The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-01-29

! Billy goat Withasadness as he stood on
the sunny slope Of Stumpy Field and
heard the rustic OF the dried corn leaves
and watched the pale green beauty fade
from the mullen stalks and jimson
weeds as they were smitten by the cold
breath Of annual decay.
The grass, too, the Billy noticed with
signs Of uneasiness, was getting dry
and tasteless. He looked off toward the
Finn cabbage patch. The large heads
still stood unplucked on their stalks
Great tears ran down the goats cheeks
as he realized that the feast Of cab
bages was not for him. He was reused
from his painful reyerie by belated
bluebird, which lit on the fence and
sang him q parting serenade ere the
musical bunch of feathers few south
ward to the orange groves in the land
Of tropical delights. A chipmunk
whisked by him on the stone wall,
nodded with tantalizing freedom to tho
goat, and disappeared. A loud cawing
overhead deepened the bitterness in the
heart Of the goat as he realized that he
only was tied with the clothes-line.
These reflections had reduced the
four-footed captive to condition Of
mute despair, when on the brooding
hush above alluded to there broke q
CHEEKY whistle The Billy turned tail
on the saddening scenery, and was
about to seek surcease Of sorrow in sleep
In his burrow, but when that familiar
whistle smote upon his ear he stopped
short, like "Grandfather's Clock" and
listened. The whistle sounded nearer,
and uncertainty changed to assurance
In the goats eloquent eyes as a small
boy leaped over the fence and came to-
ward him. Those who have been con-
fined IN a gloomy cell know what Joy
there is in hearing the key Of deliver
ance crate in the lock. Such JOY the
goat felt His deliverer had come. II
the goat could have sung, his happiness
would undoubtedly have found express
sion In the words:
I" He's after me, after me; ss=--
I'm the Individual he requires"
Little Mike loosened the CALLING
clothes-line from the neck of tho goat,
and together they strolled leisurely up
the Old Point road, the goat stopping
now and then to pick up stray piece
Of brown paper and an occasional bit Of
old corset whalebone Little Mike
loved the goat tenderly. Indeed, his
affection r!valed that OF Mary for her
lamb. He would no doubt have taken
the goat to school with him but for the
fact that the teacher might have acted
rudeiy to the animal. In that event
the teacher would no doubt have tried
to put the goat out of the school-house,
when-but let us return to the boy and
the goat.
Mickey whispered to the Billy as
they went along that his mother had
gone down to Ponckhockie to buy his
father new pair OF overalls; that he
had been left alone in the shanty, and
that as he was lonesome he had come to
get the Billy to cheer him up. The
Billy wagged the short JOY barometer
at the southeast end OF mis- body, and
seemed to understand every word his
companion said. And so, like two bosom
friends as they were, they wandered up
the road and into the shanty.
1t must be understood that Mickey
had a deeper motive than that Of merely
amusing himself when he brought the
goat into the kitchen. 1t was not be-
cause the goat was not good company.
Oh, no! On the contrary, the Billy was
always fellow of humor, resource, and
coarse jest in the hour of ennui. But
this time it was with special object In
view that he had asked the goat to join
him during his mothers absence.
To relieve the narrowing suspense Of
the reader, it may as we'll be said that
Mickey was going to open circus in
Doolan's barn. The idea had been in
his mind for long time, but during the
past week 1T had assumed tangible
shape, and he had begun the collection Of
curiosities for the menagerie, which is
always the inseparable adjunct of cir
Gus. He had even progressed SO far in