The Sheep and Lamb by Mrs. Molesworth
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SHEEP AND LAMBS.]
Violet Stories]
Bessie's Country Stories.
SIX VOLUMES.
THE SHEEP AND LAMB. THE YOUNG DONKEY. THE LITTLE RABBIT-KEEPERS. THE COCK OF THE WALK. THE COWS IN THE WATER. THE YOUNG ANGLER.
Bessie's Country Stories.
THE SHEEP AND LAMB.
BY THOMAS MILLER.
_ILLUSTRATED._
New York: SHELDON AND COMPANY. 1871.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, By SHELDON AND COMPANY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York.
Electrotyped at the BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY, No. 19 Spring Lane.
The Sheep and Lamb.
THE PET LAMB.
WHERE you see the square church-tower, in the picture of the "Sheep andLamb," stands the pretty village of Greenham, hidden behind the trees.The sheep and lambs that appear so little, because they are such a wayoff, are grazing on Greenham Common. The two that are so near you, andthe pet lamb, round the neck of which the little boy has placed hisarm, are in a small paddock, often called a croft, close, or field, thatis separated from the Common by a bank, on the top of which the littlechild sits who is feeding the sheep. The girl holding the child, and theboy looking over his shoulder, live at Greenham, and have come acrossthe Common to ask how Johnny's father is, and to look at his pet lamb.You will notice that Johnny looks very grave and sad; and well he may,for his father has met with an accident, and has not been able to do anywork for several weeks, and is so poor that he will be forced to sellhis two sheep and Johnny's pet lamb to pay the rent of his cottage. Youcannot see the cottage in the picture, nor anything but a bit of thelittle field that lies at the back of it, in which the boy sits fondlinghis lamb. That girl is servant in a great farm-house, though she doesvery little besides looking after the children and feeding the poultry,for they keep great strong servant girls where she lives, to milk, andbrew, and cook, and wash, and clean, and make butter and cheese in thedairy. She is a girl with a very feeling heart, and the two boys she hasbrought across the Common are very fond of her, and many a merry romp dothey have together.
"So, father is not able to get about yet," she says to Johnny, "and heis going to sell your pet lamb to pay the rent? I am so sorry, Johnny,and wish I were a rich lady; then your lamb should not be sold. But I amonly a poor girl, and have but a shilling a week and my victuals." Thetears stood in Johnny's eyes, and he folded the lamb tighter in hisarms, and said, "It's a deal fonder of me than our Gip, for he runs awayfrom me, and barks at everything he sees. It follows me everywhere, andlicks my face and hands, and if I pretend to run away and hide myself,it stands and looks about, and bleats for me, just as it used to dowhen it was quite a little thing, and wanted its mammy. Father says Imustn't cry; he hopes he shall get well soon, and next spring I shallhave another pet lamb, and he won't sell that until it's a great fatsheep. But I can't help it; and I shall never have another little lamb Ishall be so fond of as this, shall I?" And he drew the lamb closer tohim, and looked very tenderly at it when he said "Shall I?" and the lambwent "ba-a-a," as if it said, as well as it could, "No, never;" then itlay down, with its pretty head on his arm.
"I'll tell you what I'll do, Johnny," said the little boy who stoodbehind his brother close to the tree, "I'll give you one of my lambs,for father has given me two to do what I like with; then your father cansell it, for it's bigger than yours, and you can still keep your own petlamb. Come with me, Polly, and help to drive it here, and make it jumpover the bank; then you won't cry, will you, Johnny?"
"No," said Johnny, crying harder than ever, for the kindness of the richfarmer's little son touched Johnny's tender heart as much as the sorrowhe felt for the loss of his lamb, which he came to bid farewell to, asthe butcher was coming with his cart in the cool of the evening to takeit away, along with its mother and another fat sheep.
Polly, who was a strong girl of her age, at once snatched up the littleboy, who was sitting on the bank feeding the sheep, and ran off with himin her arms to help Charley to drive his lamb off the Common--where itwas feeding--into the little close, to be in readiness for the butcherwhen he came with his cart. They had some trouble with it, for it hadnot been petted like Johnny's; and Charley had many pets that he caredmore for than he did for his lambs.
When it was driven off the Common, and made to jump over the bank intothe paddock where Johnny still sat fondling his pet lamb--and not untilthen--that artful little Polly said, "Ought not you to have asked yourfather first, Master Charley, before you gave Johnny one of your lambs?"
