily. “You -were going right by with nary one word to me! I’ll not be wheedled into -good nature by any of your soft words, Mr. Billy!” - -“Didn’t you notice how sorrowful I looked?” he questioned. - -“Sorry? Why, I thought you looked more like a whipped dog. Your poor -stub of a tail lay down flat--and that is a pretty sure sign that you -have been in some trouble.” - -“I have been in trouble, but the trouble is you, Mistress Toppy. I’ve -been hunting for you, and had just given up in deep despair.” - -“What can I do for you?” - -“Why, nothing. I thought I could do something for you.” - -“Oh, Billy!” - -“Don’t ‘Oh, Billy’ me!” he sniffed in high disdain. - -“But, Billy dear,” she soothed, “you can be of such use to me just now! -There’s a dear, say you’ll do it!” - -“I’m not in the habit of refusing your requests, Biddykins,”--and this -from Billy Whiskers, whom most animals thought so heartless and cruel! -Which only proves the more conclusively that but the very closest of -our friends ever know us through and through. - -“Well, then,” clucked the Plymouth Rock beauty, “though they have -labeled me with a blue tag it’s not worth the price of being caged like -this. What I want you to do is to get me out of this box.” - -“The very thing I meant to do!” - -“Thanks! Thanks!” she clucked. - -“Now to plan the details of the escape,” proceeded Billy. “Tell me, -where is the door to your house?” - -“The whole front is the door, kind sir,” she made reply, “and it’s most -securely locked, I fear.” - -“You’re sure?” for this would be a hard problem. - -“Yes, sure of it. Every time they bring me fresh water and corn, the -man turns the knob there on the left side.” - -“Hump!” and Billy eyed the fastening. - -“But you can very easily tear a place open in this wire screening that -will be big enough for me to squeeze through. Oh, please say you can!” -she pleaded. - -“Better’n that I can do, Miss Toppy. Watch closely and you will see -what will make your little eyes pop open wider than they’ve ever been -before.” - -Billy went up close to the Plymouth Rock’s tiny house, lowered his -head, and after turning it this way and that, he stepped proudly back, -bleating his satisfaction and pleasure. - -“Step out, pretty Toppy, and enjoy a stroll about the grounds,” he -invited. - -“Step out? Step out?” she clucked indignantly. “I would if I could. -Don’t make my life more unbearable than it is by such idle words!” - -“But Toppy, I mean it. Come out! Your cage is a prison no longer. Hurry -out of your cell and enjoy the fine morning with your friend.” - -“You old torment!” Toppy scolded, and, forgetting the barrier between -them, she fluffed up her feathers and flew at him to peck him on the -nose, his tender spot. - -Open flew the door and out tumbled the hen, fluttering wildly to the -floor. - -“Help! Help!” she cackled. - -“You’re free, Toppykins!” congratulated her rescuer, “Hurrah, Hurrah!” -he exulted. - -“Free, you naughty fellow? Whoever was in a worse fix than I am this -moment, I’d like to know?” was her inconsistent retort. “What do you -propose doing with me now I’m out?” - -“Do?” helplessly from Billy. - -“You certainly must know I can’t wander around loose all day in this -dreadful place. And I can’t travel all the way back to Cloverleaf Farm. -What shall I do? Oh, dear, what shall I ever do?” she wailed. - -“You’re a ninny, and that’s my opinion of you! Hop back into that thing -and I’ll lock you up.” - -“I will, you horrid Billy! I might have known better than to listen to -any of your wild schemes,” and up she flew. - -Billy wasted no time in closing the door--an easy task, but when one -attempt failed to turn the wooden button that secured it, a wicked -gleam leaped to his eye. - -“Ha, ha! A good joke on the whimsical little lady! I’ll leave it -unlocked. She is sure to have a most miserable day of it, and won’t she -splutter when I tell her liberty was within her reach?” and chuckling -to himself, he hurried off, unheeding Toppy’s plaintive calls for him -to return. - -“She has changed her mind once too often,” he mumbled, “Now she’ll pay -for it.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THREATENED WITH LOCKJAW - - -You know how time flies between the moment you open your sleepy eyes at -six o’clock and the warning the first school bell gives at eight, which -finds you just up from the breakfast table, with school togs yet to don -and hair to give a final smoothing? Well, the minutes had fluttered -by just as rapidly as that for Billy on this eventful morning. To be -sure, he had spent needless time in prosecuting the search for Toppy. -And before that, he had dallied long enough over his encounter with the -lank lad he had left in such a muddy, muddy plight. - -It was eight o’clock and after before he was aware, and booths were -being opened by their owners, and their stock in trade arranged to -best possible advantage to increase the sales of the day. Fakirs were -already in evidence, choosing shady spots from which to hawk their -wares. - -Guards were on duty even this early, but now gathered in little social -groups for a bit of gossip before their more arduous tasks of handling -the great crowds should begin in real earnest. - -Billy fully realized the risk he was running in being abroad on -the nearly deserted grounds, for it made his presence uncomfortably -conspicuous--and men are not disposed to view a goat with any too much -favor. They know far too well the mischief of which they are capable. - -[Illustration] - -“It will be by far the wisest thing for me to do to lay low,” cogitated -Billy. “But I shall take care to find a more comfortable place than -that low coop I occupied yesterday afternoon. Ugh!” and he fetched a -shiver at the recollection, “I can feel the splinters pulling my coat -even now.” - -Shaking himself vigorously and pricking up his ears, he chose his way -with care, proceeding down the street lined with exhibition halls, -tents and booths. - -“Appears to me I smell pop-corn! Just freshly popped, and with lots of -sweet, rich butter, too! I can fairly taste it. Pop-corn! How I do like -the snowy kernels!” - -Following the appetizing odor, he soon found himself in front of a tiny -booth, all gay with red and white bunting and flaunting flags at its -four corners. Just outside stood the popper, the escaping steam singing -its merry little song. - -Billy eyed it a moment, sniffed the air, and then circled about the -building to spy out the situation carefully. - -“Abandoned, as I had hoped. The keeper must be away at breakfast, and -while he is gone, I’ll have mine. At least, just the finishing bites. I -began my breakfast a couple of hours ago, but that rude boy interrupted -the operation. I know I should starve without anything until noon.” - -Billy hesitated no longer, but marched boldly in and back of the -counter. - -Have you ever wished you could be in that wonderful place--back