A TALE.
BY MRS. HUGHS.
One cold bleak morning, in the latter end of March, before winter had quite determined to resign his tyrannical sway, though he had occasionally permitted a few soft breezes to woo the opening buds of the willow and the horse-chestnut, and scatter a few of the earliest spring flowers over the fields, Farmer Early happened, on his way to the place where his labourers were at work, to pass a field in which he had a number of sheep. Two or three times, as he proceeded along, by the side of the fence, he thought he heard a very feeble bleat, and stopped to see if there was any youngling in need of more aid than was in its mother's power to render. For some time, however, he looked in vain, but at length the sound became more distinct, and soon guided him to a corner of the field, where he discovered a sheep lying stretched out on its side, and a lamb, evidently just born, lying near it. He hastened immediately to the aid of the little complainer, and found that the mother was stiff and cold, and that it was itself nearly dead, for its feeble frame had been exposed to the cold bleak wind and occasional falls of snow, without having any tender mother to protect it from the withering blast. He immediately took it in his arms and returned home, though with but little hope that any thing that could now be done for it would be of any avail.
W. Collins Del. F. Kearny Sc.
THE PET LAMB.
"Here, Sally! Sally!" cried he, as he entered the door of his own house, and immediately his eldest daughter came forward, on hearing the summons, "I have brought you something to be kind to. Here is a poor little lamb that has lost its mother, and you must try to supply the place of one to it: I am afraid it will be impossible to save it, but you must see what you can do." Sally, whose heart overflowed with tenderness toward every living thing, took the little trembling creature in her arms, and summoning her little sisters to partake of the pleasing task, and indeed to share the fatigue which she was herself but ill able to bear, she immediately began to prepare a bed for it by the fire, and to warm some milk for it.
"Do you think it will live, Sally?" said Peggy, as she stood by her elder sister's side, "do you think you can keep it from dying?"
"I hope so," answered Sally, holding the warm milk to its mouth as she spoke.