trotted slowly down
the road wondering where he would get his next meal for he well
knew he would never dare go back to Mr. Biggses after upsetting
him in the geranium bed and causing all the mischief he had there
that day. But being a goat of a cheerful frame of mind and used
to looking out for himself, he did not worry much, and decided he
would enter the first garden he came to, and make a free lunch
off the vegetables, or go into a turnip patch and feast on them
for if there was anything he doted on it was nice, sweet turnips,
fresh from the fields.

He had gone some distance, and no patch or garden appearing that
was not enclosed by a high, barbed-wire fence, he commenced to
get discouraged. Feeling hungry and thirsty he was about wishing
he had behaved himself at Mr. Biggses so he could go back, when
he came to a turn in the road and there before him stood a frame
building, with the door open and over the door a large picture of
a white Polar bear sitting on a cake of ice, drinking a foaming
glass of soda-water, while in a circle round him sat little
bears, each with a glass of something cool to drink.

"This is just the place I have been looking for," thought Billy,
"where thirsty animals can get a drink." So in he walked, much to
the fright of a party of picnickers, who were sitting around a
little table drinking soda-water and lemonade, and eating
ice-cream.

The man at the soda fountain on seeing Billy was so surprised
that he forgot to turn off the fizz he was putting into a glass
of soda he was mixing, and it foamed up and ran up his sleeve and
all over everything.

This caused the young people to laugh, which made the young man
behind the counter mad. He picked up a bottle of ginger-ale and
pretended to throw it at Billy, but alas for his intentions! He
raised it too high; it hit a large bottle of syrup that stood on
a shelf behind him, breaking both bottles at the same time, and
instead of hurting Billy, he got a sticky bath of syrup and a
shower of ginger in his own eyes. This was adding insult to
injury, he thought, and this last mishap turned the laughter of
the crowd into a scream of merriment which did not lessen his
anger in the least. He grabbed a broom that stood near by and
jumping over the counter went for Billy, who all this time had
been standing still, doing nothing but looking at the man and
waiting for him to give him a drink of some kind.

[Illustration]

When Billy saw the man