of the -counter in a candy store? Back where all the cases are standing open -inviting you to come and take and eat to your heart’s content, instead -of in front where the glass is between you and all the goodies so -temptingly spread out? There were piles of chocolate creams, peppermint -chews, peanut brittle, caramels, shining jars of sunshine sticks, and -pan upon pan heaped high with taffy, that favorite confection of all -fair-goers. - -All this sweet array was spread there before Billy’s greedy gaze, and -when he realized the feast that was before him, he closed one eye with -that provoking wink all his own, licked his chops with a peculiar -circular motion of the tongue that was one of his very naughtiest -tricks, according to his good mother’s judgment, and paraded up and -down, wondering just where to begin. - -Did he like chocolates better than butterscotch? Or was the crisp -brittle his favorite? There was the pinch. - -Passing along the counter in this undecided state, he chanced to peep -underneath, and there, luck of all lucks! was a great pail heaping full -of pop-corn, with a generous coating of molasses, all waiting to be -packed into the small cartons that later in the day every boy and every -girl would be holding and declaring with each generous mouthful that -“Chew ’em” was by all odds quite the best pop-corn confection ever made -and sold over the counter. - -Billy had never lost his youthful liking for corn, and now wasted not -another minute debating where he should begin--he _knew_. Nothing could -possibly tempt him from the spot until he was fully satisfied. - -I am sorry to say it, but I must if I wish to be honest, Billy forgot -his manners, and in his eagerness, got into the pail with his feet! He -gulped the corn down so fast and buried his nose so deep that he lost -his breath, and one stubborn kernel scooted down his Sunday throat. -Billy choked, and with one mighty cough up came the offending thing. -Never an animal with a great amount of patience, Billy grew angry at -even this very brief interruption, though it was not a minute until his -head was down as deep as ever. - -The nearer he approached the bottom, the stickier grew the corn, and -the better Billy liked it. Evidently the molasses had been poured over -the corn not long before Billy’s entrance, and the whole pailful left -to harden and crystallize. That on top had been just right for packing, -but down in the pail, where the air could not get in its work, the -syrup was thick and still warm. - -Billy gorged himself, with never a thought of the possible ruin it -would work to his stomach, but, fortunately, goats’ stomachs are not -the delicate organs that boys and girls have to take care of, and he -had never been taught how wrong it is to eat too much of rich things -that injure the busy, hard working servant that gives us strength. - -Down, down went his nose, and then, with a sigh that the very last of -the brown, sweet stuff had disappeared, he stepped back, and took a -deep breath of satisfaction. - -“’Tis the richest meal I’ve had since--since--well, that I’ve ever had. -I can’t begin to remember anything half so good in all my lifetime. -But I wish that corn would drop off my whiskers and neck! It’s -uncomfortable, though I did not notice it while I was eating. I’ll take -a little of that pure white taffy all spread out on that enormous pan, -and then be off to greener pastures.” - -Putting the thought into action, he hopped up on the counter and walked -along until that particular taffy tray was reached. He opened his -mouth, took one generous bite, and began to chew. - -What was the trouble? What had he done? Would it ever end? He’d starve -to death if it didn’t, starve slowly, yet surely growing thinner and -thinner, hungrier and hungrier minute by minute, hour by hour, day by -day, and week by week. Perhaps he would live months and _years_ and -never be able to munch the sweet grass and fragrant clover again. - -[Illustration] - -These were Billy’s sombre thoughts as he worked in vain to open his -jaws. No use. They were held as in a vise, and no effort on his part -would loosen the hold of the vile stuff on his teeth. It made his jaws -ache, and his eyes began to bulge with a strange fear as his struggles -proved so futile. - -Thinking to flee from the danger that threatened him, he bounded out of -the booth and sped on and on, quite without thought of his destination, -his one aim being to rid himself of the terror. On and ever on he ran, -taking long, easy leaps, until he brought up short at a high fence -which bordered the grounds. This served to bring his flight to an end, -and he disconsolately huddled down in the long grass. - -“I’ve but one friend on the grounds, outside of the over-proud Duke, -and I’d die before I’d show myself to him in this plight. Toppy must -help me out, and I believe I can rely on her,” and no sooner had the -thought popped into his head than he was up and off like a streak to -hunt up the little hen. - -It was no trouble at all to locate her particular box this time, and -though it was not the haughty goat that had presented himself before -her but a short two hours ago, he hastened along. - -“Oh, Billy, Bill-_ee_!” with the accent strong on the last syllable, -she cackled with much concern, for Toppy had been crouching down close -to the screen ever since Billy had walked off in such high disdain. - -“Billy!” she repeated, “Whatever is the matter?” - -No reply. - -Billy merely came up close, held up his head and wagged it to show he -could not make answer. - -“You’re all over pop-corn, and you’re a perfect sight! Let me out of -this cage, and I’ll pick it off for you,” she bribed. - -Remembering that she believed herself locked in, Billy reached up and -pretended to turn the button, and, satisfied now that it was open, she -gave a gentle push, back swung the wire door, and down she fluttered -once more, but, cautious creature that she was, she curbed her delight -and did not give so much as one victorious cackle at her release. - -“Come along with me,” she commanded, assuming the leadership and -strutting down the aisle. Billy, meek as a lamb, followed, and they -brought up at the rear of the barn, otherwise known as the Poultry Show. - -[Illustration] - -“Stand just here, Billy,” she ordered, “and I will hop up on this hay -stack so that I’ll be more on your level.” - -She found a secure foothold, while Billy, now ready to do anything to -rid himself of the stick-tights in his whiskers, patiently stood near -by. - -Toppy proceeded to tidy the goat, picking off the corn with a right -good will, and enjoying it as she did so, for it furnished a toothsome -meal for her. - -“This is really the first time I’ve dared to peck him,” she mused, -“and now that I have so good an opportunity, I shall repay him for a -few things he’s done to my kith and kin. He mustn’t think he can go -scot-free