Washington sentinel., 1853-10-09
Dads Experiment with Billy.

Less than q hundred miles from Syracuse,
lives an old farmer, whose given name isZury-
q hard working, honest old Englishman, owning
good farm Of over a hundred acres, and two
faithful boys, who have been brought up to
WELD the agricultural implement" from one
Of these have my story.
Old Zury had an old goat on the farm, who
is not one of the most peacefully disposed cSea-
lures in the world, and on this account the boys
take no little delight in putting his lordship on
his taps, once in a while, by way Of amusement
for long time the old man had noticed that
when Billy came home at night he was com
pletey covered with mud and water, and old
Iury could not imagine how he should become
so; so he determined, if possible, that he would
find out the cause of poor Billys daily misfor
tune.
One day he left the boys--to pick up the
rakes, &c., after hard days work of haying-
and walked around to the ridge, where Billy
generally kept himself; it was about time for
the goat to 90 to the house. but there he lay quiet
and dry; so old Zury seated himself behind a
stump, determined to watch his movements,
for that night, at any rate; lie had not been
there more than fifteen minutes, when who
should he see coming along the ridge but the
two boys; his first impulse was to tell them to
keep back, but upon second thought, he said
nothing.
"Take my load, Hank said Dick; "it'smy
turn to take the fellar tonight
Hank took Dicks load from his back and
Dick going down the hill little ways, soon
showed himself within few yards Of where the
goat was lying.
Billy had already caught a glimpse Of the
boys, and was soon on his feet Hank laid fat
on the ground and Dick, on the edge of the
ridge, now presented till front, which did
not seem exactly to please his goatship, for he
pointed for him, and down went Dick, to aggra
vate Billy to a still more desperate lunge;
again the signal rose, and Billy jumped, but just
as he got within a few feet, Dick lowered him
self about two pegs, and Mr.. Goat lowered him
self about fifteen feet into ditch of marsh mud
and water. Hank had caught sight ofa small cor
ner of the old mans hat above the stump, and
sloped for the bars, while Dick was not a little
surprised at the sudden transformation Of the
old stump into human being, and that too,
the old man, at fifteen PAGES, who, by the way,
was not one Of the most forbearing persons in
the world; and rs he looked around on the
ground, Dick thinking that a club or stone
might possibly be the object of his search,
started on keen jump for the barn. The old
man made up his mind that the mystery was
solved. That night Dick and Hank didn't
come home to supper.
Thought | should not be able to hold myself
together, as Hank related the surprise OF old
Zury and his son, as they stood face to face.
."But hold on said he, 81 hav'nt told you
the best Of it yet; about two weeks from that
time, one day me and Dick had been working
all day. and we made up our minds that we
should find old dad bucked, for he hadn't been
in the field at all in the afternoon, and he always
kept a good barrel of ale in the cellar; but
when we had started, who should we see but
the old man edging around the ridge so Dick
and me went over that way. There was old
dad, and there was the goat.
We laid fat on the ground anxious to know
what the old man was going to do, when what
was our surprise to see him take the exact po-
slton Dick had taken couple of weeks before.
We said nothing, for we hadn't seen any Of
that kind of sport in a long time; the old man
presented rather a formidable appearance, but
Billy, nothing daunted, pointed for the mark,
the old man lowered, but little too late, for
the goat took him plump We heard some
thing strike in the mud, and it wasn't Billy, for
he stood looking down over the ridge. Me and
Dick pulled for the barn, and in a few minutes
we saw old dad padding for the house, covered
with mire from head to foot.
That night the old man was dressed up in
his best clothes. | ventured to ask him if he
was going over to see the Deacon.
See the Deacon F! no! Can't man put on
good clothes without going to see the Deacon"
Yes" said Dick, leaking out the door;
"cant man 60 and see the goat, without tum-
bling in the mud ?"
Dick was gone, and the old dad looking at
me, and then very Significantly at heavy
wooden booJack, | stepped out of the back
door.-,SpirH Of the Times.
H., Ii