"Oh, give him away, or sell him—anything," replied Nyoda.
"Hercules, come here!" she called, as she spied a kinky white head bobbing around in the barnyard.
Hercules approached with a painfully stew, shuffling gait. "What is it, Mis' Elizabeth?" he inquired mildly, eyeing his mistress with affection in his look.
"Hercules," said Nyoda crisply, "we're going to get rid of that goat."
"What's 'at ol' goat bin a-doin', honey?" quavered Hercules anxiously.
"He's eaten up the American flag!" replied Nyoda in an outraged tone. "This is positively the last straw. I put up with several hundred dollars' worth of damage about the place, but this is too much. Do you realize what he's done? He's eaten up the American flag!"
"Why-e-e-e-e-e!" exclaimed Hercules, and then, "Lord a-massy! Kaiser Bill," he remarked reproachfully, "ain't I done fetched you up no better'n 'at?"
"Do you know of anyone who would take him?" asked Nyoda.
The old man considered, with his head in his hands. "Oh, Mis' Elizabeth, you-all ain't goin' ter give dat goat away?" he broke out pleadingly. "'At goat's lived here all his life, deed he has, Mis' Elizabeth, an' he wouldn' feel to home nowheres else!"
But for once Nyoda stood her ground and refused to be cajoled.