The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-03-20

when Sam was in D ghDoTnO
She didn't learn this until the goat had
almost completely devoured a wash left
within his reach. On that occasion he
consumed two sheets, n calico dress and
q flannel shirt, a table cloth, half a
dozen napkins, a pair OF boys trousers,
and three cotton stockings. He I'M
doubtedly would have cleaned the line
and devoured the rope mad he not been
discovered by Mrs. Hillhouse before he
| had reached next 70 the last garment,
for he made a brave fight against the
broomstick that was brought into requi-
sition and tried to get ut a bosom shirt
and sun bonnet That were still on the
line. Thereafter the clothes were hung
so high that Mrs. Hillhouse was obliged
TO use a stepladdcd TO reach them, and
| Sam satisfied himself with walking
around, now and then up on his hind
legs and smiling wistfully.
The wide scope of the goats appetite
was not understood even then, but it
was revealed TO Mrs. Hilhouse one day
when she hung n hall mat over the
porch rail to let the wind blow the dust
out of it. The mat never was seen again,
but Sam was found lying on the porch,
neal the spot where it had been hung,
with a look of supreme COntentment on
| his face and n few wooden rawlings OF
various colors dangling from his jaws.
A few days aftcrward, when she wanted
to hang some tides out on the porch rail
TO air, Mrs. Hillhouse first tied Sam TO a
tree, but, unfortunately, she tied him
with n rope. 1t happened that the
tides were in plain view of the goat, and
they made n tempting display in the
eyes of the creature that so constantly
hungered for novelties, whether raw or
cooked. Some of them were of fine
linen, richly embroidered, and others
were combinations of scraps of silk and
satin of various pleasing colors. Sam
turned upon the rope that held him and
ate it. Then he tackled the d~elicacies
displayed on the porch rail, and soon
had them slowed away in his stomach.
Mrs. Hillhouse demanded that he be
killed at once, but her husband was
warmly attached to the animal and re-
fused to end its life. So Sam lived, and
lived to eat. The goats intrinsic value
increased. One day when Hillhouse's
hired man left his vest hanging on a
bar post Sam took a notion to go out in
thelotwheret the men were working,and
while nosing around espied the vest.
When the owner went to get it at noon
it was missing, and only a few bits OF
| I.-.rr hn1 ham 1aft 70 ip1Ina+a nc toto
The hired man did not take kindly to
the loss of his vest, because in one of the
pockets was a brand new $50 open face
watch, to which was attached q three
dollar chain. The matches, tobacco, and
other stuff in the pockets he could
spare, but he couldn't give up his watch
without a protest, and he suggested to
%IIillhouse that there was only n way
to recover the timepiece, and that was
by killing Sam and laying bare the in
terror of his food pouch. Hillhouse
stubbornly refused to have the goat
killed, and satisfied the hired man by
buying him a new watch and chain.
Sam showed no signs of regret over
the watch exploit and kept OF hunting
for unusual things to devour. One day
he INDUCED in a meal that caused him
considerable physical discomfort. An
Insurance agent rode out from Trenton
to see Hillhouse on business. He came
on a bicycle, and, leaning the machine
against the fence, went into the house
10 look over some papers. Sam never
had seen a bicycle before, and he imme-
diately began looking it over to find out
if there was anything about it that he
might safely add to the varied assort-
ment already in his stomach. The tires
were soft. Sam began work on them
and in an extremely short time had
nibbled them from the wheels. The in
surance agent was hauled back to town
by Mr.. Hillhouse'S horse, and Hillhouse
aid for 4 new set of tires for the BIZ
c, cle. The rubber tires did not set 50
wei on Sans stomach as they had on
the wheels, and the day after he had
eaten them he gave indications of in
ternal disturbance. He was not himself
at all. He refused to eat and lay
stretched out in a corner of the wood
she'd. Hillhouse doctored him. and in
two days the animal was we'll enough
10 walk out and a a lace curtain that
Mrs. HillhoUse had laid on the grass to
bleach, thinking that it was safe be
cause San vas sick.
One day last summer Hillkouse went
10 Trenton to draw money with which
to pay his help. He drew 500 from the
bank, SIS in tive-dollar gold pieces and
silver and SIS in bills. He put the none
IN 4 shot bag and showed the bag into
his coat pocket. When he reached home
he took off his coat and laid it on a box
while he embarrassed the horse. Sans
eye fell on the coat. and when Hillhouse
disappeared in the barn he walked up
and proceeded to devour it. BY the time
Mr.. Hilhouse came out OF the barn the
goat bad swallowed Cne-half of the
coat, and it was the half that contained
the pocket which had the money. Gold,
silver and greenbacks were in the goats
stomach. Then it was that Sans life
came nea an end. IIillhouse got his
gun and was about to shoot the goat
when his daughter objected.
II must kill him, Carrie" said her
father, because he has swallowed SIOo
and l can save ;he coin"
It'll be just Us valuable when sam