*CHAPTER III*
*BILLY SEES HIS MOTHER AGAIN*
Nobody, not even a goat, likes to think of being roasted for dinner, andso, the minute he heard that, Billy gave an extra hard tug at the wire,but it only cut his neck and choked him and would not break. So he gaveit up and "baahed" pitifully while he looked to Caspar for help.
"Indeed you will not roast this goat," said sturdy Caspar. "He's mygoat; he chased my dog and I'm going to keep him."
Caspar looked up at his father and his father looked down at Caspar.Billy looked up at both of them. Little Caspar and big Caspar stoodexactly alike, both of them with their fists doubled on their hips andboth of them with square jaws and firm lips, and it was big Caspar, who,proud to see his boy looking so much like himself, finally gave in. Helaughed and said:
"All right, he's your goat, but you have got to take the whippings forall the damage he does."
"Very well," said Caspar, "I'll do it," and his father walked away.
Billy was so pleased with this that he made up his mind to be very niceto the boy, and when Caspar stooped down to take the empty plate away,Billy ran his nose affectionately into young Oberbipp's hand. Rightafter breakfast Caspar took off the wire from Billy's neck, holding aswitch in his hand to whip the goat over the nose in case he tried tobutt or run away. But Billy did neither of these things. He followedhis new master out in the yard, and there he was backed up between theshafts of a little wagon that had been made for Fleabite. The dogcapered and barked and made a run or two at Billy, but the goat onlyshook his horns at him and Fleabite ran under the barn. The dog wasjealous. He did not like the wagon, but, rather than have the goathitched up to it, he wanted to haul it himself.
He was backed up between the shafts of a little wagon.]
"It's no use, Fleabite," said Caspar, "you might as well make friendswith him. Anyhow, you're not big enough to haul this wagon, and youalways lay down in the harness. You can come along behind, though. I'mgoing to drive in to Kasedorf and show my goat to cousin Fritz."
At first Billy was afraid that Kasedorf might be the village where hehad torn up the spring-house, and he had very good reasons for notwanting to go back there, but when they clattered out of the gate Casparturned his head in the other direction, and he was very glad of this.He was so pleased with his new master that he went along at a splendidgait, pulling Caspar nicely up one hill after another. Fleabite ranalong, sometimes behind, sometimes ahead, and sometimes slipping up atthe side and snapping at Billy's nose; but Billy had only to shake hishorns in the dog's direction and Fleabite would run about a mile beforehe would take it into his foolish head to try that trick again.
Pretty soon they went whizzing down a little hill and into a farprettier village than the first one. Just as they turned into the mainstreet, along came a flock of goats driven by two men and half a dozenboys, and who should Billy see in that flock but his own mother! Ofcourse he called loudly to her. She heard him, and though she was inthe center of the flock, quickly made her way to the edge, where shekissed him. She had no time to tell him where she was going, nor he totell her all that had happened to him since he had fallen from thecliff, but it was a joy for each of them to know that the other wasstill alive and in good health.
Before they could speak further, a sharp whip cracked over them and thelash landed on Billy's nose. He jumped back with the pain and again thewhip cracked. This time Billy's mother got the sting of it. Billylooked around, and there, handling the whip, was fat Hans Zug! Billy,mad as a hornet, whirled and was going to make for Hans, when Caspar,who had jumped out of the cart, hit him a sharp crack across the nosewith his fist, and it pained Billy so much that the tears came to hiseyes and he could not see. Before he could make another start for Hansor run after his mother, Hans had passed by, and Caspar's uncleHeinrich, who had come up in the meantime, had Billy by the horns andwas holding him. Billy struggled as hard as he could to get away. Hewanted to butt Hans Zug for whipping his mother and himself, and hewanted to go with his mother if he could, so he was a very sulky goat.
Even when Caspar took him to his uncle's house and gave him some nice,tender vegetables and potato parings to eat, he was very sulky as hestood there munching his dinner, so that when Fleabite came up and stolesome of his potato parings he butted that poor dog plump into a barbedwire fence. You must not suppose that Fleabite liked potato parings.He would not eat them at home, but he was such a jealous dog that hewanted to eat up Billy's dinner, no matter what it was. After dinnerCaspar rubbed Billy's sleek coat until it was all clean and glossy, thenhe let Fritz have a ride in the cart. Fritz drove proudly up into themain street, and there, standing at the corner, talking to another man,was Hans Zug!
"Yes," Hans was saying in English to the other man, "I go me also byAmerica next week. I got such a brother there what is making more as atousand dollars a year mit such a goat farm, and I take me my goatsover. I got a contract mit another Switzer what owns the land. Yess!"
