Billy Whiskers | Page 2

On his way to the pump he thought he saw a man coming down the
road, so he hurried along and went up on the veranda of the house to
stand in the shadow until the man went by, for he knew that men often
interfere with a goat's pleasure, even if it is only a moonlight stroll.
The man having passed, he walked around the veranda trying every
now and then to look in at the window to see what kind of a house his
new master had. At last he came to the front door and he could not help
trying to taste the bell knob, it looked so much like a knob of salt in the
moonlight. To be sure he knew that it was not salt, but it did look so
good to eat, and he had often eaten things before that were not down on
the diet list of a goat, so he took another chew but, horrors! what was
that! There was a terrible ringing and clanging in the house,--it sounded
like a fire bell; and the next minute Mr. Wagner stuck his head out of
the window and wanted to know who was there. Of course there was no
answer, and Billy stood as still as possible to listen and see what Mr.
Wagner would do next; then he walked to the edge of the porch, and
heard Mr. Wagner say, "Who is there? Can't you answer, or are you
deaf and dumb, or drunk?"
[Illustration]

Still no response, and Billy walked back and gave another lick at the
bell, which immediately gave another loud ring. Mr. Wagner drew his
head in, and Billy heard him say, "I'll come down and break your stupid
head for you, wakening people up this time of the night!" When Billy
heard this, he thought that it was time to go, so he scooted around the
house, and went and laid down by his rope, just as if he were still tied
and had not stirred a peg.
Mr. Wagner opened the door, and finding no one there, walked around
the house holding a candle over his head to see if some drunken tramp
had not rung the bell. He thought that he heard steps on the veranda as
he came to the door, but no one was in sight only Billy Whiskers,
apparently asleep by the shed.
"Hello! Billy old fellow, how are you getting along? Seen anyone
around here lately?"
But Billy only blinked and laughed in his skin to see Mr. Wagner
prancing around in his night-shirt, with the tallow from the candle
dropping on his bald head.
Mr. Wagner went in and was about to get into bed, when he thought he
saw in the moonlight a figure come out of the shed and go toward the
house. The moon went under a cloud just at that minute and was hid
from sight, so he kept still, straining his eyes to see and his ears to hear.
He heard the chain rattle on the bucket at the well.
"Oh! ho!" he thought, "the tramp thinks that I have gone to bed, and
that he will get a drink, and then prowl around some more. Well, we
will see. I will just get my shot gun and fire a shot to scare him, if he
does not answer."
So grabbing his gun, which always stood by the window loaded for use,
he called out again:
"Who is there? Speak, or I'll shoot!"
As the words left his mouth, an object started on a run from the well,

and Mr. Wagner fired, not stopping to see what it was, but supposing it
to be a man. Just then the moon sailed from under the cloud, and there
in the moonlight lay poor Billy Whiskers stunned and nearly frightened
to death with a flesh wound in his side. When Mr. Wagner saw what he
had done, and that it was only the goat, he pulled down the window,
and went to bed, too mad to even go to see if the goat was dead or not.
The next morning Billy was as lively as ever, only a little faint from
loss of blood and rather subdued. The children bathed his wound with
witch hazel, and after a good breakfast, he was as well as ever, and
ready for play or work.
Of course Mrs. Wagner said, "I told you so," several times, only
varying it with, "Yes, you just wait and see, that goat will get into more
trouble than he is worth, just see if he won't."
When she said this, she did not know of the midnight meal off her nice
lettuce he had had in the garden.
Billy did not get into much mischief during