"Oh, mother!" said Robert, "I have had such a bad dream! I am sure I shall never be cruel to poor Snowball again."
[Illustration: A FARM YARD]
ROBERT ON A FARM.
When Robert was ten years old, he spent several weeks on a farm. He had always lived in the city, and he was eager to know something of country life.
The farmer, Mr. Spencer, promised to teach Robert all that he could about the animals on the farm. The boy had not been long in his new home before he ran to the barn. There were three cows in the barn and two horses. They looked very comfortable and happy.
"What wide stalls they have!" said Robert, "and I never saw a cow in a box stall before."
"Yes," said James, who was milking the cows, "all these stalls are wide enough for the cows and horses to lie down whenever they like. Do you see, too, that the animals face the barn, instead of staring at a blank wall all day?"
"It must be more fun to look into the barn than at a few boards," said
Robert, "but I never thought of it before."
"They like to watch what is going on," said James, "and they have better air than they would in a close stall."
"What delicious milk we had last night!" said Robert, stooping to rub
Clover's head, to her great delight.