Goat-Feathers

An author trying to get on with his writing becomes the chief obstacle to his own ambitions in this humorous essay. Ellis Parker Butler calls the distractions that consume his working hours goat-feathers: committee posts, visitors, telephone calls and sidelines that bring responsibility while leaving his stories unfinished. He turns his crowded schedule into a comic confession, exaggerating the number of interruptions and imagining the literary fame he might have achieved with greater concentration.

The jokes grow sharper when Butler considers the success of his story Pigs is Pigs and his tendency to drift away from humor. A cow attempting tricks instead of producing milk becomes his image for talent wasted on the wrong activity. His account mixes irritation with pride in being useful, especially in patriotic service. Readers interested in a writer's working habits will find a brisk reflection on attention, ambition and the tempting satisfaction of taking on one more task.