The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-06-29

goat was disappearing down the road
The colored woman was Aunt Tilda
the cook, and the goat was goat I'm
known.
"Oh. Miss Ruth" gasped the cool
as she fell on the grass.
For the lands sake. Tilda, but
what Is it?"
1T was grissly bar, Miss Ruth
and he was gwine eat me up!"
"Tilda!"
Il declar' to goodness 1t was!"
Il saw black goat fleeing down the
road"
Wall, mebbe it was a goat, but it IL
the same thing as grissly bar. Lem
me git up to de veranda an I'll tell
you all about 1t. Now, den, l went
ober to Mortons didn't II"
Yes"
ITO see Hammer, de cook?"
YES"
well. l saw her. She was in good
speerits. She axed me when you was
gwine to git married"
THE impudent thing"
Oats zactly what l said to her
She said she wasn't, but she had had q
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 it about. And
goats have horns, and dar you ami"
60 to your kitchen"
Two hours later Miss Ruth Parsons
took a 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 it to when the horns of the
goat struck it. 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 caller. He was a young
man who gave his name as Charley
Ashley, and he explained his errand
by saving:
Il am at my sisters, eight miles
away, on my school vacation She is
rather eccentric about pets, and has a
big black goat which is a nuisance.
He broke the rope with which he was
tied the other day and disappeared,
and | 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
1unate enough to escape"
Il am sorry If he annoyed you"
Il was going to have him shot If he
hung around here
Very proper OF course, you don't
know which way he VENT"
i was too frightened to take no
Ice"
The conversation began at the YER
inda steps and ended at the gate,
where the young man had his auto
With the remark that he
would go on a mile or two further. he |
aised his hat and stepped outside the
rate, and there was the goat! He had |
'een in ambush He came for the
,ate head down and heels up, and |
norting like grampus at low water. |
Mr.. Ashley exclaimed, Thunder"
nd leaped into his machine.
Miss Ruth yelled "Oh, my!" and ran
or the veranda.
By all the rules of logic this goat
ught to have sprung into the auto
fter the young man, but he did moth
ng of the sort. He took after the
trl instead, and half way to the house
he went down under his catapult
Mr.. Ashley was not a man to beat
retreat in the face Of the enemy,
ut just the man to rush to the rescue
f a forlorn damsel He rushed. He
idnt have gun handy in his hip
ocket, and so the goat had the advan-
age. He turned from the PROSTATE
laiden and met the hero half way.
1t was bad for the hero. A ton of
rick struck him In the solar plexus,
nd alter a grunt and a gasp he re-
red to the land of nothing and no.
ody. When he recovered conscious
ess he was lying at the foot of the
tops, whittier he had been dragged by
liss Ruth and the cook.
Il hope the goat didn't do you any
erious injury" he said.
No, not serious" replied the girl.
Are you much hurt?'
Only the breath knocked out of
lie for the time being. Do you happen
} have firearm in the house,"
i have a revolver, but no car
idges for it"
Then | will wait to get him home
, kill him. Sorry to have brought
bout this annoyance"
But it jest had to be brung about"
lswered the cook.
Mr.. Ashley called three days later.
The goat had been shot.
As Tilda put Il when he went away
ter long call:
Now, honey, you hain't got nuthin'
do but fall in love and git married.
Id you go right at it,"
'onvrggbt ro,a ~, ~, AT.S,,,.-- ".