Billy Whiskers Adventures | Page 3

unhurt that he gladly took in the
animals to please him. And I really think that had his nephew asked
him to let the Chums sleep in his beds instead of in a shed in the back
yard, he would have consented. As it was, Stubby and Button came
near having fits from the amount of meat they ate as the Uncle had
given them the scrapings from the plates, making a pile of beef and
chop bones a foot high. He also gave Billy so many vegetables and so
much juicy fruit that he had cramps all night.
In the morning there was still plenty of food left for their breakfast, but
the Uncle insisted on giving them a fresh supply of food and water.

"He is a mighty fine old man," said Billy, "and I feel like a villain
planning to run away from him, but we must or run the risk of being
sent back to our regiments in France, and I for one am sick to death of
war."
About ten o'clock in the morning the Uncle and the three sailors came
into the yard to see how the animals were faring, and the sailors seemed
pleased with the way they looked.
"Now we can tell the Captain when we return to the ship that we saw
the animals just before we went to the boat and that they were safe and
sound and in a good home where they will be well cared for until he
hears what to do with them."
"I guess I'll leave the door of the shed open," said the Uncle. "It will
make it more cheerful for them. And I think we had better take those
ropes off their necks as they can't get out of the yard without going
through the house or jumping the fence, and it is much too high for
them to do that."
Little did those sailors and the old man know of the jumping powers of
these three animals or he would never have had them untied. When the
sailors and the old man had disappeared in the house, the three Chums
walked around the yard looking for a loop-hole to crawl through, or for
a weak board Billy might butt down. As for Button, all he had to do
was to run up the fence and jump down on the other side. And did they
but know it, Stubby could do the same stunt as he had watched the
police dogs in Paris run up the side of an eight-foot fence, balance
themselves on the top and leap down on the other side. As for Billy,
when he was ready to go he could jump on top of an old packing box
that stood beside the shed, and from that leap to the roof of the shed.
From there he could spring into the alley. But what bothered them now
was where they should go when they escaped. The city was very large
and it stretched itself out along the banks of the Hudson River for miles
and miles. They wanted to go in that direction, as 'way up north lived
Nannie, Billy's little wife whom he was crazy to see after his long
absence abroad. She was away up in Wisconsin on the dear old farm
and it would take weeks and weeks to reach there if they traveled by

foot all the way. But they expected to steal some rides as they always
did when traveling. Stubby and Button had not a relative in the world
they knew of, but they loved Nannie and all of Billy's family as if they
were their very own blood relations. They had known them for years
and years and had always been very kind to them, especially Nannie
and Daisy, Billy's son's wife, while the Kids, Billy's twin grandchildren,
were their delight.
[Illustration]
The three Chums were lying perfectly still, each engrossed in his own
thoughts and plans as how best to get out of the city when they were
aroused by a loud meow over their heads. Looking up, they saw a big,
striped cat sitting on the fence.
"Good-morning, friends and distinguished travelers!" said the cat. "I
hope I am not disturbing you, but the cats and the dogs of the
neighborhood--and there is a goodly number of them--appointed me the
head of a committee to call upon you and welcome you to our shores."
As the cat had been talking, other cats had been appearing on top of the
fence and now a line of them, all sizes, colors and descriptions, sat on
the top of the fence winking down at the Chums, while through holes
under the fence appeared dogs' heads, as evidently they were too large
of body to crawl through