Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1877-05-17
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"HOLD THE FORTI"

disgrace.
"HOLD THE FORT"
Last Monday afternoon the eleven
Boblink boys surrounded and caught
an enormous, shaggy, strong.smelling,
wicked looking goat, Of the masculine
gender, turned him loose in Burdock s
nailed up tie gate, and then went
home, and Aattened their eleven lit
tie noses against the back windows to
watch for coming events.
Before his goatship had spent three
minutes in that garden, he had man.
aged to make himself perfectly at
home, pulled down tie clothes line,
and devoured two lace collars, a pair
of undersleeves, and striped stock
ing belonging to Mrs. B., and was
busily engaged sampliug one of Bur-
docks shirts when the servant girl
came rushing out with a basket ol
clothes to hang up.
The saints preserve us!' she ex-
claimed, coming to a full halt, and
gazing open mouthed at the goat, who
was calmly munching away at the
shirt.
'Shew shew shew, there !! scream,
ed the girl, setting down her basket
taking her skirts in both hands, and
shaking them violently toward the in.
truder.
Then the goat, who, evidently con
sidered her movements in the light o.
challenge suddenly dropped his
wicked old head, and darted at hel
with the force of an Erie locomotive
and Just one minute later by the city
hall clock, that girl tumbled a bach
summersault over the clothes basket
and was crawling away on her hands
and knees in search of a place tt
die, accompanied by the goat, who
butted her on the hustle ground every
third second.
1t is probable he would have kep
on buttiug her for the next two weeks
if Mrs. Burdock, who had been wit
ness of the unfortunate affair, had no.
armed herself with the family poker
and hurried to the rescue.
'Merciful goodness Anne, do gel
up on your feet she exclaimed, aim.
ing a murderous blow at the beast
head, and missing it by a few Of the
shortest kind of inches. 1t was not
repeated, owing to the goat suddenly
raising up on his hind feet, waltzin :,
toward her, and striking her in the
small Of the back, hard enough to
loosen her finger Hails and destroy
her faith in a glorious Immortality.
When Mrs. B. returned to con-
sciousness she crawled out from be-
hind the grindstone where she had
been tossed, and made for the house
stopping only once, when the goal
came after, and butted her, head first
into the grape arbor.
Once inside the house, the door was
locked, and the unfortunates sought
the solitude of their own rooms, and
such comfort as they could extract
from rubbing and growing, while the
goat wandered around the garden
like Satan in the book Of Job, seeking
what he could devour, and the eleven
little Boblink boys fairly hugged
themselves with pleasure over the
performance.
By the time Burdock returned
home that evening and learned all
the particulars from his arnica-soaked
wife the goat had eaten nearly all the
weeks washing, half the grapevine,
and one side Of the clothes basket.
why in thunder didn't you put
HIM out, and not leave him there to
destroy everything? he demanded
angrily.
Because he wouldn't 60, and l
wasn't going to stay there and be
killed, that's why?' answered his
wife, excitedly.
Wouldn't fddlesticks T he ex-
claimed. making for the garden, fol-
lowed by the entire family.
Get out Of here, you thief he
shouted. as he came into the garden
and caught sight of the shaggy, aud
highly-perfumed visitor.