for all his naughtiness. Don’t I remember the chase he used -to give my poor mother and her flock of little downy children, and -how tired our poor wobbly legs would be ere we could gain the shelter -under the barn? All that saved us then was the fact that it was so -low he could not crawl underneath. This is the first time I’ve ever -really enjoyed my friendship with him, and I mean to make up for lost -time,”--Toppy meditated. - -“Here, you imp,” thought Billy, for she was giving him a peck here -and a vicious dab there, and the henpecked goat was really getting -much the worst of the bargain, for he could not make protest--his jaws -were still out of commission. So he perforce swallowed his wrath and -submitted meekly to the process. - -“Billy,” commenced Toppy, “you are always and forever getting into some -mix-up like this, and always appealing to your friends for aid. But -you are such a close-mouthed creature no one ever knows the real truth -about your mischief making. I think in slight return for this service -of mine you really owe it to me to tell how this happened.” - -Instead of replying, he shook his head, though not so much from a -desire to keep his adventure a state secret as from the fact that that -dreadful stuff wouldn’t let him speak. He hung his head, the while -Toppy was busily engaged in cleaning his coat. - -“I’m not quite so close-mouthed as some people think. If only I could -talk, I’d surely do so, though there have been occasions when I’d not -breathe a word of an escapade like this.” - -He gave one appealing look at Toppy, and in his surprise to see her -eating away as she worked, he gave a gasp and then a bigger one for to -his inexpressible joy and relief he could open his mouth! The taffy had -slowly but surely melted, and he was able to eat and talk and laugh -once more. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE PUMPKIN MAN - - -No sooner did Billy make this glad discovery than he straightway forgot -his benefactress, and trotted off, leaving her perched there on the hay -stack, deploring his lack of gratitude. - -“Just like my husband, Coxy. You can work and work and work for him, -and just so soon as he is fine and dandy, off he struts to make friends -with some vain young pullet,” and she snuggled down in the hay, much -too grieved to venture out and explore the surrounding territory. - -In the meantime Billy was hurrying off, for he knew he had much to see -and do before the close of this, the greatest day of the Fair. - -“That silly thing of a hen never surmised that I couldn’t talk. She -thought I was just disinclined to share my secret, and would not take -her into my confidence. Now I have managed to fix myself up without -much outside assistance, I really can’t see the necessity of confessing -the box I was in. One often gets into trouble by telling too much, but -seldom, if ever, by saying too little. That’s my working policy.” - -“It must be growing along toward ten o’clock, if I can judge anything -by the sun’s progress. I must at least inspect one hall before lunch -and then, after that, the races will begin. I missed them entirely -yesterday, and the Duke of Windham says that they are the principal -attraction of the Fair. I must be there early to-day in order to secure -a good view.” - -Now the building Billy was approaching was by far the most pretentious -on the grounds. It was fully one hundred and fifty feet long by forty -wide, and there were great doors at either end, one swallowing up -throngs of people all pressing in, and the other pouring forth an equal -number. - -“I must get in there by some hocus-pocus,” Billy thought, and he joined -in the press. - -Up three steps and then he was in a wonderful place. The moment they -gained entrance, there was ample room, for the people separated into -groups, one going this way and another that, down one aisle and up -another, wandering along examining the exhibits. - -Down the center of the building were long tables, each bearing its -burden of fruit. One section was devoted exclusively to the apple crop, -and there were plates upon plates of the wholesome fruit, each specimen -with glowing cheeks, the result of careful and prolonged rubbing. -Greenings, rambows, pippins, russets, northern spies--every kind was -in evidence, all labeled and each species vieing with the other for -popularity. - -[Illustration: THERE PEEPING FROM BEHIND THE SKIRTS OF THE SECOND WOMAN -WAS A HANDSOME GOAT.] - -Another section showed pears, hard and still green, to be sure, but -great, large pears that promised delicious eating bye and bye when they -should be mellow. Guarding each section was a farmer boy, stationed -there both to protect the exhibits from pilfering by the sightseers and -also to answer the numerous questions they propounded. - -Around the walls of the room were exhibits of everything that the good -ground yields so bounteously--potatoes, squashes, corn, and grains. -One progressive farmer had brought an entire pumpkin vine, to show its -enormous length and its great burden of golden fruit. - -But the center of interest appeared to be half way down the hall, for -there gathered the largest group of wondering people, who pushed and -crowded their way to the front, each eager to secure a glimpse of that -which caused so many admiring oh’s and ah’s. And Billy, of course, was -not slow in reaching this spot. - -What did he care for common, everyday apples when there was something -that promised new and greater interest? - -Up he marched, and knowing the best way to forge ahead was to use his -horns, he stooped to that, and butted his way to the front. - -“Oh, the pumpkin man, the pumpkin man!” cried a little youngster -delightedly, jumping up and down in his excitement, and there, to be -sure, he stood in full array. - -A very wonderful man he was. His head was round as a ball, for it was -fashioned from a fat little pumpkin, the roundest that the fields could -furnish. Eyes were made from corn husks, cut as large and round as a -silver dollar, while the eyebrows were heavily outlined with black ink. -Nose and mouth were cut like boys and girls do for jack-o’-lanterns for -Hallowe’en pranks, and teeth were furnished by large, perfect kernels -of corn. - -This queer fellow’s body resembled to a striking extent an elongated -pumpkin, and his arms were perfectly matched, long-necked summer -squashes. His hands were doubled up into fists, being the enlarged -ends of the squashes. A pair of legs were giant ears of golden corn, -and the dandy was togged out in a corn-husk cravat jauntily tied in a -four-in-hand, and his feet boasted a pair of ox-blood ties, though most -people would have called them red ears of field corn. - -“Hello, Pumpkin Man,” was Billy’s cordial and friendly greeting, for -Billy felt he could claim acquaintanceship with anything and everything -hailing from a farm. - -The Pumpkin Man maintained a