Billy did not wait for any more, but raised up on his hind feet. Fritztried his best to hold him back, but he might as well have tried to holdthe wind, and Billy, feeling the tug at his reins, gave a jump thattoppled Fritz over backwards out of the cart. He gave one more jump andlanded with all his might and main against poor, round Hans, and as hisenemy went down Billy jumped on him and ran up one side of him and downthe other side. Poor Hans got up and clasped both pudgy hands on hisstomach.
"A thousand lightnings yet again!" he exclaimed as he looked sorrowfullyat his print in the dust. Hans had been butted that time for Billy'smother; now Billy whirled and came back to give Hans one for himself,but this time Hans was too quick for him and dodged behind a tree,letting Billy butt the tree so hard that it stunned him, and before thefiery tempered goat could make up his mind what had happened to him,Caspar came running up and grabbed him by the horns. Billy could havejerked away from Caspar, but he felt that the boy was now the bestfriend he had, and he did not want to hurt him, so he let Caspar pat himon his sleek sides and climb into the cart behind him.
"You'll have to walk, Fritz," said Caspar loftily. "It takes a goodstrong boy to manage this goat."
Billy laughed at this, but when Caspar "clicked" for him to "get up," hetrotted right along without making any fuss about it.
At the next corner a carriage turned into the main street, and in it, onthe seat back of the driver, were a man and a boy, the latter being ofabout Caspar's age.
"Oh, papa, do look at that beautiful goat!" exclaimed the boy. "Pleasebuy him for me, won't you?"
Mr. Brown shook his head.
"I don't mind you having a goat, Frank," he said, "but I can get youjust as good a one when we get back to America. There is no use incarrying a goat clear across the ocean with us when there are so many athome."
"All right," said the boy, obediently, and the carriage drove on.
Poor Billy! His heart sank. He had just heard from Hans that hismother was going to America, and he did hope that this fine looking manwould buy him and take him there, too, so that he would have more chanceto find his mother; but now his chance was gone. Was it though? He wasnot a goat to give up easily, and he made up his mind to try once more.
Billy stopped dead still to think it over. He simply could not bear tolet this man get away without another trial, so suddenly he whirled,nearly upsetting the cart, and ran after the strangers. He soon caughtup with them, and then, slowing down, he trotted along at the side ofthe carriage, showing off his beauty as much as he could.
"Oh, papa, there is that beautiful goat again," said the boy. "How I dowish I could have him! Of course you can buy me one in America, as youhave promised to do, but they say that there are no goats in the worldso fine as the Swiss goats, and I am sure that I never saw any so prettyas this one."
The man smiled indulgently at his son and stopped the carriage.
"How much will you take for your goat, my boy
?" he asked.
"I don't want to sell him," replied Caspar. "He's my goat and I likehim."
Just then Billy tossed his fine head and pranced, daintily lifting hisfeet.
"See how graceful he is!" exclaimed the boy. "Do buy him, papa!"
"I'll give you ten dollars for him," said the gentleman, pulling out hispocketbook.
Caspar caught his breath. He knew the value of an American dollar, andten dollars was equal to more than forty German marks. It was a greatlot of money, too much for a poor boy to refuse. Caspar drew a long sighand began to slowly unhitch his goat. The driver of the carriage threwhim a strap, and with this he tied Billy to the rear axle of thecarriage.
Fleabite, as soon as Billy was safely tied, began to caper with joy andto snap at Billy's heels, but Caspar, when the man had paid him hismoney, grabbed Fleabite and hitched him to the cart. Then he ran up andpatted Billy affectionately on the flanks, and the carriage drove away,with Billy following gladly behind in the dust.
Down the village street the carriage rolled until it came to a quaintlittle Swiss inn, where it turned through a wide gateway that led into abrick-paved courtyard. Here Billy was unfastened from the carriage by aservant and led back of the inn, where he was tied by the strap to apost, while Mr. Brown and his son Frank went to their mid-day meal.Billy didn't like to be tied; he was not used to it, so he began to chewhis strap in two. It was very tough leather but Billy's teeth were verysharp and strong, and he had it about half gnawed through when a little,lean waiter came from the kitchen across the courtyard, carrying, highup over his head, a great big tray piled with dishes of food. Thewaiter saw Billy gnawing his strap in two and thought that he ought tokeep him from it.
"Stop that, you hammer-headed goat!" he cried and gave Billy a kick.
Billy was not going to stand anything like that, so he gave a mightyjump and the strap parted where he had been gnawing upon it. As soon asthe lean waiter saw this he started to run, but, with the heavy tray hewas carrying, he could not run very fast and he looked most comical withhis apron flopping out behind him and his legs going almost straight upand down in his effort to run and to balance the tray at the same time.
