The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-01-27

"MR. VAN CAMP is pardonable
~ for buying the Rabbits
goat" stated Victoria, Mr.. Van
Camps unsophisticated sister.
Expected to COM
cA60f ment, I replied:
SONs .Your brother has
en@nF the reputation Of be-
0nONn ing an expert trades
,~->A~ man, undoubtedly
SbOk1 he bought the goat
to trade"
evan does trade farm stock, but
he didn't buy the goat to trade"
persisted Victoria.
AS ] saw no logical reason why
q shrewd tradesman should buy a
goat for the mere sake of owning
goat, I made no answer. Vic
toria continued:
cts like this. Miss Leonard: Van
was brought up from childhood de-
prived of playthings. Our neigh
bors, the Hubbards, were well-to-
do; their boys had everything-bi-
cycles, guns, pigeons and goats. Our
boys only had garden tools and
wheelbarrow.> Van used to run
away and stay in the pasture with
the Hubbard goats. It's only child
ish whim of Vans now to have
goat of his own"
"The Rabbit girls told me a woe
full story about Rags. Last Mon
day afternoon he chewed off his
tether rope and then went to the
clothesline and chewed up the
weeks wash"
"I'n have Van keep Rags in the
barnyard," vowed Victoria. ''I'n
have him fix the fence.
Van did; he worked hours adding
an extra top-rail. With evil eyes
the goat stood watching, ready to
butt viciously whenever Van ven
tured inside.
Although he built a corral, Mr..
Van Camp had no intention of keep
ling Rags in it. A summer boarder
at Van Camps, I assumed a neutral
attitude In their family differences.
Therefore, when Van let the goat
out back of the barn, bravely har-
Messing him into a goat-cart to go
driving around Rockhill, knew all
about the affair, while Victoria, who
puritanically would not tolerate any
such tomfoolery, did not know.
The first house across Meadow
brook bridge is Van Camps. Be
hind this house rises round-topped
hill, Astounding in boulders, the
rocky pasture sloping to Meadow
brook pond. Hitherward, to the pond,
this Saturday morning, in my bath
ing suit, went !; and hitherward
riding in his iron goat-cart to Rock
hin, went Mr.. Van Camp I barely
had time to gather my important
manuscript papers and scramble
out Of the way to avoid being run
over. With momentum the goat
speeded down and out into the Bot
tomless Pit, where the iron cart
forthwith sank.
Solicitously looked down into the
! STILL. deep water. but ] saw nobody,
nothing. In my bathing suit went
up into the pasture. When shouted,
only mournful rock echoes came
mockingly back to me. At last /
scudded home.
Victoria was in the kitchen, max
ing pies.
where is Mr.. Van Camp" in
quired /.
81 s'pose he's in the meadow lot
planting potatoes.
/ "Wel, he's had a. runaway" FL
"That sorrel mare again." fumed
Victoria i've advised Van to trade
of that nervous mare. She ran
away from me one day, leaving me
at the postoffice to walk home.
Didn't you see YAM"
No. but his team dashed down
into the pond"
Victoria continued to make pies.
81 wonder what could have hap
pened to Mr.. Van Camp" persisted
L.
well; can't leave my pies very
well," declared Victoria dutifully,
but I'll telephone for men to help. T"
Victoria went to the telephone
while I returned to the dale of the
disaster.
found the goat chewing up my
shoes and silk stockings which had
mindlessfy left behind me-
Presently came Victoria's help
policemen, coast guardsmen, men
of the fire department, followed by
the endless throng of weekend joy
riders.
Needless to say, -they found Mr..
Van Camp; they found him leaning
bewildered against boulder with q
cash in his head. He supposed he
had been asleep 20 years.
On Monday following, Van traded
the goat with Billy Browns father
for a rooster.
81 didn't want pay; / gave Billy
the goat" Van explained to me con-
| fidentially. But Brown offered q
rooster I'd been wanting. That 3
how we happened to swap