dignified silence and stared straight -ahead. - -“How-d’-ye-do, old fellow?” Billy repeated, edging a trifle closer, -for so popular a man must be one whom it would pay to know most -intimately. - -The Pumpkin Man glowered at him--or so Billy thought. - -“The impudent rascal! Most likely he wants to put on citified airs. -I’ve heard of people who were ashamed to own that they hailed from the -good old farm. The ninnies! What would all the city folks do without -the farmer? Why, I think a man who can farm the way Mr. Treat does is -one of the greatest men in all the land, and ought to be ranked with -bank presidents, professors, judges, and so on. But if it is homage he -wants, homage he shall have.” - -“How do you do, Mr. Pumpkin Man?” Billy ventured the third time, now -bowing low before him in a curtsey. - -But not a sign of recognition lighted up the fellow’s face. He -maintained that blank stare, which was most disconcerting to our Billy -Whiskers. - -“I shall make him pay dearly for insulting me so, and before all this -crowd of watching, curious people, too.” - -His wrath up, Billy charged, and hit the foe squarely in the stomach. -Evidently one round was enough for the dignified Pumpkin Man, for over -he tumbled, and what a fall it was! - -Arms, legs, body went flying this way and that. It seemed he had no -real backbone at all! His head rolled forward, his body back, and arms -flew sidewise. Such a wobbly, make-believe man! Unfortunately, Billy’s -horns caught the head as it fell, and hooked the ample, grinning, -impudent mouth. Billy shook himself to free him of the burden, but -that merely served to make the pumpkin head settle down more securely. -There was a mighty, thundering roar of amusement from the spectators of -this little comedy, and at the sound Billy, always over-sensitive to -ridicule, turned with but one thought, and that was to escape from the -scene of the encounter and his disgrace. - -[Illustration] - -But no sooner did he wheel about than he saw all backs--not one person -in the whole crowd was brave enough to face him, and they were making -undue haste to fly from the building before the goat should take it -into his fertile brain to charge them as he had the “punkin head.” - -Those in the lead did not know what was the real trouble, for moment by -moment they were joined by others from different parts of the hall. -They only knew that there was a great press of people crowding toward -the door, and supposing that something dreadful must be the cause, -were excitedly pushing toward the exit. Frightened women, terrified -children, and men in much the same state, it must be confessed, were in -the throng, and there rose a perfect babel of cries: - -“Fire! Fire!” - -“No, no!” came the contradictory cry from someone who had retained a -grain of common sense. “Just clear the room! No fire, just a goat!” but -his voice was drowned in the uproar and shuffling of many eager feet. - -Those on the outside, seeing unmistakable evidences of excitement, were -just as anxious to gain entrance as those inside were to get out, such -is the perverseness of the human family. The result was that neither -could move, and there Billy was at the back, and good use did he make -of the opportunity. He had more butting space offered, without any show -of resistance, or offer of flight, than ever before in his career. - -The farm lads who acted as guards stood bravely at their posts of duty, -but this did not mean that they took no active part in the fray. No, -indeed! Apples flew from all quarters of the room, and pears, too, hard -as bullets, hit him in tender places. - -Maddened by this, Billy butted the harder, but when he found there was -no hope of opening a way to the outer world and freedom, he turned and -faced his tormentors from the rear, and then there was wild scrambling. -Many are those who are willing to pursue a fleeing foe, but few there -be brave enough to prosecute the attack on an advancing enemy in such -battle array as this Billy goat. - -Dodging under the tables, they tried to crawl to safety, but Billy -proved to be much more nimble on all fours than they, and swept up and -down that hall, in and out, overturning tables, scattering the fruit, -and punishing the boys, laying in ruin what was but a short hour before -the admiration of the entire county. - -By the time Billy had succeeded in putting to entire rout the attacking -boys, the throng pressing the doorway had disappeared, and he made his -way out without difficulty. - -Heaving a sigh of relief, he delivered himself of this thought: - -“If ever a goat was entitled to a good dinner, it is Billy Whiskers -to-day. Yes, sir-ee!” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A TRIUMPHANT HOME-COMING - - -“And if my memory does not serve me falsely, I think there is a tent -over yonder, and just around the corner bearing a sign like this: - - DINNERS SERVED HERE - BY THE LADIES OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH - PRICE $.25 - -Mrs. Treat is a Congregationalist, and if all the church ladies are -the experienced and skilful cooks she is, their patrons need not worry -about receiving a full twenty-five cents worth. It always pays to be -early at such a place, that I know full well, for the baskets may be -empty before the last customers are fed. I’m not sure that the Treats -will be at the Fair to-day, so I will be compelled to forage, and this -rather appeals to me. I’ve often heard about church dinners. - -“Hurrah, over there is the very place I’m seeking. And how amiable -the mistress of ceremonies looks, standing over the stove at the rear -of the tent. Doesn’t a white apron swathing a woman make you think -involuntarily of things to eat? I suppose she’s preparing the coffee. -I’ll not go in by the back door. She guards that too closely. Under the -side of the tent is good enough for Billy.” - -And under he went, as nimble as a kid, being egged on by gnawing hunger. - -“Huh! I guess I _am_ early. The tables are not yet spread. But they -needn’t think I’m going to wait as long as that for a bite to eat. -Their sign says - - DINNERS SERVED - -and they’ve absolutely no right to post such a notice when it isn’t -true. They’re sailing under false colors. I’ll serve myself, seeing -they are such fibbers.” - -Truth to tell, this suited Billy much better anyway, and he began to -explore the territory under the picnic tables. Numerous baskets, all -heaped with eatables, were snugly stowed away here for safe keeping -until it was time to lay the tables, and Billy decided to examine each -in turn. In one he discovered an immense pan of nicely browned beans. -Boston baked beans, just fresh from some generous oven needed to extend -no second invitation to Billy. He greedily devoured them, and then -passed on to the neighboring basket. - -“My eyes, what pies!” he chuckled, “but I’m not ready for dessert as -yet. There’s no