. The coming of a stranger, too, affect 

 ed him, and with a sensitiveness far 

 more delicate than our human feeling, 

 he seemed to know of the approaching 

 presence long before anyone else. 



One calm night, Billy showed signs 

 of disturbance. He was unable to lie 

 still in his place on the porch. We heard 

 him starting up, moving about, or walk 

 ing all night long. In the morning the 

 sheriff appeared. He was tracking down 

 a negro prisoner who had broken jail 

 in a neighboring town, and after a short 

 search the man was found hiding in a 

 cornfield not far from the house. Billy 

 had been aware all night of the strange 

 presence lurking near. 



The deer's affection made him easily 

 alarmed if he saw any signs of departure 

 in the family. My grandmother, an ac 

 tive, wiry little woman often rode over 

 on horseback from her own place, some 

 six miles away. One day on grand 

 mother's starting for home, my sister de 

 cided to ride with her for a little way.. 

 When Billy saw her setting out he was 

 greatly disturbed. He ran alongside her 

 horse whimpering and moaning as if 

 his heart would break and was only paci 

 fied when she turned back toward the 

 house. 



In the winter, Billy slept in the house 

 in an unused room, and his favorite po 

 sition in the evening was in front of the 

 great wood fire m the old fashioned fire 

 place in the room where the family were 

 gathered. Here he had the persistent 

 companionship of a big black cat, who, 

 though reserved and unsocial toward the 

 rest of the world, had taken a remarkable 

 fancy to Billy. She followed him around 

 the house like a small, black shadow, 

 shared his meals with him, and when he 

 lay down, placed herself beside him, of 

 ten lolling against him or resting her 

 head on his neck. Her greatest delight 

 was to have him lick her head, which he 

 sometimes did, when she would purr 

 with supreme content. Sometimes her 

 persistent demands seemed to weary him 

 and he would push her away or get up 

 and change his place, but usually he was 

 very patient and they were the best of 

 friends, so much so that after his death 

 a strange wildness seized her ; she avoid 



ed the house and we caught sight of her 

 only once in a while, when she looked 

 like a crazy thing. 



After a little while Billy had lost his 

 pretty spots and the last vestige of his 

 shyness with them. He used to range 

 at will over the plantation and no telling 

 how many miles beyond. In the morn 

 ing after his breakfast, he would make a 

 dash for the fence, clear it at a bound 

 and disappear over the fields in a run. 

 How many miles he traveled in these 

 jaunts no one knew. He would be gone 

 until nearly noon, our dinner hour, when 

 looking out we were sure to see Billy 

 approaching over the fields, his graceful 

 figure vibrant with action, springing, 

 bounding on as hard as he could come. 

 The keenness of his scent, which was 

 marvelous, or some instinct, must have 

 prompted his return at that time, for he 

 never failed to appear, except once, 

 when he was gone for a day and a night. 



One of these expeditions nearly proved 

 fatal to poor Billy. Some negroes from 

 a neighboring place were passing 

 through with a pack of hunting dogs at 

 their heels and the dogs gave chase to 

 the deer who instinctively turned toward 

 home for safety, and after a long flight, 

 with his pursuers close upon him, man 

 aged to outrun them. But in jumping 

 the fence, his strength must have failed, 

 for he did not clear it as usual, but 

 catching his hind legs in some way, hung 

 head downward, filling the air with his 

 cries. Rushing out we loosed our pet 

 from his uncomfortable position, and 

 poor, frightened Billy made trembling 

 for the house, as if he were only too 

 glad to reach that haven. It is remark 

 able, considering his extended wander 

 ings, that no harm ever came to him. 



One morning my mother had been 

 baking cake, Billy's favorite delicacy. 

 But Billy had gone was miles away by 

 that time, and it was too early to be ex 

 pecting him back. She had just brought 

 the cake, smelling deliciously, out of the 

 kitchen and was stooping down to put 

 it in the big "ice chest," as we called 

 it, which was at one end of the long 

 open hall that ran through the center of 

 the house, when bounding up the steps 

 and into the hall came Billv. Before 



150 



