eir winter's coal, and he went head first into
that," said Dot. "So he didn't fall far. But he didn't dare go out of
the house again until Sam came home after school and shut Billy up.
Holly says Billy Bumps camped right outside the front door and kept the
minister a prisoner."

The older girls were convulsed with laughter at this tale, but Ruth
repeated: "We might as well go and see him. If he is _very_ savage----"

"Oh, he isn't!" cried Tess and Dot together. "He's just as tame!"

The four sisters started for the yard, but in the big kitchen Mrs.
MacCall stopped them. Mrs. MacCall was housekeeper and she mothered the
orphaned Kenway girls and seemed much nearer to them than Aunt Sarah
Maltby, who sat most of her time in the big front room upstairs, seldom
speaking to her nieces.

Mrs. MacCall was buxom, gray-haired--and every hair was martialed just
_so_, and all imprisoned in a cap when the good lady was cooking. She
was looking out of one of the rear windows when the girls trooped
through.

"For the land sakes!" ejaculated Mrs. MacCall. "What's that goat doing
in our yard?"

"It's our goat," explained Tess.

_"What?"_

"Yes, ma'am," said Dot, seriously. "He's a very nice goat. He has a real
noble beard--don't you think?"

"A goat!" repeated Mrs. MacCall. "What next? A goat is the very last
thing I could ever find a use for in this world. But I s'pose the
Creator knew what He was about when He made them."

"I think they're lots of fun," said roly-poly Agnes, giggling again.

"Fun! Ah! what's that he's eatin' this very minute?" screamed Mrs.
MacCall, and she started for the door.

She led the way to the porch, and immediately plunged down the steps
into the yard. "My stocking!" she shrieked. "The very best pair I own.
Oh, dear! Didn't I say a goat was a perfectly useless thing?"

It was a fact that a limp bit of black rag hung out of the side of Billy
Bumps' mouth. A row of stockings hung on a line stretched from the
corner of the woodshed and the goat had managed to reach the first in
the row.

"Give it up, you beast!" exclaimed Mrs. MacCall, and grabbed the toe of
the stocking just as it was about to disappear.

She yanked and Billy disgorged the hose. He had chewed it to pulp,
evidently liking the taste of the dye. Mrs. MacCall threw the thing from
her savagely and Billy lowered his head, stamped his feet, and
threatened her with his horns.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. MacCall!" cried Ruth, soothin