use in trying to hurry me on to the last course. I’ll -return to you, so don’t feel slighted,” as he crept stealthily on, -addressing the pastry. - -Other baskets yielded generously of sandwiches, salads, pickles, -fruits--everything to his exact liking and preference, and no lively -conscience warned Billy that he was doing anything wrong in satisfying -his appetite in this manner. - -If one was not expected to eat, then why was he permitted to get -hungry? That was the argument he put forth. And if one was hungry, why -shouldn’t he eat--and especially when there were so many and such good -things in front of one? - -“I believe I’ll lay low until they begin to serve, for that big barrel -at the back of the tent means just one thing--ice-cream, and after it -is opened, it may be that I can manage to get a portion. At least it -is worth an effort. It is the next best thing to a good, cool drink, -and I see no likelihood of quenching my thirst. All they seem to have -is coffee, and I never yet have touched the vile stuff. It smells good -enough, but I value my nerves far too much to touch it.” - -By this time the women were bustling about, spreading snowy linen over -the rough tables, and placing the dishes and silver. It required some -maneuvering for Billy to edge his way unnoticed from table to table, -but he gradually approached the back of the tent and took up his -station under the last table, crouched into the darkest corner, near -the side of the tent. - -He had not long to wait until the clinking of glasses and the clatter -of knives and forks told that patrons had begun to come, and the swish -of skirts told him that waitresses were busily serving meals. - -“My waiting time is nearly over,” he decided, and poked his head under -the tent just enough to get a glimpse of the ice-cream freezer. “Now -the very moment that that burly fellow leaves--as he surely will after -the first rush is over--I’ll make the raid.” - -He hardly winked, so anxious was he to remain undiscovered, for this -was the crucial test. Once or twice he was forced to draw back wholly -within the tent, fearing that the man dishing out the cream would face -about and find the marauding Billy so near. But Billy had an unlimited -amount of patience about some things, and he was in the mood to exert -it for the promised treat. - -“There!” sighed the man at last, mopping his brow, “that is the hardest -work I’ve done for many a day. I think I need a strong cup of coffee to -brace me up for the next round,” and he hurried off before an impatient -waitress should demand his further services. - -“Now’s my time,” and Billy was up on the freezer, and had taken one -great mouthful of the cream. - -“O-o-oh! What a dreadful pain it gives me in my temples. I must swallow -it very slowly, I see,” raising his head. “I wish I had some cake to -eat with it. Mrs. Treat always serves it that way at Cloverleaf Farm. -And now I understand why.” - -[Illustration] - -Down he plunged his head once more, but he never took the second -mouthful, for someone rudely seized him by his abbreviated tail, and -after describing a circle in the air, he landed on the ground many feet -away. - -Trembling with pain, Billy darted blindly straight ahead, caring little -where he went if only he escaped this giant of strength. The paroxysm -of fright left him as soon as he heard a tumult of voices, and he -opened his eyes in wonder to find that he had rushed into the tent, now -crowded to its full capacity with diners. Such commotion as followed -defies description. Everyone rose to their feet simultaneously, as -Billy paused for a moment undecided what to do or where to go, and -then made a dash for the other door. A waitress bearing aloft a loaded -tray advanced down the narrow aisle, and it was no fault of Billy’s -that she went sprawling and her dishes flying for he did his best to -swerve to the right and give her the right of way. But the girl turned -to her left in her excitement, and so a collision resulted. Billy -darted on, escaped the shower of falling china, only to hook his horns -in a rent in one of the table-cloths, and there followed another and a -greater clatter of falling, breaking dishes. One man with more presence -of mind than the rest reached for the cloth, thinking thus to arrest -Billy’s flight, but with one vigorous forward leap the linen was torn -from Billy’s horns, and he rushed out of the tent free. - -[Illustration] - -“I’ll guarantee that some poor fellow will waste a quarter buying -a meal ticket there, and then they’ll find their provisions have -mysteriously disappeared, and they cannot give him a square meal,” -Billy meditated, strolling slowly along in the genial sunshine of the -early October day. In fact, after his exertions in the Congregational -dinner tent, he felt disinclined to hurry, and he ambled along -leisurely, a good-natured smile hovering around his mouth. - -“Now for the races. Shall I take a grandstand seat? That’s the subject -up for discussion. I believe I prefer a little more room than they give -one there, and will occupy a special grandstand of my own. That high -road-cart over there offers a splendid vantage point, and I’m thinking -no one will care to dispute my right to it once I am installed and if -they do--well, I think I may be able to establish my ownership with -small difficulty. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, so I’ve heard -them say.” - -At this time of the day, before the races were begun, the race course -was a common thoroughfare, and people crossed and recrossed without -fear. Therefore Billy now crept under the two fences outlining the -course, and in a few moments was viewing the world from his elevated -seat in a most stylish turn-out. - -A rattle of the gong at the judges’ stand announced that the hour for -beginning the races had arrived, and out trotted the horses, each with -his jaunty jockey in gay cap and trousers to match. What a storm of -applause! How wild the people were over the promised contest for speed! - -Up and down trotted the horses, to display their good points and to -warm up for the first heat. - -“The bay is a beauty. She’s made for the track.” - -“But look at the slender chestnut! Fleet limbs, those.” - -“I’ll pin my faith on the black.” - -These and many like remarks greeted Billy’s ears, for everyone was -ready to express their opinions of the values of each entry. - -Now they are lining up for the first start, and under the rope they -go, but not all together. Back they turn and again the bell sounds the -signal. This time they are off, and how gallantly each horse responds -to the will of the driver. Now they dash around the long oval, each -taking his course, now on the outside, now on the inside as they make -the curves. - -“The black! The black!” comes the cry of approval as the dainty little -mare forges ahead by one whole length. - -“The bay gains. She wins! She