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_Billy's Adventures in Town_

Billy hid behind some rocks in the bottom of a ravine until he
thought the boys had given up looking for him. Then he came out
of his hiding-place, and snipped off the fresh young leaves from
the bushes as he walked along making up his mind what he would do
next.

"It is too bad," he thought, "that Nanny is such a scare-cat and
slow runner for if she had only kept up with me she would be free
now and we could have a good time here. There are lots of young
shoots and juicy leaves for us to eat and plenty of water in the
creek to drink.

"Now I must go back and see what has become of her. I expect I
will be caught and pounded by the boys, but I told her I would
take care of her and as I never break my word, I must go and see
what I can do."

He climbed a high hill where he could get a good view of the road
and there he saw Tim leading Nanny into Mike's yard, and a mile
behind he saw Mike walking slowly along.

"Ho, ho!" said Billy, "they have caught Nan, so there is no use
in my trying to get her away now. I will just wait until dark and
then go back and butt the shed down and get her out and then we
can run away together before they can catch us."

Turning and looking in the opposite direction he saw lying in the
valley beneath him a city, and he immediately made up his mind to
visit it for it had been a long while since he had been in a
large town.

Down the hill he started on a run, loosening stones and pebbles
as he went, which rolled after him sending up a cloud of dust.

At the bottom he struck the main road that led to the town, and
keeping up his fast gait he was soon within its suburbs.

The first thing he came to was a flower and fruit stand, the
owner of which, a greasy, black-looking Italian, was talking to a
fat blue-coated policeman. Both stood with their backs turned to
the fruit stand.

[Illustration: THE ITALIAN WAS SO HORRIFIED AND DISMAYED TO SEE
WHAT HAD HAPPENED THAT HE FORGOT WHAT LITTLE ENGLISH HE KNEW.]

Now was Billy's chance. Luscious pears, peaches and grapes lay
before him ready to be eaten, and without a moment's hesitation
he began to sample each, while now and then he would eat a rose
or two between, thus making his own salad. And he found he liked
his fruit salad served on rose leaves just as well as on lettuce.

In reaching for an extra delicious-looking pear he had to stand
on his hind legs with his fore feet on the lower shel