The Water Goats, and Other Troubles

"The Water Goats, and Other Troubles" by Ellis Parker Butler is a treasury of funny short stories from the early 1900s that shows people doing silly things and how weird life can be. With smart and funny writing, the stories look at how foolish people can be, makes fun of politics, and finds the fun in normal, everyday stuff. "The Water Goats" tells the tale of Alderman Michael Toole. He thinks he must find strange "dongola water goats" for a new park. It gets funny when Toole talks to his cousin about the goats, believing they like to swim. But, it turns out they hate the water. Other stories share comical mess-ups, like a man with some bad luck and a baby bottle, fake hair, and acorns. Butler uses bright characters and wacky situations to show how odd life is, making readers laugh at the odd ways of people.