wins!” and as they pass under the line -and wheel about ready to repeat the performance, the excited spectators -settle back into their seats, relieved of the strain and stress. - -Again the jockeys form their line, each in his proper place, each eager -to urge his mount to full capacity for speed, each hoping that this -time the shouts of encouragement and approbation will be for him. - -Billy is one of the best watchers. He is trembling in every limb, for -well he knows the stress of the day for the animals in the harness, -well he knows how earnestly each of the racers yearns to win, and how -much they are disappointed when they come in any place but first. - -Around and around they fly, jockeys using their whips, urging on and -ever on with words uttered scarcely above a whisper, yet heard and -obeyed by the alert steeds. Feet patter on the earth, dust rises and -still on they fly, but oh, why the sudden silence? Why the bated -breath? Why the stifled moans of all this vast multitude? Not a stir -for a brief moment, for there in the track, directly in the path of the -oncoming rush of horses toddles a little youngster, barely able to walk -alone, all unmindful of its peril, taking its own time to cross the -track. - -Billy sees, recognizes the danger, and with a leap is down and over the -fence, into the middle of the course, and lowering those magnificent -horns, hooks the clothes of the baby, and, never stopping to turn to -retreat, dashes on across, just in time to escape the onrush of the -racers as they round the bend. - -What shouts! What hurrahs! The crowd goes wild in its frenzied -admiration. Losing all fear of such an animal, Billy is grasped by -three sturdy men, baby is lifted safely up and tenderly placed in the -outstretched arms of the mother, and then Billy is borne high on the -shoulders of the men, a conquering hero. Of course he struggles--what -goat wouldn’t?--and yet finds himself powerless, for his feet are held -by men who grip him with hands of iron and with an immense following, -they carry him around to the grandstand and then over to the platform -where the judges sit. Up the steps they go, and there, with thousands -and thousands of witnesses, the master of ceremonies decks Billy out -with a blue ribbon bow, and again shouts of admiration fairly rend the -heavens. - -[Illustration] - -No more racing to-day. Interest in fleet horses has suddenly died, and -through the megaphone come these words: - -Ladies and Gentlemen: - -You have just witnessed the brave act of a dumb animal. A goat has done -what no man had brains to conceive nor daring to put into execution. -Ladies and gentlemen, the races are called off, and, in honor of the -goat hero of the day, there will be given on the race course a grand -parade of all the animals exhibited at the Fair. You are requested to -keep your seats and witness the grand finale of the Licking County -Annual Fair. - -A buzz of excitement followed this change of program, and necks were -craned and all were agog. - -In a very few minutes their consuming curiosity was satisfied for there -was a long line of animals parading the circle, and at their head was -no other than Billy Whiskers, proud of his position, but still prouder -that at last his animal friends were receiving the recognition they -merited. - -As the crowd recognized the leader of the procession, three mighty -cheers went up, and when Billy bowed his thanks for this overture--just -as he had done countless times during a Circus performance--the people -went wild, and hurrah after hurrah greeted him. - -Not the least bit disconcerted, Billy marched the length of the track, -and had drawn up in front of the grandstand, lining up his motley -following, each with an attendant close at his head, for a final -flourish, when a little fellow standing near the grandstand shouted: - -“It’s Billy! It’s my Billy!” and escaping from his father’s arms, -ran pell-mell to him, threw his arms around his neck, and then Billy -underwent such a petting as never goat had before. - -[Illustration] - -“Now you won’t think such bad things of my Billy, will you, mama,” Dick -petitioned, as his mother hurried up. “See, isn’t it a pretty bow he -won?” - -“Well, well,” conceded Mrs. Treat, reluctantly, “he may be all right, -after all.” - -“I think we’ve all had excitement enough for this Fair time. Suppose we -escape all of the palavering that will surely be lavished on us, and -start for home,” proposed Mr. Treat. - -“All right,” agreed the boys, “and we’ll take Billy right along. We -don’t want him to give us the slip. He’s too valuable a goat to lose, -and we must take great care of him.” - -Slowly they made their way to the automobile, for however much they -might wish to slip quietly away, the crowds thought differently, and -pressed about closely, everyone eager to get a glimpse of this very -wonderful goat. - -[Illustration] - -“I’ll pay you a thousand dollars for him,” offered a fakir, the -proprietor of one of the side shows on the midway. “He’d do a dandy act -I have in mind. A thousand dollars, I say. Take it?” he questioned. - -“No, nor two thousand,” answered Tom emphatically. “Why, this goat is -the best goat in the world, I’d have you know, and _five_ thousand -couldn’t buy him to-day.” - -“Changed your opinion about me since two days ago,” thought Billy, -remembering this same boy’s wish that they might rid themselves of his -goatship upon the arrival of the automobile. - -“Hurry along, boys,” urged their father. “Let’s get home before the -crowd kidnaps him.” - -“Or goatnaps him, papa.” - -“Where shall we put him?” uneasily asked Mrs. Treat. - -“Why, that’s the easiest thing of all. Where but on the front seat?” -answered Harry, unhesitatingly. “That’s the honor place, you know, and -Billy Whiskers is the honor goat of Licking County to-day.” - -And this is how it came that Billy really kept his promise to old -Browny, and rode back to Cloverleaf Farm in state, occupying the front -seat, while the boys, Tom, Dick and Harry, were crowded into the -tonneau with their mother. