Of course, the
other folks may listen to it, but it is understood betwixt me an' you
thet it's all yours, an' whatever goes inter their ears is jest ther
leavin's. Is that a go?"

The boy nodded eagerly, even though he didn't understand the drift of
Bud's remarks.

"What's the story about?" asked the boy.

"The goat, my boy. Perhaps you don't know it, but the goat is one of
the noblest animals what walks. He is also one o' ther smartest, an' in
former years used ter be able ter talk, but ez soon ez he got ter be so
popular in secret societies ther gift o' speech was withdrawed from him,
so thet he wouldn't be able ter give erway ther secret things what he
saw an' heard at ther meetin's."

"But, Bud, are they really smart?" asked Dick.

"Smart ain't no name fer it. All yer got ter do to find out if they're
smart is ter look at their whiskers. The smartest o' all animiles is
man, an' don't he wear whiskers? An' I want ter ast yer what other
animile hez whiskers exceptin' ther goat. Ther goat knew what he was
about when he begin ter raise whiskers. He says ter hisself--"

"What bosh!" exclaimed Ben, snorting in his sleep.

"Aire you addressin' yer remarks ter me?" asked Bud, looking over the
back of the seat at Bud. But the only answer was a gentle snore.

"What did he say?" asked Dick eagerly.

"'Why,' says he, 'if they won't let me talk they can't keep me from
bein' ez near a man ez I kin go; by gravy, I'll raise whiskers like
Deacon Smith,' who was a member o' ther lodge in which ther goat
officiated; and, by jinks, he did, an' ther fashion wuz follered, an'
they wear them ter this day.

"There ain't no question o' their smartness, an' their prominence. Ain't
one o' ther signs o' the zodiac up in ther heavens named after ther
goat--Capricornus is ther feller ter what I refer--an' them heathen
chaps what wuz half man an' half goat? Didn't they come pretty near
bein' ther whole thing?"

"But about the Pecos?" inquired Dick, who was not partial to preaching,
but wanted to get at the heart of the story.

"Oh. yes. I wuz leadin' up ter it gradooal, fer what I'm goin' ter
relate--if thet yap will choke off on thet moosical snore--"

"Here, wake up, you're snoring so loud we can't hear ourselves holler,"
said Kit, reaching over and shaking Ben.

"I can't keep awake while that fellow persists in yarning away like a
fanning machine. It's so monotonous I can't keep awake," and Ben
stretched and yawned.

"Let's