The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-12-02
DADS EXPERIMENT WITH BILLY

Less than hundred miles from Syracuse,
Zury--a hard working, honest old English
man, owning good farm of over hundred
acres, and faithful boys, who have been
brought up to WELD "the agricultural imple-
ment, t,"--from one of these have my story.
Old Zury had an old goat on the farm,
which is not one of the most peacefully dis
posed creatures in the wcrld and on this ac-
count the boys take no little delight in put
ting his lordship on his taps, once in awhile,
by way of amusement; for long time the
old man haG noticed that when Billy came
home at night he was completely covered
with mud and water, and old Zury could not
imagine how he should become SO; SO he de-
termined, if possible, that he would find out
the cause of poor Billy's daily misfortune.
One day lie left the boys-to pick up the
rakes, SC, after hard days work of haying
-land walked around to the ridge, where
Billy generally kept HIMSELF it was about
time for the goat to go to the house, but there
he lay, quiet and dry; so old Zury seated
himself behind stump, determined to watch
his movements, that night, at any rate; he
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's
my turn to take the feller to night"
Hank took Dicks load from his back, and
going down the hill little ways, soon show
ed himself within few yards of where the
goat was lying.
Billy had already caught glimpse of the
boys and soon was on his feet, Hank laid flat
on the ground, and Dick, on the edge Of the
ridge, now presented full front, which did
not seem exactly to please his goat-shiP, for
he pointed for him, and down went Dick, to
aggravate Billy to u still more desperate
lunge; and again the signal rose, and Billy
jumped, but just as he got within few feet
Dick lowered himself about two pegs, and
Mr.. Goat lowered himself about fifteen feet
into ditch of marsh, mud and water. Hank
| had caught sight of a small corner of the
old mans hat above the stump, and sloped for
the bars, while Dick was not little surpris-
ed at the sudden transformation OF the old
| stump INTO numtn ueiHS1 ohu ''"' wv thO
old man, ,at fifteen PAGES, who, by the way, was
not the most forbearing person in the world;
and as he looked round on the ground, Dick
thinking that 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 didp't come home to
supper. , >,
/ thought should not be able to hold my
self together. as Hank related the surprise
of Zury and his son, as they stood face to
! face. ..
"But hold on" said he, 81 haven't told yor
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 beel
in the field at all in the afternoon and h
always kept a good barrel OF ale in the cellar
but when we had started, who should we SCI
|, but the old man edging around the ridges ST