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE REWARD - - -The next morning things at Cloverleaf Farm had settled back into their -accustomed groove. Breakfast was over by half past six, and soon after -a wagon arrived bringing home the Duke, more vain than ever since his -beauty had been publicly recognized, and Toppy, still somewhat ruffled -owing to the long chase she had led her keepers the day previous ere -she had been captured and returned to the coop she had deserted with -Billy Whiskers’ aid. - -[Illustration] - -The boys had marched off to school, each swinging his lunch basket, and -each wishing that lessons were half as interesting as the Fair. - -That evening the postmaster was sitting on the same cracker barrel he -had occupied two days before, and, beaming with good nature, hailed the -Treat trio as they were passing on their way home from school. - -“A letter in here for your father!” he called genially. - -“Where from?” asked Tom shortly, with but a show of slight interest. - -“Springfield, I guess. The postmark is blurred, and so I can’t be real -sure.” - -“You go after it, Harry,” commanded the eldest of the three. - -“Won’t either!” - -“Then you go, Dick,” turning to the little fellow when he found Harry -incorrigible. - -“Guess not!” sturdily, hands in trouser pockets, and feet kicking the -deep dust of the roadway. “Papa says _you’re_ to bring the mail, so get -it yourself,” and on he marched. - -“Not so anxious now your automobile has come,” said the postmaster as -Tom reluctantly entered. - -Hurrying out without waiting to reply, he soon overtook his brothers, -and after examining the envelope, stuffed it in his hip pocket. It -likely would have been there yet had not Dick thought it wise to settle -the responsibility of delivering the family mail in the future. - -“Say, papa,” he began at the supper table that evening, “it’s Tom’s -place to stop at the post-office, isn’t it?” - -Tom frowned at Harry, thinking that he had prompted Dick to put the -question. Harry frowned back, and even gave his brother a pinch under -cover of the table. - -“Boys, boys!” reproved Mr. Treat, “what’s the trouble now?” - -“Nothin’,” answered Tom. “Only I asked Harry to get the letter Mr. -Harris had for you, and he wouldn’t, and Dick was stubborn, too.” - -“Now, Tom, you know that is your duty. I want my eldest son to bring -the mail. The younger boys might lose it. Even you, big as you are, -seem likely to prove careless, for you have not delivered any letter to -me as yet.” - -“Oh, father, I forgot!” and a hot flush of shame at his negligence -mounted Tom’s cheeks, as he hastily produced the missive. - -“Of all things! Mother, listen to this,” for as Mr. Treat tore open the -envelope out had dropped a pink slip of paper beside a note. - -“Dear Sir:-- - -I’m a comparatively poor man, but not so poor in gratitude that I -cannot voice my thanks for the rescue of my baby son at the Fair -yesterday. That the rescuer happened to be a goat is no reason why the -act should go unrewarded, and the enclosed check is the effort I make -to express my appreciation of the brave act. I send it in the hope that -it may provide some luxury for those who have trained him so well. - - Sincerely, - J. B. MARTIN.” - -“How much is it?” gasped Mrs. Treat. - -“Fifty dollars, as I live!” - -“Of course we cannot accept it?” half questioned his wife. - -“I don’t know,” argued Mr. Treat. “I am sure if my baby had been -in such peril, I should not like to have his rescuer return the -thank-offering I made--the only way a man has to show his appreciation -and lasting gratitude, as Mr. Martin says.” - -“Let’s keep it to go to the Fair next year. Think what a lot of candy -we can have!” suggested Harry eagerly. - -“Well, boys, I think we will keep it, but it will go in the bank -to be added to the fund Billy has already started for your college -educations,” decided Mr. Treat, carefully folding the check and placing -it in his pocket-book. - -That night after their mother had tucked the covers about them and put -out the light, Tom snuggled over close to Harry, and whispered: - -“Harry, I’ve thought of a plan!” - -“What about?” - -“I’ve been thinking a goat is a pretty good thing--better’n a calf. The -Duke has never earned any money, but Billy has a lot. Suppose we sell -the Duke.” - -“Not by a long way!” said Harry, scorning the proposal. - -“But, Harry, listen to common sense! You know Billy earned a lot this -summer. We’d not have the auto if it wasn’t for him. And now here is -another fifty dollars come to-day. If one goat can do that, why not get -more--one for each of us boys, anyway?” - -“But the Duke? Why sell him?” - -“I must say you are slow,” responded Tom impatiently. “We’ll have to -have some money to buy the goats, won’t we?” - -“Yes, but I don’t want to lose the Duke. Say, why not take the money -in our banks downstairs and buy some kids? They’d not cost so much as -full-grown goats, and they would soon grow.” - -“Bully for you!” said Tom, pounding Harry vigorously on the back to -express his appreciation of the valuable suggestion. “We’ll do it -to-morrow.” - -The next day being Saturday and a holiday, the boys proceeded to -put their plan into immediate execution. Counting their hoard, they -found it totalled six dollars and three cents. “Let’s not wait till -afternoon, but go down to the Corners now. Mr. Finnegan has two kids -and perhaps he’ll sell one to us,” whispered Harry as they bent over -their task of counting the heap of pennies. - -“All right, come along,” and snatching caps, they ran to the kitchen -and told their mother they were going to the Corners on “important -business.” - -Mrs. Treat was one of those wise mothers who have the full confidence -of her sons, and she never pried into their secrets, for she knew full -well they would tell her all about them in good time. - -“All right, boys, but hurry back. It is getting along towards noon.” - -Reaching Mr. Finnegan’s home, the boys went to the rear, and were -delighted to have him answer their knock in person. - -“Good morning, and what brings you here?” he asked. - -“We’ve come to ask if you want to sell one of your goats,” said Tom. - -“Well, now, that all depends on how much the buyer will pay. You see, -my kids are very fine ones.” - -“Yes, we’ve often seen them in the yard, and they look as good as our -own Billy,” agreed Harry readily. - -“How much is one worth?” asked Tom, bristling with business. - -“Suppose we go out to see them,” replied Mr. Finnegan, leading the way -to a small shed at the back of the lot. “I’ve said I’d not sell them -for less than ten dollars, but seeing it’s you boys, and your father is -a friend of mine, I’ll say five.” - -“Oh, dear, and we wanted two, one for each of us!” lamented Harry. - -“You do? And how much money have you?” - -“Six dollars and three cents, and we need ten!” - -[Illustration] - -“Seeing what a very good friend your father is, I’ll let you have them -for that,” said the owner of the kids. - -“What?” they chorussed, their eyes dancing at the proposal. - -“Just right! six dollars and three cents and you own two kids.” - -“Aren’t they fine?” said Harry, eyeing the kids with supreme -satisfaction. “Count out the money, Tom, and we’ll take them home with -us.” - -Two happier boys never turned into the Treat drive than Tom and Harry -that Saturday noon. - -Mr. Treat had come in from the fields, and Mrs. Treat was fretting -because her sons were not on hand ready for dinner, and went to the -front veranda to watch for their appearing. - -“I want to know what those boys are up to now. Father, come out here -this minute. Is it _goats_ those lads are carrying?” - -“Looks like it to me,” returned her husband with a silent chuckle. - -“As if I