The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-11-06

goat was disappearing down the road.
The colored woman was Aunt Tilda,
the cook, and the goat was goat un
known.
"Oh, Miss Ruth" gasped the cook
as she fell on the grass.
For the iand's sake. Tilda. but
what Is it?".
1T was a grissly bar, Miss Ruth,
and he was gwine eat me up!"
"Tilda!" A
II declar' to goodness It was!"
Il saw black goat fleeing down the
road
wall, mebbe 1t was a goat, but 1t is
the same thing asa grissly bar. Lem
me git up to d eranda an I'll tell
you all about It. Now, den. l went
ober to .Morton's didn't II"
Yes
ITO see Hammer, de cookT"
"Yes."
well. I saw her. She was in good
speerits. She axed me when you was
gwine' to git married"
THE impudent thing!"
Oats zactly what I said to her
She said she wasn't, but she had had
dream dat you was gwine to fall In
love wild somebody and git married.
She said dat sunthin' wild horns on
was gwine to bring 1t about. And
goats have horns, and dar 20 ~ ami"
go to your kitchen!"
Two hours later Miss Ruth Parsons
took little saunter up the highway
She had not progressed over ten rods
when she heard a snort and saw that
black goat bearing down upon her
She had just got inside the gate and
swung 1t to when the horns Of the
goat struck II. She had screamed
once or twice en- route, and the cook
was on the veranda.
"Befo' de Lawd, but dar's de sunthin
wild horns dat de Hammer woman
dreamed of"
At ten o'clock next forenoon Miss
Ruth had a caller. He was young
man who gave his name as Charley
Ashley, and he explained his errand
by saying:
II am at my sisters, eight miles
away, on my school vacation. She Is
rather eccentric about pets, and has
big black goat which is a nuisance.
He broke the rope with which he was
tied the other day and disappeared,
and I am looking for him. We have
heard that he was seen this far away
yesterday"
Yes, he was here" was the reply.
He wanted to kill me, but was for
tunate enough to escape"
II am sorry IL he annoyed YOU
II was going to have him shot II he
hung around here"
Very proper or course, you don't
know which way he went?
It was too frightened to take no.
tice."
The conversation began at the YER
anda steps and ended at the gate,
where the young man had his auto
waiting. With the remark that he
would 60 on a mile or two further, he
raised his hat and stepped outside the
gate, and there was the goat! He had
been in ambush. He came for the
snorting like grampus at low water.
Mr.. Ashley exclaimed, "Thunder!"
and leaped into his machine.
Miss Ruth yelled "Oh, my!" and ran
for the veranda.
BY all the rules Of logic this goat
ought to have sprung into the auto
after the young man, but he did moth
ing of the sort. He took after the
girl instead, and half way to the house
she went down under his catapult.
Mr.. Ashley was not a man to beat
a retreat in the face of the enemy.
OF forlorn damsel. He rushed. He
didn't have a gun handy in his hip
pocket, and SO the goat had the advan.
tage. He turned from the PROSTATE
maiden and met the hero half way.
It was bad for the hero. A ton OF
brick struck him In the solar plexus.
and after a grunt and gasp he re-
tired to the land of nothing and no.
body. When he recovered conscious
ness he was lying at the foot of the
steps, whittier he had been dragged by
Miss Ruth and the cook.
II hope the goat didn't do you any
serious injury" he said.
mo, not serious" replied the girl.
Are you much hurt?"
only the breath knocked out Of
me for the time being. Do you happen
to have firearm In the house?"
II have a revolver. but no car
tridges for It,"
Then I will wait to get him homo
to kill him. Sorry to have brought
about this annoyance"
But II jest had to be brung about"
answered the cook.
Mr.. Ashley called three days latsr.
The goat had been shot.
AS Tilda put II when he went away
after long call:
Now, honey, you hain't got nuthin'
to do but fall in love. and git married.