The Springdale news., 1914-06-26


 ored woman came
 staggering up, and just as a big black goat was disappearing down the road The colored woman was Aunt Tilda. the cook, and the goat was a goat un- known
 oh. Miss Ruth" gasped the cook as she fell on the grass.
 For the lands sake, Tilda, but what is it?"
 It was grissly bar, Miss Ruth, and he was gwine eat me upi''
 "Tilda
 Il deelar' to goodness it was
 T saw a black goat fleeing down the road
 Wall. mebbe it was goat, but 1t IS the same thing as grissly bar Lem me git up to de veranda an III tell you all about it. Now, den. went ober to Mortons didn't I?''
 Yes
 ITO see Hammer, de cook"
 Yes
 Well, saw her. She was in good speerits. She axed me hen you was gwine to git married.
 The impudent thing
 Dat s zactly what said to her. She said she wasn't, but she had had dream dat you was gWine to fall in ye wid some body and git married. She said dat sunthin Uid horns on was gwine to bring it about. And goats have horns, and dar you am - Co to your kitchen
 Two hours later Miss Ruth Parsons took little saunter up the highway. She had not progressed over ten rods then she heard 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 dreamed of"
 At ten o'clock next forenoon Miss Ruth had caller. He was young man Who gave his name as Charley Ashley. and he explained his errand by saving:
 T am at my sisters, eight miles away, on my school vacation. She is rather eccentric about pets. and has big black goat which l. 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 l was for tunate enough 10 escape.
 T am sorry if he annoyed you T was going to have him shot if he hung around heret'
 Very !roper. Of course =yon don't h1cN ' hIch way he Went?'
 T vas too frightened to take no- tice'
 The conversation began at the yer anda steps and ended at the gate, where the young nan had his auto waiting With the remark that he would go on 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 tho gate head down and heels up, and snorting like a grampus at low water. Mir Ashley exclaimed Thunder and leaped into his machine
 Miss Rsth yelled Oh, myis and ran for the Feranda.
 By all the rules of logic this goat ought to have sprung into the auto after the young man, but he did noth' 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 but just the man to rush to the rescue of a forlorn damsel. He rushed. He didn't have gun handy in his hip pocket, and so the goat had the advan tage. He turned from the prostrate 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 pOuy, M IiI Ut IeGBAtItu GOISiIOu5 ness he was lying at the foot of the steps, Whither he had been dragged by Miss Ruth and the cook
 T hope the goat didn't do you any serious injury" he said
 No, net serious, replied the girl Are you much hurt?'
 "Only the breath knocked out o me for the time being. Do you happen to have frearm in the house?"
 T have a revolver but no car tridges for 1t"
 Then I will wait to get him home to kill him. Sorry to have brought about this annoyance"
 But it jest had to be brung about answered the cook
 Mir. Ashley called three days later.
 The goat had been shot.
 As Tilda put 1t when he went away after a long call:
 Now honey you haintt got mt in