The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-16
A COATS REVENGE.
Feud With a Donkey Resulted in Lat
 ter's Death.

ter's Death.
 Valentine was a trick donkey. Pro- teus is a goat. You will notice the difference in tense. It is full of mean ing. valetine "was," Proteus still is.
 The goat which ''is" was the cause of Valentine being in the past tense-to the sorrow of her owner, John r. Willi- ams of Chicago Lawn. MT. Williams has troupe of performing animals goats, donkeys and dogs. Miss valen- tine was the star She was a cakewallx- CT and an artist in a dozen lines.
 The family was happy one until couple of months ago, when two new goats were added to it. Proteus was one of the two. He made friends with all the performers except the donkey, Miss Valentine.
 The first outbreak of hostilities oc- cured one day while the donkey was eating hay in the barn. The goat being a jovial fellow, seemed to get the idea that he had done wrong in permitting coldness to exist between him and the donkey. He went up to her and wagged his beard good naturedly To this salute Valentine made no re- sponse other than to lay back her ears and look at him out of the corners of her eyes. Proteus saw the fattened ears and knew enough of donkeys to know just what they meant. He shrug- ged his shoulders and walked away.
 Afterward he returned to see if there were any better chance for an under standing. This time the donkey paid no attention to him, and he walked up to the pile of hay and began eating. There was sudden flash of hind feet, and Proteus found himself in a heap. not hit by the feet-he was too quick for that-but tumbling there in his jump to get out of the way. From that moment there was war. Proteus was back at the unfriendly donkey with his head lowered, prepared to butt her through the side of the barn. The trainer intervened and the goat was led away.
 It was thought the goat had discov- cred that Miss Valentine objected to his attentions and that he would quietly de- sist, through courtesy If not through fear, from bothering her any more That is where they did not know Pro- | lteus.
 The goat kept at discreet distance | for several weeks. He hustled past the l vicinity of Valentines hind feet, but he might have been observed frequently standing at a little distance from her, eying her pensively, as if considering | just where it would be best to plant his head. Each time he would shake his head and move away Therefore the trainer thought there would be no diffi- culty with Proteus.
 l The goat in reality was nursing a deep laid plan for revenge. His chance came last week. Valentine was suffer | ing from a slight indisposition-a fact that seemed known to the goat. The lot I in which the animals had been turned loose was covered with ice This was another fact which the goat seemed to realize was to his advantage. He took poor Miss Valentine all of a sudden. She probably had just been thinking to herself how she had that poor goat scared to death. He dashed at her suddenly from an unexpected quarter and the donkey's feet flew up in the air. By the time she had scrambled up Proteus had launched himself again.
 The lot was filled with scattering animals. The trainer was absent, but his assistant came running to the field of battle with lash. This he laid over the back of the goat, which paid no attention to him or it.
 As rapidly as the i'll fated donkey could reach her feet Proteus hit her. He landed at will. Time and time again 1 Valentine went to the mat, getting. weaker every time. She was unable for her hoofs. The ice gave her poor foot ing, and before she could wheel on the battering ram that was launched at her it had struck her and she was stretched out again.
 For half-hour the assistant tried to beat off the goat The duel ended when Valentine, mortally injured and too weak to rise, gave up the fight. Then Proteus walked contentedly away. 1 A half-hour after Valentine had given up the fight she she gave up the ghost. in spite of everything that could be done for her. The only marks on the goat were those of the lash.-Chicago Tribune,