When Billy pulled the strap in two, the jerk of it sent him head overheels and by the time he had scrambled to his feet again the waiter washalf way to the back door of the inn. The fat cook, who was looking outof the door of the summer kitchen, saw Billy start for the waiter and hestarted after the goat, but he got there too late, for the goat caughtup with the lean waiter in about three leaps and with a loud "baah!"sent him sprawling. The big tray of dishes came down with a crash and aclatter, and meats, vegetables, gravies and relishes, together withbroken dishes, were scattered all over the fellow who had kicked Billy,all over the clean scrubbed bricks, spattered up against the walls andinto the long rows of geraniums that grew in a wooden trough at the endof the house.
Billy turned and was about to trot back when he saw the fat cook comingjust behind him, so he ran right on across the little waiter, throughthe mess and to the back door. Crossing the winter kitchen he found abig, rosy-cheeked girl standing in his way and made a dive at her. Witha scream she jumped and Billy's horns caught in her bright, red-checkedapron, which jerked loose. With this streaming along his back, hedashed on into a long hall, and there at the far door whom did he see,just starting into the dining-room, but his old enemy, fat Hans Zug, whohad that morning whipped Billy's mother and himself. Billy stood up onhis hind feet for a second and shook his head at Hans, and then hestarted for him. Hans saw him coming.
"Thunder weather!" he cried, and ran on through the door.
He tried to shut the door behind him but he was not in time, for Billybutted against it and threw it open right out of Hans Zug's hand. Thelong room into which Hans had hurried was the dining-room, and here wereseated, around a long table, a number of ladies and gentlemen, amongthem Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their son Frank, waiting for the dinner thatnow lay scattered around the courtyard. Everybody looked up, startled,when Hans came bursting through the door closely followed by an angrygoat with a red-checked apron streaming from his horns. A great many ofthe men jumped up and scraped their chairs back, adding to theconfusion, and a great many of the ladies screamed. Hans, not knowingwhat to do, started to run around and around the table with Billy closebehind him and the fat cook close after Billy. Billy would easily havecaught Hans except that every once in a while Hans would upset a chairin the goat's road and Billy would have to jump over the chair.Sometimes the fat cook would almost catch Billy and finally did succeedin catching the apron. When it came loose in his hand he did not knowwhat to do with it. He started to throw it down, he started to stuff itin his pocket, he started to mop his perspiring face with it, and atlast he threw it around his neck and tied the strings in front to getrid of it, then once more he chased after Billy, with the red apronflopping out behind him.
At last he grabbed Billy by the tail just as he was going to jump overthe chair, and held on tightly, but Billy's jump had been too strong forhim and the fat cook stumbled head over heels. Jumping up the angrycook ran until he again caught the goat, and this time he fell on top ofBilly and then both rolled over and over on the floor.
"Ugh!" grunted the fat cook. "Beast animal!"
Billy jumped up in such a hurry that he simply danced on the fat cook'sstomach. While Billy was doing this, Hans had stopped for a minute tomop his face and to look wildly around for some way to escape. Aroundand around, around and around the two raced, poor Hans puffing andblowing and his face getting redder and redder every minute with thechase.
Some men had been calsomining the wooden ceiling of the dining-room, butthey had quit during meal time. At one end of the room stood twostep-ladders with some long boards resting across them, and on thesewere a number of buckets of green calsomine. Hans had tried to get outthrough the doorway, but there were too many people crowded into it andhe knew that if he got into that crowd Billy would surely catch him, butnow he saw the step-ladders, and running to one of them started to climbup. Billy, however, was through with the cook and had taken after Hansagain.
Hans, being so fat, was very slow in climbing a step-ladder, and he hadonly puffed his way up one step when Billy tried to help him up a littlefarther with his head and horns after a big running jump. Smash! wentthe step-ladders. Crash! went the long boards. The buckets of greencalsomine flew everywhere. One of them tumbled down right over Hans'head like a hat that was a couple of sizes too large for him, and thegreen paint ran all over his face, down his neck and over his clothes.Another bucket of it landed in the middle of the dining-room table,splashing and splattering all over the clean cloth and over everybodywho sat around it.
Billy, having done more damage than a dozen ordinary goats could hope todo in a lifetime, now made for the door, and the people there scatteredvery quickly to let him through. Billy himself had received his shareof the green calsomine and he was a queer looking sight as he darted outand went flying up the street, with an enemy after him in the shape ofthe fat cook, who had grabbed down a shot-gun from where it hung overthe mantlepiece in the dining-room and had started out after him.
The cook was mad clear through and he was going to kill that goat.Frank, however, was close after the cook, and being able to run much thefaster, soon caught up with him.
"Wait!" he panted, tugging at the tail of the cook's white jacket."Wait! That's my goat!" he cried. "Don't you kill my goat!"
"Away with you, nuisance!" cried the cook, jerking loose from Frank andat the same time pushing him.
Frank fell over backwards, although it did not hurt him, and while hewas getting to his feet the cook took careful aim at the flying goat andpulled the trigger.
Billy Whiskers' Travels Page 3