ng at each flat as he went and picking up
anything he saw fit to eat. At the first landing, the cook had
just been out to the ice-chest to get something for supper and
had neglected to shut the door tightly, consequently it was an
easy matter for Billy to push it open with his nose, and then
help himself to the nice, crisp, fresh lettuce and radishes he
saw lying on the shelf. These he ate in a twinkling; next he
found a basket of eggs, these he did not care for, but he did
want the bunch of large carrots back of the basket, so he stuck
his head farther into the chest to reach the carrots and in doing
so, his horns ran through the handle of the basket and when he
brought his head out of the chest, the basket of eggs came too.

It slipped down until it hit his forehead and then it turned
over, spilling the eggs on the floor and making a terrible mess.
As the eggs broke, each one made a noise like a small paper
torpedo, and Billy knew the noise would bring the cook, so he
scooted up the stairs to the next landing, where he kept very
still in order to hear what the cook would say when she saw the
broken eggs for he heard her coming out.

"Goodness, gracious, me! The grocery boy has dropped a package of
eggs on his way up stairs. No he hasn't either, for my ice-box
door is open and someone has been stealing my things!" he heard
her say, and she hurried down stairs to look for the janitor to
tell him that sneak thieves had been at her ice chest.

When Billy heard her go down the stairs for the janitor, he went
to the upper flat, for fear the janitor would find him if he
stayed where he was. Arriving at the upper flat, he saw a line of
nicely-starched, fine linen things,--a baby's cap, two or three
handkerchiefs and a lace tidy. These he chewed up and swallowed
for he liked the taste of starch and they felt quite like chewing
gum in his mouth as he ate them. Then he saw a pan of apples
setting outside the door and he ate some of those. While eating
he heard the electric bell in the kitchen ring, which scared the
life out of him at first, but when he looked in the window and
found out what it was, he got over his fright. When the girl left
the kitchen to answer the bell, Billy thought he would go in and
take a drink from a pan of milk he saw setting on the table. He
had nearly finished the milk and his whiskers were all wet from
being in the pan, when he heard a scream and, looking up, he saw
the girl standing in the door