The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-03-30
Billy Whiskers
By Frances Trego Montgomery.

Tom and Jim hurried to the barn yard and crept around the table look l ing for an unlocked door to get Billy. Betttna, Stubby and Button through, when they came tao the door that Billy had but recently butted down. 1 Not knowing this, however, they en- l tered in search of him and the other 1 animals They looked up in the hay 1 mow, under the stalls, and every I where even in places no cat could even crawl into but they saw neither l hide nor hair of goat. burro, dog or 1 cat. q see it all at last" exclaimed Jim. That Billy boat has butted the door down and they have escaped us again.
 Probably if we look for their 1 tracks just outside the door, we'll be able to follow them,'' said Tom. Sure we will. Come on!'' 1 But as they stepped out of the stable. they were confronted by a big 1 shepherd dog who refused to let 1 them pass.
 1 "stumped again." said Tom. Get me a pitchfork,' said Jim. l ''Tn see if any dog is goin' to stop 1 mel"
 1 Tom went for the pitchforE, but l he did no take it to Jim. Instead l he crawled through an open window l on the other side of the barn, taking l the pitchfork with him as a weapon 1 to protect himself should the dog 1 attack him. But he was counting on l the dog not hearing him, being so 1 taken up with watching Jim. Hurry up!'' called Jim. Are you 1 maxim one?''
 But there was no answer All he ] could hear was the cows as they ! chewed their cuds and the horses stamping in their stalls. l "Drat take it! Whatever could keep him so Iong?"
 Jim never drea'med of such thing ! as Tom daring to desert him. Crow ing impatient at last, he went to look ! for a pitchfork himself. He found l none, however, so was forced to come l back with a shovel instead. Shep still stood guard at the door. 1 He didn't intend to bite the kidnap- 1 CTS or iniure them in any way if they 1 let him alone and stayed in the barn, but he was not going to allow them to leave it until his master had seen | them in the morning. Then if his
 master said to let them go, all right. If not, he would do just what his 1 ma ster told him to do.
 l Get out O there, you dog!'' order
 ed Jim. he made strike at Shep
 with the shovel. The shovel missed I him. and Shep made a spring, grab l bing the man by the coat tail. The | kidnaper tried to hit him. but could not, as he jumped aside, taking the ! coat tail he had in his mouth with | him. This he dropped and then 1 jumped for the other tail, but missed it. At the same time the kidnaper 1 struck at him. hitting him on the l side with the shovel with such force 1 that it knocked him five feet away { and left him senseless.
 ! Now was the kidnaper's chance to escape before the dog recovered, and ! he took to his heels and ran through
 the orchard in the direction in which 1 Billy and the rest had gone only a
 and running. afraid to stop for fear 1 the dog would recover his senses and l pursue him. He came to q little l stream, through which he ran to
 throw Shep off the scent. should he try to track him in that way. On he went until he had to stop for sheer l exhaustion. Seeing a straw stack l ahead of him, he made for that 1 crawled in under the straw, glad of l it's warm covering as he was in a l cold precipitation from fear and his 1 run.
 1 CTomorrow you will hear more of ! the adventures of these wicked kid l napers.)
 Copyrighted by the Saalfield Publish
 ing Co.,. Akron, O.