Mary's Little Lamb: A Picture Guessing Story for Little Children

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  Transcriber's Note: This book is heavily illustrated. Theillustrations that do not have captions have been removed in the textversion; they are retained in the HTML version.

  Marys Little Lamb

  A PICTURE GUESSING STORY FOR LITTLE CHILDREN

  BY EDITH FRANCIS FOSTER

  WITH 500 PICTURES BY THE AUTHOR

 

  SALEM MASS SAMUEL EDSON CASSINO

  CONTENTS

  FRONTISPIECE DEDICATION HOW MARY FOUND HIM 9 HOW THEY WASHED HIM 15 HOW THEY FED HIM 21 HOW HE WENT TO SCHOOL 27 HOW HE WOULDN'T JUMP 33 HOW LITTLE MARY SPUN 39 HOW HE WENT BOATING 45 HOW DOLLABELLA TOOK A RIDE 51 HOW BOSSY BUNTED HIM 57 HOW THEY PLAYED HIDE-AND-SEEK 63 HOW HE SAVED MARY! 69 HOW HE WON A PRIZE 75

  Copyright, 1901, By S. E. Cassino.

  Copyright, 1903, By S. E. Cassino.

  TO LITTLE AUNT HANNAH (ON HER NINETY FIRST BIRTHDAY.)

  HOW MARY FOUND HIM.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  I

  When little Mary Moffett's mother asked her to go up to the CloverFarm for some fresh [eggs], Mary felt a little sorry, for she was verybusy making her [doll] a [dress], but she laid down her [thimble] and[scissors] and [yarn], tied on her pink [bonnet], and set off up thehill, with her little [basket] on her [arm]. As she was coming homeshe heard a queer little patter, patter, behind her. She looked backand saw something white! [Mary] felt a wee bit afraid, and began torun but her [foot] struck a [stone] and down she tumbled on her[nose]! Before she could get up something soft and woolly was rubbinggently against her [face], saying "Ba-a-a!" "Oh you darling lamb!"cried Mary, hugging it--and the little [lamb] snuggled close, and said"Ba-a-a! Take me home with you, little Mary." [Mother] wasastonished. "Whose lamb is it?" she asked. "Oh Mother, I think it'sjust a wild lamb! Mayn't I keep it?" begged [Mary]. But Mother saidshe must ask Farmer Clover if it was one of his [sheep], first. Soback they went, and found Farmer Clover mending his [fence] and Maryasked him. But there were two big tears in her [eyes]--she did so wantthat dear [lamb]--and the kind old [man] saw them. "Well, yes," hesaid, "that's my lamb--but it's an extra one, that I haven't any roomfor. If I knew anybody who would be willing to take it and treat itwell--" "Oh, Mr. Clover!" cried [Mary], her eyes dancing, now, and her[feet] dancing, too. "_I'd_ be willing! _I'd_ treat it well! May _I_have it?" So Mary and the little [lamb] went dancing home together.And kind old [Mr. Clover] watched them and laughed till his [axe]danced in his [hand], and his [glasses] danced on his [nose].

  HOW THEY WASHED HIM.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  II

  "Mother! Mother!" cried little Mary, running into the [house]. "Mr.Clover says he doesn't need this [lamb]--it's extra--and I may have itfor my very own!" Yes, now it was Mary's little lamb--and how theyloved each other! They went together everywhere--in the [house] andthe [barn], and over to Grandfathers, to play with little Aunt Hannah.Mary's Aunt Hannah was only three years older than [Mary] herself andthey played together all the time. The two little [girls] thought the[lamb] was beautiful, but it was not very clean. "I don't want adirty, dusty little lamb," said Mary; "I want a nice, clean, whitelamb." "Then we must wash it." said little [Aunt Hannah]. "Fatherwashes all his [sheep] in the [river] every spring." Out by the [barn]stood the [faucet] with the big wooden [trough] where the [cows]drank. The [trough] was full of water, standing in the [sun]. Maryleaned over the edge and dipped her [hand]. "It's nice and warm," shesaid. "Now, dear little [lamb] jump right in!" But the lamb wouldn'tjump--so Mary and little Aunt Hannah lifted him, and dropped him intothe [trough]. Then they rubbed him with [soap], and squeezed his [fur]with their [hands]. The poor little lamb didn't like it, and kepttrying to get out--till, as [Mary] tried to hold him her [foot]slipped and in she fell, [head] first! Oh, how she screamed! And [AuntHannah] screamed, too, and the [lamb] cried "Ba-a-a!" as loud as hecould. Little Aunt Hannah's mother came running from the [house]fished them out of the water, and carried them into her [living room]one under each [arm]. There she rubbed them dry, wrapped them both in[towels] and set them by the [fireplace], to get warm.

