The rehearsal over, Nyoda and the Winnebagos wended their way back to Carver House to get ready for the evening.

“Kaiser Bill’s out!” exclaimed Sahwah, as they approached the house.  “I just saw him jump the hedge and run around the side of the house with something red in his mouth.”

“The cover of the porch table!” exclaimed Nyoda.  “Run, head him off, quick!”

They sped into the yard and round the side of the house as the sportive Kaiser doubled in his tracks and missed them by an inch.

“Oh, he’s got the flag!” shrieked Sahwah.  “I left it on the porch!  Get it!  Get it!  He’s got it half eaten!” They gave strenuous chase, but the wily Capricorn, mischief sparkling in his wicked eyes, eluded them again and again, and each time they passed him there was less of the flag hanging out of his mouth.  Not until the last shred was gulped down did he suffer himself to be cowed by the persistent umbrella in Nyoda’s hand, and then he came to a stand in a triumphant attitude, and on his face was the satisfied expression of an epicure who has just discovered a rare new dainty to tickle his palate.

The Winnebagos looked at each other and were speechless with horror.  Kaiser Bill had eaten up the American flag!

Nyoda recovered herself first, and the Winnebagos saw her in one of her rare moods of anger.

“This is the last straw!” she exclaimed indignantly.  “He’s chewed up two sofa pillows and a twelve-dollar hammock and no end of books; he destroyed Sahwah’s kite last week; he’s broken the windows in the greenhouse three or four times; he’s ruined large numbers of valuable plants; and still I bore with him patiently for old Hercules’ sake.  But I won’t stand it any longer.  I’m tired of being kept in hot water by that fiendish old goat.  He’s the terror of the neighbors, and I live in hourly expectation of damage suits that will ruin me.  Now I’ve reached the limit of endurance.  Either that goat leaves Carver House or I do, and as Carver House belongs to me and Kaiser Bill doesn’t, I reckon he’ll be the one to go.”

“What are you going to do with him?” asked Sahwah.

“Oh, give him away, or sell him—­anything,” replied Nyoda.

“Hercules, come here!” she called, as she spied a kinky white head bobbing around in the barnyard.

Hercules approached with a painfully stew, shuffling gait.  “What is it, Mis’ Elizabeth?” he inquired mildly, eyeing his mistress with affection in his look.

“Hercules,” said Nyoda crisply, “we’re going to get rid of that goat.”

“What’s ‘at ol’ goat bin a-doin’, honey?” quavered Hercules anxiously.

“He’s eaten up the American flag!” replied Nyoda in an outraged tone.  “This is positively the last straw.  I put up with several hundred dollars’ worth of damage about the place, but this is too much.  Do you realize what he’s done? He’s eaten up the American flag!”