haven’t had enough bother with Billy Whiskers!” - -“Come in here, Tom,” called Mr. Treat, as the boys were making for the -stables. “What’s this?” - -“Why, they’re our new kids! Bought them from Mr. Finnegan. Billy’s -been such a good investment, and three will earn just three times as -much. We’ve one apiece now, and you needn’t worry any more about our -educations.” - -“Boys!” gasped their mother, throwing up her hands in amazement. - -“Never mind, mother! This is their first business venture, and we must -see what they make of it.” - -“But--but, father, you can’t realize what it means. Three goats!” - -“There, there, don’t fret! Billy Whiskers will likely take good care of -them. Let the boys have a chance.” - -When Mr. Treat allied himself with his sons in this way, their mother -usually yielded, and so it happened that Tom and Harry led their -purchases to the barn for safe keeping, and Billy introduced the kids -as his “twins” to all the barnyard inhabitants. The title clung to -them, for they were as like as two peas, and as long as they lived -at Cloverleaf Farm they were known far and wide as the “twins.” Years -afterwards, when Billy Whiskers was old and feeble, the children of the -twins, and his grandchildren by adoption, would clamor for a story, and -Billy would relate his adventures at the Fair just as you have read -them, and would end by saying: - -“But those experiences do not compare with the good times I had with -the twins at Chautauqua the next summer,--not nearly. However, that is -too long a tale for me to tell to-day, and besides, it is recounted in -the book written about us, ‘Billy Whiskers’ Twins.’” - -[Illustration: THE END] - - - - -The Billy Whiskers Series - -TRADE MARK. (REGISTERED U. S. PATENT OFFICE) - - - BILLY WHISKERS by Frances Trego Montgomery - - The biography of a goat that has been purchased for the amusement of - several small children. The first night in his new home Billy gets - into serious trouble; on the morrow he runs away and is appropriated - by an Irish lad, to haul milk to the city; he invades a flat; joins - the circus, but finally returns to the farm and his faithful little - Nanny goat. - - - BILLY WHISKERS’ KIDS by Frances Trego Montgomery - - Day and Night, Billy’s kids, are sold, but not liking their new - quarters, are glad to be kidnapped by Billy and Nanny. They, too, - have many adventures, none less exciting than those of their father, - which are woven into this most readable story. - - - BILLY WHISKERS, JR. by Frances Trego Montgomery - - Being the chronicle of the life of Night, now grown to goathood. He - is purchased by a Westerner and is shipped to the ranch. Soon tiring - of this life, he goes to San Francisco, where he finds a friend in - Stubby, a yellow dog, and together they pursue their travels. - - - BILLY WHISKERS’ TRAVELS by F. G. Wheeler - - Billy is just as mischievous as ever, making more fun than - heretofore. This time we find him abroad, and while in Paris he - creates a panic in a hotel by chewing the electric wires. He figures - in a wreck at sea; encounters a tiger; but through it all he is the - children’s old friend Billy, whom they depend upon to furnish hours - of amusement. - - - BILLY WHISKERS AT THE CIRCUS by F. G. Wheeler - - For fun and adventure worth while, a frolicsome goat and a - circus offer an enticing combination. So it happens that the - ever-mischievous, fun-loving Billy carries his depredations into - Circus-Land. He no sooner glimpses the circus crowds than his antics - begin--to attempt to recount them would be futile, indeed. - - - BILLY WHISKERS AT THE FAIR by F. G. Wheeler - - Every boy and every girl enjoys going to the Fair, and when Billy’s - owners hie themselves to this annual county event, Billy goes - along--though they don’t know it. He has more fun to the minute - than most fair-goers have to the hour, sees everything worth seeing - and does everything worth doing. It is a rollicking story that will - please every young reader. - - EACH BOOK BOUND IN BOARDS, QUARTO, ILLUSTRATED IN COLORS. - POSTPAID $1.00 - - - DICKY DELIGHTFUL IN RAINBOW LAND by James Ball Naylor - - Dicky is truly a delightful youngster, who ventures over Rainbow - Road, to find himself the guest of Grandfather Gander and Grandmother - Goose in the Land of the Immortals. - - Dr. Naylor knows how to please boys and girls, for the story is - brimming over with humor, rapid movement and lively conversation. - - - THE LITTLE GREEN GOBLIN by James Ball Naylor - - The Little Green Goblin comes from Goblinland in his tiny featherbed - balloon, administers a goblin tablet to Bob Taylor, a dissatisfied - boy. The tablet shrinks him to goblin size, and away the two sail for - Goblinland, which is the place where you do as you please. Upon their - arrival, Bob--but to tell more would be to spoil a good story. - - - WITCH CROW AND BARNEY BYLOW by James Ball Naylor - - Barney fell to wishing down in the haylot, along came a crow and gave - him a magic penny--he would always have that much but no more. Many - strange things then happened--things which cured Barney of that bad - habit of wishing. - - - SQUEAKS AND SQUAWKS FROM FAR-AWAY FORESTS by Burton Stoner - - “Mr. Bull has done some remarkably good work for Squeaks and Squawks, - both in colors and halftones. The color work is superb.”--_Grand - Rapids Herald._ - - Charles Livingston Bull illustrates this charming book of nature - stories, in which the animals speak for themselves. - - - JIM CROW TALES by Burton Stoner - - Jim Crow was the pet of a farmer boy. He was very wise and knew - all about the ways of the beasts and birds, and told them to his - friend--the most interesting anecdotes of the forest folk. - - - TEDDY BEARS by Adah Louise Sutton - - “A fanciful story of the doings of a little girl’s toys, which get - into all sorts of pranks while people sleep. The doings of this - interesting coterie form a pleasing tale for children.”--_Pittsburg - Post._ - - “Full of the brand of fun that tickles children.”--_Portland - Oregonian._ - - - A LITTLE MAID IN TOYLAND by Adah Louise Sutton - - Eating a piece of magic cake, a little girl becomes diminutive and - goes to live among the dollies in her doll house. One day she steps - through the back door and finds herself in Toyland, and thereafter - adventures come thick and fast. - - - A CHRISTMAS WITH SANTA CLAUS by Frances Trego Montgomery - - Santa carries two children to his home in his wonderful sleigh. They - meet Mrs. Santa, are shown a royal good time, and then Santa brings - them back when he makes his annual trip. - - EACH BOOK BOUND IN BOARDS, QUARTO, ILLUSTRATED IN COLORS. Postpaid for - $1.00 - - - The Saalfield Publishing Co., Akron, Ohio - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BILLY WHISKERS AT THE -FAIR *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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