  HOW THEY FED HIM.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  III.

  Mary's lamb was too young to eat [grass], as old [sheep] do. He wantedmilk, but he did not know how to drink from a [bucket]. He was just ababy sheep, you see. So Mary's [mother] found an old tin [teapot] andfilled it with warm new milk. Then she tied a [cloth] over the[spout], and [Mary] held it while the little [lamb] sucked up everydrop of the milk. Three times a day they filled the [teapot], and hedrank it all, while Mary tilted it up for him. One day [Mary] andlittle [Aunt Hannah] went up Clover [Hill] to pick [berries] for theirmothers to put in [pies]. They took their luncheon in theberry-[pail], and each had a tin [cup] to pick into. Mary's [lamb]went too, and of course he would want his luncheon, so [Mary] carriedthe old [teapot] in a [basket]. When the [pail] and [basket] werefull of [berries], they started home. Along the roadside grew white[flowers], and they made a [wreath] for the lamb's [neck]. Then Marysaid "The [sun] shines so, he must be hot. He shall wear my [bonnet]."So they tied it snugly over his [ears]. Then they sat under a [tree]to finish their luncheon, and afterward Mary gave the [lamb] the restof his milk. Two [women] came past, in a low [carriage], and theylaughed to see the little lamb drinking from the teapot. Mary did notnotice that one [woman] held up a little black leather [camera] andpointed it at her. But next week a flat, square [package] came fromthe postoffice marked "For the Little Girl and Lamb who live nearClover Hill." [Mary] cut the [string] with her [scissors], andunfolded the [package]--and what did she find inside it? A beautifulphotograph of herself, feeding her [lamb] by the roadside!

  HOW HE WENT TO SCHOOL.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  IV.

  Mary didn't like to go to school and leave her lamb at home. She knewhe would not be happy all alone; and how could she study her [books]and do sums on her [slate], without her dear little woolly [lamb]close beside her? But schooltime came, and she had to start. If shehad looked back, she would have seen the [lamb] trotting along behind,all so pretty, with a blue [bow] on his [neck]. He loved to followlittle Mary, and he didn't know [lambs] mustn't go to school. Beforehe caught up with her, the [bell] rang, the [children] all ran in, andthe [door] was shut; but he stood on the door-[step] and heard themsinging. Then the arithmetic class began, and the [teacher] said:"Mary, if you had three [apples], and gave one [apple] to Hannah, howmany would you have left?" Mary was not thinking of [apples]."Four," she said, "but please teacher, did you know I had a [lamb]?"and the lamb heard her voice and called "Baa!" outside the [door], asloud as he could. "Why, there he is!" cried [Mary]. "He must go home,"said the teacher; and she opened the [door] to send him away. But thelittle [lamb] came right in, and ran to [Mary], so glad to see heragain! "Oh, please let him stay!" said she: "I am sure he will begood!" But all the other [children] laughed--it was so funny to see alamb in school--and the [teacher] had to turn him out. But the [lamb]would not go home. He wanted to stay near Mary; So he waited on the[step] and every time he heard her voice he cried "Ba-a-a!" At lastthe [teacher] said [Mary] must take him home; so she put away her[books], and the little [lamb] jumped and dance
d, he was so happy, asthey ran home together.

  HOW HE WOULDN'T JUMP.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  V

  All the week the little lamb had to stay at home while Mary went to[school]; but on Saturday they had such good times! First, [Mary] hadher tasks to do. She wiped all the [cups] and [plates] and [spoons],dusted the [chairs] and made her own [bed]. Then she went out to play.The nicest place to "play house" was the [roof] of a [hut] by the[barn]. Mary and little Aunt Hannah climbed up by the [fence], withtheir [dolls] and [tea set] but the [lamb] couldn't climb. They triedto carry him, but he was too heavy--and he kicked, too. So they tookhim up on the [straw] in the [barn] and dropped him out of a [window]onto the [roof]. Then they all had a good time playing "party", withsome caraway [biscuits] and a little [jug] of milk. But at noon,when Mary's Mother blew the dinner-[whistle], the lamb couldn't getdown! They couldn't lift him up to the [window], and he was afraid tojump to the ground. Little Aunt Hannah stood on the [wheelbarrow], butcould not reach him. Then they brought out armfuls of [straw] and madea big soft [haystack] and [Mary] stood on the [roof] and tried to pushhim off into the [straw] but he wouldn't budge. "Come to dinner,children," called Mary's [Mother]. "It is getting cold." "Oh dear!"said little Mary, almost crying. "He'll have to stay up here andstarve! But he's had three [caraway biscuits], anyway." At last[Hannah's] big brother came out to find them. He laughed when he sawthe [lamb] and the [haystack] but he went for a [ladder], and veryquickly brought the little [lamb] safely down to the ground. Then theyall went in and had their dinner together.

