You will see from this that Billy meant to do just right, and likely would have put his resolution into effect had it not been that at this juncture he spied a great mass of red, yellow, blue and green balls floating in the air near by.
They were such gaudy, attractive things that Billy determined to secure at least one, to take home to Dick as a memento of the day. He pushed on, and soon saw that they were all held in leash by one man, who was now in a heated argument with a little fellow not more than six or seven years old at the most.
“I did give you a quarter!” he was explaining, while the street peddler emphatically shook his head and repeated:
“No, no! But one dime, but one dime you did give to me. No, No! I give you your right change!”
“I want my money, I do!” wailed the boy, the angry tears beginning to stream down his chubby cheeks.
“Those Turks are all browbeaters, and here seems to be one of the worst of his tribe,” thought Billy. “Poor toddler, to lose his coveted quarter that way! I know how Dick has treasured up his Fair money, and I for one do not propose to stand idly by and see any boy treated so.”
With this resolution Billy charged with one mighty butt into the wrangling Oriental. But what was this? Instead of a head-on collision, as Billy had anticipated, with a fleeing, howling victim, it was Billy himself who was in mad flight, with a mysterious something tugging away at his horns, gently but nevertheless persistently pulling straight up.
Now that is not the way a man holds a goat. They invariably push down, and Billy first grew impatient and then angry because he could not account for this strange feeling.
He broke into a trot, thinking to rid himself of his tormentor, but that only served to attract a crowd of hilarious boys and girls, who ran screaming and screeching behind him.
On he galloped, by this time at full speed, and quite reckless of consequences. Would he never be able to free himself? Louder and louder came the shouts of his pursuers, larger and larger the following until poor Billy, quite bewildered, decided to turn and “face the music” as Tom would express it.