The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-18
THE EVENING STORY
Somebody's Goat.
(By Laurence Alfred Clay.)


She looked at him in return. He had
the horns of an ibex. He had VEN
cradle whiSker. His attitude was
| truculent. Would he charge?
| That goat had a mission. He did not
know it, but the mission began to work
| out as he finally turned from the gate
| and trotted down the street. When he
, d departed, the young lady drew a
breath of relief and advanced to the
| gate and fastened it and leaned over it
| for moment.
Miss Susie Anderson was young and
| a teacher in one of the public schools
| at Medvale. This day was Saturday.
! AS for the goat he was just somebody's
goat, just such goat as can be found
wandering around every village.
| And Tommy Dwight, the artist, had
! tired of painting pictures which the
American people refused to buy in
preference to the old masters, and had
come down to Medvale to fish and loaf
around and get new inspiration. He
was on his way to the inn from the
depot, baggage in either hand and more
on his shoulder, when the girl looked
| over the gate. She saw him a block
away, ut she had no interest in him.
Tommy might have been the advance
| agent of a moving ten-cent picture
show, for all she knew or cared at that
| moment.
Mis- Susie was interested in the
goat. Billy was standing in the mid
| die of the street and his actions were
| menacing. He was striking the ground
with his front feet. He was consider
| ing Tommy's case. Then, suddenly, he
| dashed forward. Tommy was uncoM-
scious of his peril Miss Susie didn't
think scream, and guardian angels
are not always around when wanted.
Crash, and Tommy went down: He
| had to. He lay there, sprawled out
amid his baggage, and somebody s
| goat surveyed him for a moment and
then walked placidly away. Tommy
| did not get up. No one came along
to help him, and Miss Susie did the
| proper and humane thing. She ran
| down to him. She found him gasp
| ing for breath and clawing around as
if he had lost something. When the
| light of intelligence returned to his
| eyes she gently informed him that a
Until then he was laboring under the
| impression that it was a brick house.
1t was not her goat, and she was
very, very sorry, and should she bring
out vinegar or a smelling bottle, and
were any legs or arms or ribs. or
shoulders broken? Tommy Dwight
had been thrown down, and thrown
hard. If it had been by a five thou
| felt all right about it, but to be upset
by an old goat in the face of a good
| looking girl, hurt and Inundated him.
He thanked her sulkily and gathered
up his stray baggage and limped off
| In the furtive look he cast at his SYM
pathizer he thought he saw smile
| on her face.
| Saturday came again. Somebody
goat had lived a week longer-was a
| week nearer the grave. He brought
! his ibex horns and venerable whiskeI
to the same gate, but found it shut
He peered between the pickets, but nc
! girl was to be seen. He made sure
of it and then went away on his mis-
sion. He wandered down by the river
| Mr.. Tommy Dwight had wandered
| down by the river. He had gone down
there with sturdy stride to fish for
mullet and suckers and bass and bull
heads He had quite recovered from
| the shock of a week ago. He sat fish
ing. and he hummed as the fish came
| into his basket. Yes: the world was
a good old place to live in, even if a
goat was to be met with now and then.
He had thought of that good looking
girl several times, but had avoided
passing the house.
/ Miss Susie Anderson hadn't wander
ed down to the river. She had saun-
tered down there. She wanted to see
the waters pour over the dam she
| wanted to wonder, by herself, if the
stranger had forgiven the goat, or was
! still bent on his assassination And
all of a sudden she saw Tommy Dwight
| as he fished. And all of sudden she
! saw somebody's goat as the goat saw
| Tommy Would 1t be proper to scream
and scare all of Tommy's fish away?
Could she approach him and warn him
that the same goat was after him the
same way? Should she throw herself
between the goat and the man and
receive the headon couision2
Miss Susie was a little slow in max
ing up her mind, and the goat settled
tie matter. The fishing, humming,
happy Tommy was struck between the
shoulders. He uttered a brief prayer
| for mercy and shot far out into the
river and sank Then the girl scream
| ed Somebody's goat looked at her and
shook his head. Then, as she ran for
the water, he went up town on new
business.
1t was good of Tommy Dwight to
come to the surface at all, but partic-
ularly good that he came within reach
| ing distance of a pole Miss Susie held
cut to him. He was drawn ashore. He
srluttered and suffered and coughed
and gasped, but life came back to him.
Miss Susie ran to the sawInill and got
| a. man, and it was the man who told
Tommy that it was the same old goat
| and gave him an arm to his hotel. This
| time there were results. The victim was
in bed for five days. The doctor didn't
exactly say so in plain English. but he
| limited around that both of Tommy :
lungs had parted from their founda-
lions. aud that his shoulder blades had
been dislocated in seven different di-
rectionS.
Miss Susie Anderson had a con-
science That conscience accused her
of collision with somebody's goat
She hadn't been heroine. She hadn't
given warning. She hadn't put forth
a hand And to salve that conscience
she sent flowers to Tommy when she
heard from the innkeeper's wife thai
he was in bed and wrapped up in cot.
ton batting. All of this was perfectly
right and proper. Tommy held his
nose to the bouquets twenty times g
day and agreed that It was SO. And
further, that it was the proper and al
right thing to lie there and vow ven
geance upon that goat.
| When Tommy Dwisht's heart and
lungs and shoulders had worked bach
to the proper place, the thing for him
Ito do was to walk down and call or