MARY'S LITTLE LAMB

CONTENTS

Copyright, 1901, By S. E. Cassino.
Copyright, 1903, By S. E. Cassino.

I.

When little Mary Moffett's mother asked her to go up to the Clover Farm for some fresh

, Mary felt a little sorry, for she was very busy making her

a

, but she laid down her

and

and

, tied on her pink

, and set off up the hill, with her little

on her

. As she was coming home she heard a queer little patter, patter, behind her. She looked back and saw something white!

felt a wee bit afraid, and began to run but her

struck a

and down she tumbled on her

! Before she could get up something soft and woolly was rubbing gently against her

, saying "Ba-a-a!" "Oh you darling lamb!" cried Mary, hugging it—and the little

snuggled close, and said "Ba-a-a! Take me home with you, little Mary."

was astonished. "Whose lamb is it?" she asked. "Oh Mother,

I think it's just a wild lamb! Mayn't I keep it?" begged

. But Mother said she must ask Farmer Clover if it was one of his

, first. So back they went, and found

Farmer Clover mending his

and Mary asked him. But there were two big tears in her

—she did so want that dear

—and the kind old

saw them. "Well, yes," he said, "that's my lamb—but it's an extra one, that I haven't any room for. If I knew anybody who would be willing to take it and treat it well—" "Oh, Mr. Clover!" cried

, her eyes dancing, now, and her

dancing, too. "I'd be willing! I'd treat it well! May I have it?" So Mary and the little

went dancing home together. And kind old

watched them and laughed till his

danced in his

, and his

danced on his

.

"Mother! Mother!" cried little Mary, running into the

. "Mr. Clover says he doesn't

need this

—it's extra—and I may have it for my very own!" Yes, now it was Mary's little lamb—and how they loved each other! They went together everywhere—in the

and the

, and over to Grandfathers, to play with little Aunt Hannah. Mary's Aunt Hannah was only three years older than

herself and they played together all the time. The two little

thought the

was beautiful, but it was not very clean. "I don't want a dirty, dusty little lamb," said Mary; "I want a nice, clean, white lamb." "Then we must wash it." said little

. "Father washes all his

in the

every spring." Out by the

stood the

with the big wooden

where the

drank. The

was full of water, standing in the

. Mary leaned over the edge and dipped her

. "It's nice and warm," she said. "Now, dear little

jump right in!" But the lamb wouldn't jump—so Mary and little Aunt Hannah lifted him, and dropped him into the

. Then they rubbed him with

, and squeezed his

with their

. The poor little lamb didn't like it, and kept trying to get out—till, as

tried to hold him her

slipped and in she fell,

first! Oh, how she screamed! And

screamed, too, and the

cried "Ba-a-a!" as loud as he could. Little Aunt Hannah's mother came running from the

fished them out of the water, and carried them into her

one under each

. There she rubbed them dry, wrapped them both in

and set them by the

, to get warm.

Mary's lamb was too young to eat

, as old

do. He wanted milk, but he did not know how to drink from a

. He was just a baby sheep, you see. So Mary's

found an old tin

and filled it with warm new milk. Then she tied a

over the

, and

held it while the little

sucked up every drop of the milk. Three times a day they filled the

, and he drank it all, while Mary tilted it up for him. One day

and little

went up Clover

to pick

for their mothers to put in

. They took their luncheon in the berry-

, and each had a tin

to pick into. Mary's

went too, and of course he would want his luncheon, so

carried the old

in a

. When the

and

were full of

, they started home. Along the roadside grew white

, and they made a

for the lamb's

. Then Mary said "The

shines so, he must be hot. He shall wear my

." So they tied it snugly over his

. Then they sat under a

to finish their luncheon, and afterward Mary gave the

the rest of his milk. Two

came past, in a low

, and they laughed to see the little lamb drinking from the teapot. Mary did not notice that one

held up a little black leather

and pointed it at her. But next week a flat, square

came from the postoffice marked "For the Little Girl and Lamb who live near Clover Hill."

cut the

with her

, and unfolded the

—and what did she find inside it? A beautiful photograph of herself, feeding her

by the roadside!

Mary didn't like to go to school and leave her lamb at home. She knew he would not be happy all alone; and how could she study her

and do sums on her

, without her dear little woolly

close beside her? But schooltime came, and she had to start. If she had looked back, she would have seen the

trotting along behind, all so pretty, with a blue

on his

. He loved to follow little Mary, and he didn't know

mustn't go to school. Before he caught up with her, the

rang, the

all ran in, and the

was shut; but he stood on the door-

and heard them singing. Then the arithmetic class began, and the

said: "Mary, if you had three