he saw four or five girls and boys playing. Much
to the surprise of this group, the first thing they knew a big, white
goat was running from tree to tree to get an empty corner just as they
were doing. At first they were so astonished that they stopped
playing, but soon they went on as Billy kept running from tree to
tree, frisking his little paint brush of a tail and kicking up his
legs with glee. You remember he had lost part of his tail in France in
the war where it was blown off by a bomb which had sent him flying up
in the air.

Presently all the children had stopped their games to watch Billy play
pussy-wants-a-corner. He was just beginning to grow tired of the sport
when the school bell pealed out that recess was over and all the
children ran to form in line to march back to their rooms. Each room
had a separate line of its own. When Billy saw this, he too went and
stood in line. As he knew nothing about the different rooms, he
selected a line in which stood a pretty little girl with yellow hair
hanging in long braids down her back. She was the last one in the
line, and being very busy talking to the little girl just in front of
her, she did not notice that any one was standing behind her.

[Illustration: Billy overtook her and gave her a gentle butt that
landed her in the middle of the bed.
(Page 47)]

"Her hair looks just like straw. It is just the color of it,"
thought Billy. "I wonder if it tastes like it too." And thereupon
he began to chew the end of one of her braids.

"Stop pulling my hair, Jimmy Jones!" she cried, without turning
around. Jimmy Jones and Tommy Green were in the habit of pulling her
hair or giving it a twitch whenever they passed her. So now she took
it for granted it was one of them when Billy pulled it while chewing
on it.

[Illustration]

"Didn't I tell you to stop pulling my hair? I'll tell teacher if you
don't stop this minute!"

Billy did try to stop, but somehow her hair got between his teeth and
he could not let go, much as he wished to do so. Of course the more he
tried the worse it pulled. She turned quickly to slap the tease who
was hurting her. But horror of horrors! She found herself face to face
with the big goat that had been playing with them in the yard. She
was terribly afraid of goats, and had stopped playing when Billy
entered the game and had sat down on the school steps to watch them,
so now she screamed as if she was being killed. This brought a teach