Billy Whiskers

Excerpt: ...while Billy was thinking this the circus-man was making the rope fly round and round his head in a long circle, and soon with a quick twist, the rope straightened out and the loop fell over Billy's head and settled on his neck while he stood looking at them. Billy was the most surprised goat you ever saw, for it was the first time he had ever seen a lasso thrown and had he only known it, the circus-man had been a cowboy in his younger days and lassoed many head of cattle. When Billy found he was fairly caught, his pride had a fall, for he had thought himself too smart to be caught, and instead of him leading the men a chase and making them cross the brook to 84 get him, they were pulling him off the bank and through the water, making him follow them. At first he tried to pull back and get away, but he had to give that up, for the rope tightened round his neck and shut off his breath and he was glad enough to follow where they led. When Nanny saw what had happened she ran up to Billy bleating as if her heart would break for she was very fond of him, and she was afraid they were going to kill him or take him away forever. "Don't cry, Nanny. I will get loose and come back to-night, or to-morrow night sure, if I can't get loose to-night; so don't take on so. I know my way back and a circus tent is not a hard thing to get out of." "But, Billy dear, they may tie you as they have now, and then you can't get loose," said Nanny. "Oh, yes I can, when they leave me alone, I can chew the rope in two." "But can't I go with you, Billy? I feel so terribly at being left alone and, think of it, we have not been married two weeks." "What a pretty face that little Nanny goat has," said the circus-man. 85 "Yes," answered the farmer, "they both came to the pasture one day and joined my goats and have been here ever since. I never knew where they came from, or whom they belonged to." "Well, here we are at the barn, you must run back, little Nanny; I can't take you with...