“Well, it happened in this way. He did come back and I thought I would catch him and claim the reward. One might as well try to catch the devil asleep as to try to catch that goat off his guard. Do you see those steps that lead up onto the hospital porch? And that cherry tree down the lane the other side of those beehives? Well, just imagine me, fat as I am, at the end of a rope, being jerked off the porch where there are no steps, pulled around the yard, down past the beehives, upsetting them, chased and stung by the bees, wrapped around that cherry tree so tight I could not move and then the rope pulled out of my hands so fast it blistered them while the goat ran on, stopped to look around, saw me stuck to the tree, and then he gave a baa, swished his tail and disappeared. I have not seen him since. I hope the bees stung him so he will remember the day as long as he lives, for I know I shall. Why, I could not see out of my eyes for two days, they were swollen so, and my ears looked like a jackass’s, they were so swollen out of shape. No, thank you! You may have all the honor of catching that goat yourself, and the reward that goes with it. I’ll be a goat catcher no more.”
Button could see in his imagination just what Billy did to the fellow, and he laughed so to himself that he nearly fell out of the tree.
“If you would like to hear it, I will tell you how he escaped the five of us,” offered the chauffeur. Then he told the cook what you already know, the recital of which pleased the cook immensely, as misery likes company, and he was glad to know that he was not the only one Billy had gotten the best of.
“I tell you what let’s do,” suggested the chauffeur. “There are two of us against one goat. We will lay a plan and get him. Then we can divide that thousand dollars between us. We won’t try to get him in a hurry, but we will lay a plan that can’t fail.”
“Can’t fail?” laughed the cook. “Any plan would fail with that old goat unless you killed him outright. And we don’t want to do that for the General’s reward is for him alive, not dead.”
Away went Billy, jerking the cook around trees,
over stumps and beehives.
(Page [56])
“Well, it is a pity with such a big reward in sight if we can’t get ahead of one old goat! I’ll eat my shirt if I don’t capture him alive within three days after I lay eyes on him.”
“You’ll eat your shirt then, young man, and I will sit by and see you do it if he doesn’t bung up both my eyes so I can’t see out of them before then.”