BILLY THE KID

This story came to me from a friend in North Carolina. He's a retired professor living in a big city, but grew up in the very rural area of Platte, North Dakota. Of necessity most of the animals worked alongside the farm crew, but occasionally one could just be a pal ...... I love his description of this colorful goat who was his great companion.. ........Billy had a harness and was supposed to pull a wagon. He was not very good at it and I never really enjoyed riding with him. Usually, as soon as he was attached, he would jump a fence so he would end up with his legs up in the air on one side, with the wagon on the other. He would bleat pitifully until someone freed him. "Stubborn as a goat". He was a great playmate, though, joining me in games of "king of the mountain" pushing each other off my parent's bed. (We re-made it over and over and they never found out!)...... I also remember that Billy loved cherries and would stand way up on his hind legs to pluck them from our trees. After he had a mouth-full, he would lie down and eat them all, leaving a small pile of pits as the only evidence of his theft. These memories of a simpler time are 60 years old, but still bring a smile.......