  HOW LITTLE MARY SPUN.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  VI

  "When my lamb is big enough" said Mary to little Aunt Hannah, "myfather will shear him with the [clippers], like the old [sheep] andMother will teach me to spin, and knit the wool; and so my little lambwill give me my [gloves] and [socks]." "Let's shear him now." said[aunt Hannah]. "I can teach you to knit." "Well." said Mary. "He isvery little--but we will only take a little of his [wool]." So she gotthe [scissors], and they cut some wool from his [back]. But theyfound it must first be spun into [yarn]--and they didn't know how: sothey went to ask Mary's [mother]. She laughed at the poor little[lamb] with the big bare spots in his pretty white [fleece]. "If youare in such a hurry for [gloves] and [socks]," she said, "we willbegin them at once. First, you must learn to spin." So she broughtout the big [spinning wheel] and some tiny soft [threads] of wool andshowed her how to spin the rolls into [yarn]. Mary liked to walkbackward and forward, and twirl the great [spinning wheel] with a[clothes-pin]; but her yarn was all uneven, and kept snarling andbreaking. Soon she grew tired--and cross, too, and then the [yarn]snarled worse than ever. As last [Mary] gave the [spinning wheel] agreat whirl, as hard as she could, and ran off to the [barn]. Thereshe hid in the [straw] and cried, until the little [lamb] found herand rubbed his [head] against her [hair]. Then she stopped crying tolaugh, his ragged [fleece] looked so funny! Pretty soon she went backto the [house] and said she was sorry for being cross. Then [Mother]gave her a nice [ball] of yarn and some [knitting needles] and [AuntHannah] taught her to knit a [sock].

  HOW HE WENT BOATING.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  VII

  When the time really came to wash and shear the [sheep], Mary's[father] said the lamb wasn't big enough to spare any more [wool]--buthe did get washed in the [river]. Mary and little Aunt Hannah wentdown in the meadow to gather cowslips--not for the pretty [flowers]but to boil in a [pot] for dinner. They took off their [shoes] and[socks] and splashed about in the wet [grass], filling their [bucket]with [cowslips]. They picked some tall blue [flowers] too, and pulledsweet-flag to eat. To get the sweet [flag], they had to cross a little[bridge] over the brook. The [lamb] followed them, but he stepped on aloose [board], and it tipped him off into the water! It wasn't deepenough to be over his [head], but he waded the wrong way and scrambledout on a little [island] in the middle of the [brook]. Theycouldn't coax him to wade ashore;--he didn't like water, and wouldonly shake his [head] and say "Ba-a-a! No-o-o!" "We must build a[bridge] for him" said [Mary]. "No," said [Aunt Hannah] "we will getthe boat. The [boys] keep it at the mill." They followed the brook upto the [mill] and untied the [boat]. There were no [oars], but theyfound a long [pole] and pushed it along to the [island]. The little[lamb] was very glad to jump in with them. But they could not push the[boat] ashore, for the water ran too fast. So they floated along,dipping their [fingers] in the water, and watching the little [fish]swimming below, till they ran into a [fence] across the brook. Thenthey climbed ashore and went back for their [bucket] and [shoes andsocks]. "Oh, you funny lamb!" said Mary, "What good times you do makeus have!"