"What should I ask father for, when he gave them to me to do what Iliked with--sell, or give away, or anything?" asked Charley; and therewas a proud expression in his handsome face, which brought the color toPolly's cheeks, and made her feel that she had no right to interfere,though she had "aided and abetted," inasmuch as she had helped to drivethe lamb into the little close.
"I shall look out to-night for butcher Page's white horse," saidCharley, "and when he passes our door, cut across the corner of theCommon, and be here before him, Johnny, and help to drive the sheep andlamb out, and tie yours up to the apple-tree until he's gone. Don't sayanything to your father and mother until butcher Page has gone."
Johnny promised he wouldn't, so went in-doors, his lamb following him,while the one Charley had given him made himself quite at home, andbegan nibbling away at a little patch of white clover which grew in onecorner of the field.
Johnny's father was a hard-working laboring man; but farm labor is sopoorly paid for in most country places, that it is very difficult tosave up more than a few shillings against sickness or accidents, whichoften happen unaware, as was the case with him; for the shaft-horsechanced to back suddenly, as he was going to fasten a gate, and thewagon wheel went over his foot and crushed it. He had not been able towork for several weeks; and though his master was kind to him in sendinglittle things from the farm, he knew he must not expect him to pay hisrent, and to do that he had to sell his two sheep and Johnny's pet lambfor a few pounds to butcher Page. He was a kind-hearted man; for as soonas the lamb entered the cottage it went up to him, and as he patted itspretty head, he sighed heavily, for he felt almost as much troubled atparting with it as did little Johnny.
You will seldom see a dumb animal go up to anybody, of its own accord,that is not kind to all God's creatures. They seem to know who lovesthem and who does not. Dogs, more than any other animals, seem giftedwith the power of finding out those who are kind and those who are not.One strange boy shall pat a dog, and he will begin to wag his tail,while he growls if another boy only strokes him. I always like the boybest that the dog is pleased with. Johnny's lamb laid its head on hisfather's knee, and while he patted it he shut his eyes, as if it werepainful for him to look at the pretty creature necessity compelled himto part with. It then went bleating up to Johnny's mother to be noticed,and as she stooped down to kiss it she had to "button up" her eyes verytight indeed to keep in the tears. Johnny kept his secret faithfully,and said not a word about the lamb his friend Charley had given him.
Instead of running across the corner of the Common in the evening,Charley and Polly, with his little brother sitting in her lap, cameriding up to the cottage in the cart with the butcher; for Mr. Page hadto call at the great farm-house on his way through Greenham about somefat calves he wanted to purchase of Charley's father. Polly asked if thechildren might ride with him, for she was very anxious about Johnny'spet lamb; and,
Johnny's father was too lame to assist in getting the sheep and lambinto the cart, so Polly and Charley drove them out of the small closebehind the cottage, while Johnny minded the little boy, who sat with histiny arms round the lamb's neck, kissing it, and saying "so pitty," forhe could not talk plain enough to say "pretty."
"Surely this can't be the same lamb I bargained for a week ago," saidthe butcher, as he was about to lift it into the cart; "why, it's gotfour or five pounds more meat on his back. You must give Johnny thisshilling for himself. It's a much fatter lamb than I took it to be,"and he gave the shilling for Johnny to his mother, after looking around,and not seeing the boy. Having paid the mother for the sheep and lamb,he drove off, and the poor dumb animals stood quiet, and seemed as happyin the cart as children who are only going away for a drive. Howdifferent they would look when put into the shed adjoining theslaughter-house, where so many sheep and lambs had been driven in to bekilled.
What a blessing it is that we do not know beforehand what is going tohappen to us, for if we did, how wretched we should feel, counting thehours and days until the evil befell us, and living a life of miseryall the time. Nor is it ourselves alone that would be made miserable,but our parents, and all who love us; so that, however painful death maybe, it is one of God's greatest mercies not to let us know when death,which comes to all, will come. This is not hard to understand, if youwill be very still, and forgetting everything else, think about it.
The two sheep and the little lamb, as they were driven along the prettycountry road in the butcher's cart, could have no more thought that theywere carried away to be killed, than you would that some terribleaccident might happen to you, if taken out for a ride.
No sooner had the butcher driven off than Polly ran into the littlemeadow, clapping her hands, and exclaiming, "All right, Johnny! he'sgone!" then she stooped down and kissed the pretty lamb, which began tolick her brown, sun-tanned cheek, as if to show how grateful it was; forthe few kind words she had uttered were the means of saving it from thebutcher's knife.
