ery nice of them to give me a medal," thought Billy, "and
they have been good to me; but I don't like being scrubbed and
dressed up like a clown, beside I am getting tired of town life
and I long for the country and Nanny. I might as well run away
one time as another, so I will watch my chance, and when they are
all busy and not looking, I will walk out of the station quietly,
as if I were only going for my usual walk up the street, and when
I get to the corner, I will turn it and once out of sight I will
run until I get so far away they can't find me."

But for once Master Billy's plans were foiled for just as he was
walking out of the station one of the firemen saw him and said:

"Here, here, Billy, not so fast! We are ready for you now and if
you go for a walk there is no knowing when you will come back."

And he took Billy by the horns and led him into the back yard
where another fireman had a big tub of soapy water ready to put
him in.

Billy stood in the tub and submitted to the scrubbing until the
soapy water ran into his eyes and then he got mad and butted the
fireman, who was holding his horns, clear over, and kicked the
other man, who was scrubbing him, in the stomach; and then around
and around the yard he ran bleating and shaking his head, wild
with the smart of the soap that was in his eyes.

"Here, Jack, this will never do," said one fireman to the other,
"he is not half clean. Let us get the hose and turn it on him
while he is running around."

"All right," said the other, "that will be great sport."

And they got the hose and soon they were squirting it over Billy
as he ran, first on one side and then on the other, and no matter
where he went the stream of water followed him and played all
over him, and if he stopped running and hugged the fence it was
worse than ever for then the water flowed in a perfect stream
and doused him from head to foot, sending a spray over the fence.

[Illustration: THIS CALLED FORTH A SHOUT OF GLEE FROM THE
POLICEMEN WHO WERE LOOKING OVER THE FENCE.]

All the firemen had come out to see the fun and when the
policemen in the next yard heard a great deal of laughing and
racket in the fireman's back yard, they too hurried to the fence
and watched the fun.

Of course, this only added to Billy's rage, to see his hated
enemies, the policemen, laughing at him, and he vowed he would
get even with them some day, and with the firemen right away, for
he knew his strength.