[Illustration: THE CROWD OF ANIMALS BELOW CRIED, “TELL US SOMETHING
MORE! TELL US SOMETHING MORE!” (PAGE 62)]
BILLY WHISKERS
AT HOME
BY
FRANCES TREGO MONTGOMERY
AUTHOR OF “BILLY WHISKERS,” “BILLY WHISKERS’ KIDS,” “BILLY
WHISKERS’ ADVENTURES,” “BILLY WHISKERS OUT FOR FUN,”
“THE WONDERFUL ELECTRIC ELEPHANT,” ETC.
[Illustration]
ILLUSTRATED BY
C. W. FRANK
AND
FRANCES BRUNDAGE
THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AKRON, OHIO NEW YORK
MADE IN U. S. A.
Copyright 1924
by
The Saalfield Publishing Co.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I THE CHUMS BACK HOME 7
II SAL SCRUGS MAKES TROUBLE 17
III SAL SCRUGS DEFIES SHEP 27
IV AN INVITATION TO A “WELCOME HOME” PARTY 35
V THE “WELCOME HOME” PARTY 47
VI THE BRAZILIAN BULL FIGHT 55
VII BILLY PERSONIFIES NEPTUNE 63
VIII STUBBY RELATES HIS EXPERIENCE WITH SEALS 71
IX BUTTON IS SPEAKER 79
X BILLY RUNS AWAY 85
XI AN EXCITING DAY FOR BILLY 91
XII THE TWINS ARE STOLEN 101
XIII TROUBLE OVER GINGER COOKIES 109
XIV THE CHUMS HAVE A DAY OFF 117
XV BUTTING MATCHES 129
XVI THE DUCKS GROW DIZZY-HEADED 135
XVII THE NEW ELECTRIC WASHER 141
XVIII CATCHING THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY 151
XIX BILLY BECOMES A MOVIE ACTOR 161
ILLUSTRATIONS
The crowd of animals below cried, “Tell us something more! Tell
us something more!”
Why did the king look so different? This was not the Neptune
they had expected to see.
Seeing Mr. Robinson dangling there, Billy gave him a mighty butt
that shoved him all the way through.
Billy surprised Augusta by butting her right over his head, and she
landed in the trough with a great splash.
“Save me quickly, or it will be too late!” gobbled the turkey.
Mr. Watson’s hired man soon had a rope around Billy’s neck.
_Billy Whiskers at Home_
CHAPTER I
THE CHUMS BACK HOME
One morning in early spring Mr. Watson rolled up the shade at his
bedroom window to see what kind of weather was promised for the day
when, glancing over to the lane, whom should he see running down its
long stretch but Billy Whiskers, Stubby and Button.
“Am I seeing things or is that really and truly my old Billy Whiskers
come back to the farm after being away all these years?” he murmured.
“William, what _are_ you talking about?” asked his wife, who was yet in
bed.
“Come to the window and see whether or not the goat, dog and cat
running along our lane are our old pets Billy, Stubby and Button,” he
replied. “But of course they must be, for where in the wide world would
one ever find three such animals traveling together?”
By this time Mrs. Watson was in her kimono and slippers and at the
window. “I don’t see him,” she said at last.
“You don’t? Down there where the lane runs into the barnyard,” said her
husband.
“Oh, yes, I see him now! And do look at the way all the cows, horses,
chickens and even Old Shep and Matilda, our tortoise shell cat, are
rushing to meet those three. Talk about animals not having sense and
feelings! Why, they are almost eating their old friends alive! The way
they are all rubbing noses and fussing over them to show their joy at
seeing them once more! I feel like hugging them myself! Where do you
suppose they have been all these years?” Mrs. Watson asked.
“I don’t know, but I would give a good deal if those three could talk
and tell us where they have kept themselves and the experiences they
have had, for I wager my best hat they have had some very exciting
adventures with many hardships thrown in. I must hurry and dress and
then go out to see them,” said Mr. Watson. “I don’t want them to think
I am not as glad to see them as my animals are.”
“Wait a few minutes and I will go with you,” said his wife, bustling
about.
When Billy, Stubby and Button saw Mr. and Mrs. Watson coming, they ran
to greet them. Billy nearly baaed his head off to show his delight,
while Stubby twisted his body into hard knots and wiggled his stub of
a tail so fast one could scarcely see it. As for Button, he rubbed
himself against them until he almost wore the skin off his back.
“Well, we are glad to see you back,” said Mr. Watson, “and we hope you
are going to stay with us and not run off right away. My dear, you take
Stubby and Button to the house and give them a big breakfast while I
do the same for Billy here at the barn. My sakes alive, whom do we see
coming on the run from behind the barn but the whole Billy Whiskers
family! The procession is headed by Nannie, Billy’s dear little wife.
From the surprise so plainly shown in all their faces they could not
have known he was going to arrive.”
“Look, William, look! From the way they are greeting one another one
would think they were humans instead of animals!”
“I tell you what, my dear, you see before you six of the finest
full-blooded Angora goats you could find in a lifetime. They are all so
big, strong and handsome, and have such silky hair and graceful horns.
Billy and Nannie are pure white and perfectly mated. So too are Billy
Junior and Daisy, his wife. Billy Junior’s coal-black hair makes a fine
contrast against Daisy’s coat. As for the Twins, they are their father
and mother over again, Punch being black and Judy white.”