When the children returned home across the Common, and after they hadfinished their supper of home-made brown bread and rich new milk,Charley went and stood between his father's legs, for the rich farmerwas smoking his pipe, and had a jug of ale of his own brewing beforehim. Charley was deep enough to know that when his father was enjoyinghis pipe and jug of ale, after the day's labor was done, he was alwaysin a good humor, and while Polly stood fidgeting and watching him,biting the corner of her blue pinafore all the time, and "wishing it wasover," Charley looked up with his bold truthful eyes, and said, "Please,father, I gave Johnny Giles one of my lambs to-day to sell to thebutcher, so that he might keep his own, which he is so fond of; it'ssuch a pet, and he was crying so, and Mr. Page would have taken it awayto-night in his cart if I hadn't given him mine, for you know Johnny'sfather is lame, and poor, and can't do any work, and so had to sell histwo sheep and--"
"Johnny's pet lamb too," said the farmer, interrupting him, but stillstroking Charley's hair while speaking. "Well, Charley, it was your ownlamb, to do what you liked with; but I should have liked Johnny's fatherbetter if he had sent word to let me know that he had sold your lambinstead of his own."
"Please, sir, he doesn't know that butcher Page didn't take awayJohnny's lamb in the cart," said Polly, rushing to the rescue, "becausewe kept it in the little croft, and drove Charley's lamb out instead,for little Johnny had been crying so all day that it made us all sorryto see it."
"I felt sure you had had a finger in the pie, Polly," said the farmer,looking kindly on his little maid, and well knowing how fond she was ofhis dear children. "And now, sir," continued the farmer, looking atCharley as sternly as he could, while a pleasant smile played about hismouth, plainly showing that the knitted brows were but drawn down inmake-believe anger, "this is the way I shall punish you." Polly saw thesmile, and knew it was all right, and that there would be no punishmentat all, though little Charley looked rather frightened. "As you havegiven one of your lambs away to please yourself, you must give the otheraway to please me. Drive it into Mr. Giles's little croft to-morrowmorning, and, as it might miss its mother, let her go with it; then,when the lamb grows to be a sheep, Johnny's father will have two sheepagain besides his pet lamb. Now kiss me, and say your prayers to Polly,and be off to bed." "O, I'm so glad!" exclaimed Polly, clapping herhands, while the tears stood in her eyes, as she came up to takeCharley away from his father.
"I'm sure you are, Polly, for you've a kind heart," said the farmer,kissing the little maid as well, "and now be off with you;" and fiveminutes after he was busy examining his stock-book, and seeing how manyfat bullocks, heifers, calves, sheep, and lambs he had ready for market,and thinking no more of the value of the ewe he had ordered to be drivento the little croft of the lamed laborer, than he did of the second jugof ale he had sent one of his servants to draw from the cask.
Now Polly, though but a poor cottager's daughter, and having only, asshe had said, "a shilling a week and her victuals" as wages at the richfarmer's was a thoughtful little maid; and fearing that Johnny's fatherand mother might be unhappy when they found that Charley's lamb had beensold instead of their own, she set off full run to Mr. Giles's cottage,before she went to bed, to tell them all about the sheep and the otherlamb which she and Charley were to drive into the close in the morning,and how pleased her good master was at what Charley had done.
Johnny was seated, fast asleep, on a little rush hassock, with his headon his mother's knee, and one arm round the neck of the pet lamb, whichwas coiled up before the fire; and when she had made known the goodtidings, and kissed both Johnny and his lamb, she started off back asfast as she came, for the bats were already flying about, snapping atthe insects, and she heard an owl hooting from the trees that overhungthe road she was running along.
No one lay down to sleep in the beautiful village of Greenham on thatcalm, sweet night, when spring was treading close on the flowery borderof summer, with a more peaceful mind or happier heart than Polly; forshe felt that her pity for Johnny's sorrow, caused by the thought ofhis so soon losing his pet lamb, had also been carried to the heart oflittle Charley, and that but for the words she had spoken the pet lambwould then have been shut up at the end of the slaughter-house, where,no doubt, poor lambs were hanging up that had been killed. Pretty thing!How could butcher Page find in his heart to kill them, so kind a man ashe was? And Polly fell asleep while trying to puzzle out whether it wasnot as sinful to kill a sheep as a little lamb, and wishing that roastedlamb was not so nice to eat as it was, with mint sauce.