  HOW DOLLABELLA TOOK A RIDE.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  VIII

  Dollabella, Mary's biggest doll, had had the measles, but she wasgetting better. "When people get better" said [Mary], "they always goto ride." So she tried to give her [doll] a ride on the [lamb]'s back,but he danced up and down and she fell off. Then Mary took a [string]and tied her on, so when the [lamb] danced again he couldn't shake[Dollabella] off. He didn't like that, so he thought he would run awayfrom her, and off he went! The [gate] was shut, but he squeezedthrough a gap in the [fence], and tore Dollabella's [dress] on a[nail]. Mary squeezed through the gap, too, and her [skirt] caught onthe [nail], and tore a great big three-cornered [hole]. The [lamb] ranacross a field and jumped over a [stone wall] into the [bushes] andMary ran after him, laughing. Dollabella's [hat] fell off her[head], and so did Mary's [bonnet]. The [branches] of the [trees]caught her [hair] and tangled them and almost pulled the [doll] fromthe lamb's back. At last they came out into a [wheat]field and sawFarmer Clover at work with his [hoe]. "Hello!" said he. "Who's runningaway--you or your lamb?" "Oh, we aren't running away," said [Mary],all out of breath. "We are just giving my [doll] a ride. She is sick!""Well, that's a pretty fast ride for anybody that's sick!" said[Farmer Clover]. "Now I am going to the [barn], to get a [jug] ofmolasses. Don't you want to ride home in my [buggy]?" Mary and the[lamb] were tired, and glad to have a ride--and I think the poor sick[doll] must have been just as glad. But when they got home [Mary] hadto take a [sewing needle] and [thimble] out of her [basket] and mendher [dress] and Dollabella's too.

  HOW BOSSY BUNTED HIM.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  IX

  As the lamb grew big and strong he got very frisky, too. He found outthat when he ran at things with his hard little [head] down and buntedthem, the things would fall down. He thought that was funny, so hebunted everything. In the [house] he bunted over [chairs] and the[shovel] and [tongs], and nobody dared set a [bucket] or [tub] on thefloor. Outdoors, he ran at the [hens] and [chicks], to see themflutter and scream. Once he bunted little Aunt Hannah's [cat]--but shedidn't fall down; she stood up and cuffed him with her [paw], andscratched him! But [Mary] fell down when he bunted her, and so did[Hannah], although they were bigger than the [cat]. One night he ranat Mary's father, bringing in the [pail], and spilled all the milkover his [boots]. Then Mary's [father] said if the [lamb] didn'tstop bunting he must be tied up. So [Mary] tried to teach him better,but he didn't understand it was naughty, and kept right on bunting. Atlast one day, he bunted the [cow] which was tied to the [fence] by along [rope]. Now Bossy liked to bunt, too; so when the [lamb] ran ather she put her [head] down and ran at him! And she was the biggest,so it was the little [lamb] himself that fell down that time! First heflew right over the [fence] and fell on his [head],--then he rolledover and over into the duck-[pond]. All the [ducks] began to flaptheir [wings] and quack, and the big gray [goose] hissed at him andchased him. The poor naughty little [lamb] was so frightened that heran to [Mary], all wet and muddy, and hid his [head] in her [dress].After that, he didn't bunt things any more!

  HOW THEY PLAYED HIDE AND SEEK.]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  X

  One day Mary and her lamb were playing in the [barn]. He would liestill as a [mouse] while she
buried him in the [hay], but when sheclapped her [hands] he jumped up and ran to her like a [dog]. Then[Mary] began to pull out [hay] from the mow, and made a deep holewhere they could both creep in out of sight. After supper they playedhide-and-seek with [Hannah]. So many nice hiding-places--under the[flower]-bushes, behind the rain-[barrel], and around the [wood] bythe [woodshed]. At last [Mary] remembered her hole in the [hay] andcrept in, with the [lamb] which followed her everywhere. Then theywaited, keeping very still, till by and by [Mary] grew sleepy--for itwas almost [bed]-time. She laid her [head] on the [lamb]'s soft neck,as they cuddled down together in their [nest], and before they knewit they were fast asleep! [Hannah] hunted and hunted, till she thought[Mary] must have gone in the [house], to play a trick on her; so shewent into her own [house] a little vexed. [Bed]-time came and her[Mother] came to the [door] to call Mary in. "I guess she's gone homewith Hannah," said [father], as he came from the [barn] with his[lamp]. The [girls] often slept together, and Mary's mother didn'thear the "I guess," so she only said "It is naughty to go withouttelling me. She mustn't again." So nobody knew where [Mary] was, allnight! But next morning she didn't come home--she was not at[Hannah]'s--and how frightened everybody was! They hunted everywhere,and at last started to drive to the neighbor's [houses]. The noise ofthe [carriage] and of the [horse] trampling on the [street] wakedMary--and how astonished everybody was, when she and the [lamb] camecreeping out of the [hay]!

  HOW HE SAVED MARY!]

  MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]

  XI