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
II.
"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
III.
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
IV.
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 , and gave one to Hannah, how many would you have left?" Mary was not thinking of . "Four," she said, "but please teacher, did you know I had a ?" and the lamb heard her voice and called "Baa!" outside the , as loud as he could. "Why, there he is!" cried . "He must go home," said the teacher; and she opened the
V.
All the week the little lamb had to stay at home while Mary went to ; but on Saturday they had such good times! First, had her tasks to do. She wiped all the and and , dusted the and made her own . Then she went out to play. The nicest place to "play house" was the of a by the . Mary and little Aunt Hannah climbed up by the , with their and but the couldn't climb. They tried to carry him, but he was too heavy—and he kicked, too. So they took him up on the in the and dropped him out of a onto the . Then they all had a good time playing "party", with some caraway and a little of milk. But at noon, when Mary's Mother blew the dinner- , the lamb couldn't get down! They couldn't lift him up to the , and he was afraid to jump to the ground. Little Aunt Hannah stood on the , but could not reach him. Then they brought out armfuls of and made a big soft
VI.
"When my lamb is big enough" said Mary to little Aunt Hannah, "my father will shear him with the , like the old and Mother will teach me to spin, and knit the wool; and so my little lamb will give me my and ." "Let's shear him now." said . "I can teach you to knit." "Well." said Mary. "He is very little—but we will only take a little of his ." So she got the , and they cut some wool from his . But they found it must first be spun into —and they didn't know how: so they went to ask Mary's . She laughed at the poor little with the big bare spots in his pretty white . "If you are in such a hurry for and ," she said, "we will begin them at once. First, you must learn to spin." So she brought out the big and some tiny soft of wool and showed her how to spin the rolls into . Mary liked to walk backward and forward, and twirl the great with a ; but her yarn was all uneven, and kept snarling and breaking. Soon she grew tired—and cross, too, and then the snarled worse than ever. As last gave the a great whirl, as hard as she could, and ran off to the . There she hid in the