Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-19
STRANGE ADVENTURES
OF BILLY BUMPUS
BILLY AND THE GARDEN HOSE
By Farmer Smith

Every time Billy Bumpus stopped. the
pain in his head and in the tippy end Of
his tail hurt him. so he kept on going as
fast as he could
ITO think was defeated in battle by
a porkey porcupine" Billy was thinking
as he kept up a rapid pace down hill.
He was not on the road very long before
he found himself once more in town, and
he kept his eyes wide OPEN as he did not
wish 10 run into the fat man with the fruit
stand
THAT fellow started all my trouble.
just like the rain. The rain never comes
down one drop at a time; It comes In
punches. Hello! what's this?"
Billy stopped suddenly in the middle OF
the road. There stood a little boy with
a small wagon which had shaves. He was
so glad to see the little boy that he ran up
alongside the wagon and the boy did the
most natural thing--he took pity on Billy
and pulled out the sticker Quills.
Billy was so grateful that he let the
! boy harness him up and hitch him to the
| little red wagon.
zone good turn deserves another" said
| Billy, as he backed into the wagon. I'm
! going to he good this time. No more
| trouble for me-"
The little boy drove Billy to his home
| and unhitched him. He led Billy into the
| shed where the goats were kept and tied
| him with a rope. This made Billy snicker
| out loud. wonder he wouldn't tie me with
chewing gum" said Billy.
No sooner had the little boy gone than
| Billy began TO sniff. After he had finished
shifting. he ate the rope which tied him
| and walked quietly up to the door and
| peeked out the keyhole. He gave the door
gentle little butt and It did not open.
| Then he ate the lock off and the door opened
| itself.
1t took but a moment for Billy to walk
| out on the green grass and what do you
suppose he saw? Righ in front Of him
lay the garden hose. Oh, how Billy did
| love rubber
"Nb wonder I was shifting" he said 70
| himself. II knew in my hollow bones
that was near rubber. A nice garden
hose. too. l will swallow it as fast as ]
| can and then can chew IL later"
| He started eating the rubber hose and
| had devoured about four feet when the
! funniest feeling came ever him. whai
was It? Never before had he felt that
way It seemed as though his appetite were
disappearing down his throat.
Gracious me- thought Billy. He
couldn't say anything for his mouth was
| full Of hose and the hose was-yes, II was
| full of water! Some one had turned the
| hose on and the water was rushing into
Bllys mouth and filling him at the rate OF
| a thousand gallons a minute-at least, II
| seemed so 20 him.
| Just at the moment when Billy expected
to be blown up the boy appeared again and
| It took but a second for him to see what
was the matter. He rushed down the cell
lar steps, two at a time, and turned the
water of.
| Lucky Billy!
1 That was the second time he had been
sa we'd in one day by the boy. How thank
| full Billy was. but he WAS irled up to the
| mouth with water. II it had been some
thing else, it wouldn't have mattered.
But Billy was lazy now, he didn't want
to do anything, except lie down. The boy,
| however. wanted to hitch Billy up.
Poor Billy.
our once active friend-our once active
| butter was now almost dead. He was so
| gentle FREELY could have led him around
But wait!