St. Johnsbury Caledonian

How Billy Came and Went.

Billy came to the Stanlakes' because Salie had made papa understand that she could not be happy without something to drive. and that she could not harness into a wagon her chickens or her lamb or her cats or her bird.

Billy was such a big fellow and had such strong horns that Sallie was a little afraid of him. But she stepped into the wagon and picked up the reins, while Brother Ben let go his hold on Billy's head. Then what a scramble! Up the road and around the corner, wherever Billy chose to go, with Ben chasing after But Ben could not catch him, and Billy did not stop until he was tired, Sallie, brave and shaken, stepped out of the wagon.

"I think." she said. "I won't drive him till he gets tame."

So Billy was left to wander about, and Sallie kept out of the way of his long horns. But Billy and Norah, the cook, became enemies at once.

On the outside of the kitchen window were solid wooden shutters. Billy soon found that he could unlatch these with his horns, and a dozen times a day he would shut Norah in the dark. She chased him with her broom, but Billy was always too quick for her, and she could only shake her stick at him from the kitchen door, which he didn't mind at all, but began to nibble at the dish towels which Norah had spread on the grass to dry.

And as Billy came to the Stanlakes because of Sallie, he went away because of Norah,

One day, not finding enough dish towels to eat, Billy was pretty hungry Norah was going out and stood at the gate in her best shawl, quite forgetting Billy. Presently she felt a pull at her shawl, and there was naughty Billy munching the fringe.

"Ah, go on wid ye. ye black rascal!" Norah cried, clapping her hands. But it was too late. Billy scampered away, but he left a large hole in the shawl.

"What kind of a baste are ye?" Norah said, but then she had to stop and clap her hands again. Master Billy was standing on his hind legs under the clothesline, taking for dessert the sleeve of papa's nicest shirt. At Norah's shout Billy dropped on his four legs and attempted to run away.

The kitchen door looked safe, and in Billy ran. But there he was, worse off than ever, for he was shut in. The fire was on the opposite side of the room. and to get away from Norah's broom Billy leaped up on the range Then he forgot Norah and her broom. He had never walked on so hot a floor before. Up came one foot and then another, and Billy was dancing a jig He did not know enough to get down, and Norah was laughing too hard to help him. So there he danced until Sallie and Ben came and drove him out.

"Ah, ha, Master Billy!" Norah said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You'll not be playin' your thricks again on me, mayhap."

And he never did. That night papa said:

"Don't you think we might let Billy go home again, Sallie?" and Sallie answered with a sigh:

"Yes. papa. He's beautiful, but he doesn't get very tame, and it is pretty expensive to feed him on shawls and shirts."

And this is how Billy came and went.

—[Helen Ward Banks in the Outlook.