The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-09-29
BILLY AND Vi CHAIRS.
story Of Erisky Goat which Calmly
Chevv"d Up Two Venernted
Family HeirIOOms.

The day that Stanley Granton was
eight years old his father made him a
present of \ wagon, goat and harness.
Never was there a prouder fellow than
Stanley as he drove up and down the
road, followed and talked about by an
admiring crowd Of all the small boys,
and most of the small girls, of the
neighbOrhood.
The goat, Billy Buster by name, was
a fine specimen Of goathOod, a brown
and white animal, with two formida-
bic horns and a twinkle in his eyes
which Stanley admired very much.
Tie looks full Of fun, papa" said
Stanley, critically, when he first saw
Billy Buster.
Billy's twinkle did mean fun, and it
meant investigation, too, and a decided
fondness for having his own way.
The goat was kept in a she'd at the
foot of the garden, and Stanley fed him
and played with him whenever he was
not driving him down the road
Soon Billy grew so fond Of Stanley
that it was hard to keep the goat from
following the boy to school every
morning, ike Mary's little lamb did
to her mistress-and he grew so bold
that he often came into the house with.
out an invitation, too, and once, to her
dismay, Mollie, the parlor maid, was
obliged to drive him out of the parlor.
Billy objecting strongly at every step.
On this occasion Stanley's mother
said to the little boy:
IF you can't keep Billy Buster out
of the house, Stanley, he will have to
be kept at the stable down by papa's
factory"
After that Stanley tried very hard to
remember to tie up Billy whenever he
left him, and Billy, on his part, tried
to run away whenever he saw a rope
in Stanley's hand.
So there came a day when Billy Bus
ter, behind the shed, kicked up his
heels with joy to see Stanley walk of
to school and forget all about him.
"No rope for mel" cried Billy Bus
ter. "Kihi!'
Then he strayed around the house
and saw the cook busy preparing vege-
tables for dinner and Mollie walking
down the road on ar. errand. And then
the front door stood inVitingly open,
and Mr.. Billy walked into the cool,
pleasant hall and looked around with
a twinkle to see what he could do next.
just inside the parlor door, which was
also open, stood two little rush-bot.
toned chairs. They had belonged to
Stanley's great-grandmother. Stan.
ley's mother would scarcely let any one
of the family sit upon those chairs, so
careful of them was she.
But when she came down to luncheon
that day she beheld a strange scene
from the parlor door.
The parlor floor was strewn with
bits of yellow straw. The two little
slender great-grandmother chairs were
snapped into 20 pieces upon the carpet,
and in the midst of the wreck sat Billy,
calmly chewing at a few bits of straw
which hung out of his mouth!
sob, BilXI Billy! BilIyI Billy!" cried
SANKEY'S mother.
And Billy got up with a disguised air
at being interrupted in an agreeable
meal and walked out Of the house be-
fore she could get her breath to tell
him to go.
After that exploit Billy did have to
go and live at the stable down the road,
and Stanley, missing his playmate,
sometimes wished Billy didn't have
such a very funny twinkle in his eyes.
Eva Love. in Boston Globe.