“Just think of the fun we would have had with three or four hundred dollars apiece! That pony with his gold-plated harness and the dandy wagon that the old man gave the little fellow must have cost all of that, to say nothing of the price of the two guns and the wad of money for the owner and his wife. It’s a sorry day for us when we let this goat slip through our fingers. It almost seems as though he was our property now.”
Mike thought hard for several minutes before answering. A wicked scheme was shaping itself in his mind.
“You are right, Jim, he is our property, and if you will help me, we’ll have him yet. I’ve thought it all out. It is plain to be seen that the old man, as you call the manager, expects you and me to take care of his nibs here and that will give us just the chance we need. We won’t lose any time about it either, for it will be easier to get away with him now than later.
“Tonight, when we come to load up, instead of putting Billy Whiskers in a car, we’ll nail him up in a box and leave him on the station platform. You and I will stay behind with him. As soon as the train pulls out, we’ll take him and start in the other direction. Later on we can decide what is best to do. Either we can start a show of our own with Billy Whiskers as the main attraction, or we can take him to Ringling Brothers and get our own price for him.”
“All right,” said Jim, “I’m with you. It looks good to me. We are both of us sick of this old show anyway. The Ringlings will hear about the goat and monkey act and have to put something on to match it. It’s lucky for us that they are no further away than Dayton. My idea is that we had better sell the goat and skip to New York or Chicago as soon as we can. There is sure to be a row when he is missed. I don’t believe these monkeys will act for cold beans when their leader is gone.”
“You be around handy tonight to help me box his goatship. He’ll probably make no trouble for it’s all new to him, but whether he does or not, he’s got to do as we want and it will be best for us to work together.”
“Just look at him now! He is a beauty. I wouldn’t believe that soap and water could make such a change in him.”
“Yes, and wait until I have combed out his hair and beard and polished his horns,” said the now enthusiastic Jim. “Ringlings will give a thousand dollars for this goat, or I miss my guess.”
As Mike and Jim now felt that every good point and new beauty they found in Billy Whiskers meant just so much more money in their pockets, you can well see why they took so much trouble to make him look his best.
In the meanwhile Billy Whiskers was considering the new danger that now confronted him. For several very good reasons he had no intentions of letting Mike and Jim get away with him.