Billy Whiskers at Home

by Frances Trego Montgomery

While Stubby was in the grocery store, Billy had wandered on a block or two when he heard a great hullabaloo in a back yard.

“I wonder what is going on there. I’ll just run along and peek in,” he thought.

Arrived at the yard where he heard all the whistling and laughter, he peeked through the half open gate and this is what he saw: four boys trying to hitch a big dog to a little express wagon. And they were having a most difficult time doing it for the dog would not stand up but insisted on crouching on the ground. Two boys tried to hold him up while the other two adjusted the harness. But no use; he would not stand up. At last the boys grew provoked and the boy on either side of him gave the dog a cruel blow with a whip and pushed him forward. In his surprise, the dog bounded forward. Once he was started the boys had no way of controlling him for the reins were dangling over his back. His starting had surprised the boys as much as their whipping had surprised the dog. Down the long back yard he went, dragging the little express wagon straight toward the gate through which Billy was peeping. When he dashed through it, the wheels on one side of the wagon collided with the gate post. This broke the traces, releasing the dog. Down the street he went like mad to escape his tormentors.

On reaching the gate the boys spied Billy. One lad, who had once owned a pair of goats and a little wagon, called out, “Come ahead, fellows! Let’s hitch up the goat! He is a big, fine creature and can pull the wagon easier than the dog.”

Almost before Billy knew what was happening, he found himself hitched to the little express wagon and being driven down the street. At first he enjoyed it, until too many boys got in the wagon at one time. This treatment made Billy angry and he decided to upset them the first opportunity he had. When he came to a place where the sidewalk was high from the street pavement, he ran off the walk, turning the little wagon completely upside down and spilling out all the boys. As Billy ran off, one boy caught hold of the reins that were dragging on the ground, jumped in the wagon which had righted itself by this time, and on down the street they went. When they came to a small bridge that spanned a wide ditch, Billy said to himself, “Here is where I lose the last boy!” and with extra exertion he ran faster than he had ever run in all his life. As he reached the bridge, instead of going over it he swerved and plunged down the bank right into the little stream which was narrow but deep. Here he spilled the boy out and while he was picking himself up, Billy climbed up the opposite bank and headed for the crossroads where he had agreed to meet Stubby and Button.

He reached this rendezvous about ten minutes before the others. When they came and saw him standing in the traces half asleep, they wanted to know where and how he had acquired the wagon. He told them and added that he was going to take it home with him, and the boys could find it as best they could.

When the Chums reached the farm, Mr. Watson was sitting on his front porch reading, but he glanced up at the sound of wheels turning into his driveway and he had to laugh for there was Billy pulling a very new looking little express wagon, with Stubby and Button sitting on the front seat. Indeed they had the appearance of driving the little turnout.

“Well, well, well! I wonder how Billy came by that wagon. Probably some little boy has hitched him to it and then hit him with a whip or done something to him he did not like and he has run off with the wagon. I expect in a short time someone will appear looking for it. In the meantime I will unhitch Billy and take care of the wagon.”

But it was not until the next morning that anyone came for it, as it took the boys all that time to discover where Billy had gone.