[Illustration]
“Now Billy is back, we can expect exciting things to happen,” remarked
Mrs. Watson, “for wherever he is, there is always something going
on. See, William, what is next to welcome them! How those pigeons and
doves cluster around them, some even alighting on their backs! As they
are the mail carriers for the animals, before night every farm for
miles around will hear the glad tidings that Billy Whiskers, Stubby
and Button are back home. See! Didn’t I tell you? There they go now,
flying in all directions! Here, Stubby, Stubby, Stubby! Here, Button,
Button, Button! Come with me and get something to eat!” she called as
she turned toward the house.
“Oh, grandfather, stand still and watch me,” said Punch to Billy
Whiskers. “I can jump so high! See, I can jump over your back!” and he
ran off a few yards and then made a flying jump over Billy’s back. “I
have learned to do that while you have been away on your travels.”
“That was pretty good, but next time raise your feet a little higher
for you nearly took a chunk out of my back,” warned Billy.
“I can beat Punch jumping,” said Judy, “though he says I can’t because
I am a girl. Watch me and see if I can’t!” But just when she jumped,
Billy moved away and she leaped high in the air with nothing under her.
“Oh, grandfather, what made you move? Now stand still and I will do it
again.”
“No, thank you! I’ll take your word for it that you can jump higher
than your brother; I can’t spare any more of my flesh to-day.”
“Daddy, you stand still then and let me jump over you,” pleaded Judy.
Billy Junior heaved a sigh of resignation and stood still while Judy
leaped over him, her feet held so close to her body that there was a
full foot between his back and her feet.
“See! Don’t I jump higher and better than Punch?” she asked proudly.
“Oh, children,” exclaimed Daisy, their mother, “don’t always be vying
with one another. All you do these days is to argue. Can’t you play
without quarreling and fussing?”
“We don’t fuss or quarrel, mother. We just tell each other what we
think and want.”
“Well, don’t do it so emphatically then,” replied their mother.
“Oh, there goes Farmer Jones’ flock of goats down the road to the
pasture. Can’t we go with them? It is such fun to play with them in
their pasture.”
“Yes, you may go if their man will let you. But I am afraid when he
sees you he will drive you back,” replied Daisy.
“Well, if he does, we will wait until he gets them in the pasture and
goes home. Then we will run down the road and crawl under the fence.
There is a big hole we know about that is large enough for us to crawl
through, for we were down there yesterday and crawled through and
played with them all the afternoon. Come on, Punch, let’s go and try
it.”
And off they scampered, while Billy Whiskers followed Mr. Watson to the
barn door where he waited for him to bring out his breakfast. He soon
returned with a peck of carrots and some oats, and while Billy ate, the
animals and fowls stood around and asked questions as to where he had
been, and eagerly listened as he told what he had seen.
When Stubby and Button reached the house with Mrs. Watson they found
Bridget waiting at the door--the cook who had been there when they left
the old farm.
“Well, well, well!” she exclaimed on seeing the two, “and is it
yezselves I see wid me two eyes? And glad I am to see ye! Though I know
yer heads must be filled wid devilment ye have picked up while yez
were away. And yez had enough to last ye all yer life when yez lift
us! Unless time has put some sinse in yer heads, which I hope it has!
But here! Yez didn’t come home to hear me talk but to git something to
eat. Just wait around a minute and I’ll give yez the best breakfast yez
have had since yez lift, and one that’ll make yezselves stick out like
barrels!”
“Bridget is the same old girl, isn’t she?” said Stubby.
“Yes; her bark is worse than her bite,” replied Button. “Yum, yum! I
smell something delicious cooking, and here she comes with two plates
heaped full of food!”
They had just finished their meal when Bridget came rushing out of
the kitchen with the broom held high over her head, exclaiming, “Come
along, Stubby and Button, and hilp me drive out that cross old cow that
is always coming into our yard and eating up our flowers!”
[Illustration]
The cow was standing in the middle of the flower bed making havoc of
it, and Bridget charged on her with the broom, but instead of stopping
eating, the cow lowered her head and made for Bridget on the run.
Bridget turned and fled toward the porch, the cow close at her heels.
She was just ready to hook the woman when she herself had a surprise
for she found herself facing two angry eyes and a pair of horns twice
as sharp as her own. And before she could hook whatever this was before
her, she felt two sharp horns running into her side and pushing her
sideways. She came to the conclusion that it was about time for her to
make a hasty departure. As she turned toward the gate she found herself
hurried through it by a little dog barking and snapping at her heels
and then hanging to her tail. Though she tried again and again to kick
him, she could not succeed, for when she kicked out with one foot, he
was always snapping at the other leg. He chased her down the road for a
mile and then with a parting warning not to come into that yard again,
he let her go.
For the rest of the day the Chums wandered around the farm to see what
improvements had been made and to meet the new animals that had been
bought by Mr. Watson while they had been away. And when they went to
bed that night, all three declared there was no place in all the whole
wide world like the dear old farm.
[Illustration: WHY DID THE KING LOOK SO DIFFERENT? THIS WAS NOT THE
NEPTUNE THEY HAD EXPECTED TO SEE. (PAGE 65)]