bars when a great uproar broke out. The whole flock crowded around
Snowball. And everybody except him said, "_Baa!_"
"He laughs best who laughs last," Aunt Nancy remarked to him. "To-morrow
we'll laugh best--at you!"
But Snowball stood his ground and shook his head.
"I'm not going to be sheared," he declared. "I guess you don't know what
Johnnie Green's 'to-morrow' means. . . . It means 'never!'"
Snowball really thought he was right about that.
The next morning he found that he had been mistaken. For Johnnie Green
came and cornered--and caught--him. And amid a chorus of _baas_ Johnnie
led Snowball to the barn.
"Let's wait at the bars until Johnnie brings Snowball back!" cried the
young black ram, who bad knocked Snowball down the day before. "We want
to give him a good welcome when he comes back without his fleece."
"It's useless to wait," said Aunt Nancy. "You know Farmer Green said it
would take Johnnie all day to shear him."
Along toward noon the black ram came hurrying to the upper end of the
pasture, where most of the sheep were feeding.
"Snowball's here!" he blatted. "And he's sheared, too!"
And just then Aunt Nancy Ewe came puffing and panting to join the
others.
"Snowball's back in the pasture!" she gasped. "And he isn't sheared at
all!"
Well, nobody knew what to think of that.
XXIV
HALF AND HALF
All the sheep in the pasture hurried down the hillside toward the bars
to look at Snowball. And soon dozens of disputes might have been heard:
"He is!" "He isn't!" "He's sheared!" "He's not!" About half the flock
were sure Johnnie Green had sheared Snowball; while the other half were
just as sure that Snowball still wore his fleece.
At last Aunt Nancy Ewe went close to Snowball and walked all the way
around him. And when she joined her friends she announced that she had
solved the mystery.
"Snowball is sheared on one side only!" she exclaimed.
It was true. And the moment the flock learned what had happened they set
up a deafening _baaing_. "_Baa-ha-ha-ha-ha!_" they laughed. "Now who's a
sight?" they asked Snowball. "Now who looks funny?"
Poor Snowball couldn't say a word. He hung his head. For he was terribly
ashamed of his appearance.
"It's not my fault," he wailed at last. "When Johnnie Green had me half
sheared that horrid boy Red came along and asked Johnnie to go fishing.
And you know Johnnie Green! He can't miss a fishing trip. . . . He said
he'd finish shearing me to-morrow."
"Ha!" cried Aunt Nancy Ewe. And she flung at Snowball the very words he
had used the day before. "Johnnie Green's 'to-morrow' means 'never!'"
"Oh! I hope not!" cried Snowball. "That would be awful!"
Somehow Snowball managed to get through that first dreadful day. But the
following day he gave up all hope; for Johnnie Green never came near
him. Nor did he come the next day, nor the next, nor the next.
Little by little the sheep stopped teasing Snowball. Little by little he
became used to having one side of him sheared and the other side thick
with fleece.
For some time he tried to keep as much out of sight as possible, grazing
along the stone wall where he could bury himself in the bushes whenever
one of the flock strayed near him. Or if he couldn't hide, he took pains
to stand so that only one side of him should show.
It was a long while before his neighbors stopped smiling when they saw
him. But finally there were only two in the flock that couldn't seem to
forget how ridiculous Snowball looked. These were the young black ram
and old Aunt Nancy Ewe. And perhaps they can't be blamed, because
Snowball had once openly made fun of them. When they were near him
Snowball was very uncomfortable. But with the rest of the flock he felt
more at his ease. And sometimes he even went so far as to say that he
_enjoyed_ being half sheared.
"On a cool day I find it pleasant to turn my clipped side toward the
sun," he would remark. "And if there's a chilly wind I don't have to
shiver. I let it blow against my fleecy side; and I never feel it."
In two weeks Snowball was claiming that he _preferred_ to be only half
sheared.
Maybe that was true. Maybe he was only trying to make himself think it
was. Anyhow, when Johnnie Green came into the pasture one day and called
to him Snowball bounded down the grassy slope toward the bars.
And when he came back to the pasture, some time later, he didn't look
very different from his companions. One side of him, however, showed a
pinkish tinge, because Johnnie Green had just sheared that side very
close. And the fleece on his other side had already begun to grow out a
bit.
But Snowball didn't mind that. He had a pink nose, always. And he said
that pink was his favorite color.
And never again did he laugh at anybody, no matter how queer a person
might look.
THE END
SLUMBER-TOWN TALES
(Trademark Registered.)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THE
SLEEPY-TIME TALES and TUCK-ME-IN TALES
=Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH=
These are fascinating stories of farmyard folk for boys and girls from
about four to eight years of age.
THE TALE OF MISS KITTY CAT
When Mrs. Rat saw Miss Kitty Cat washing her face, she knew it meant
rain. And she wouldn't let her husband leave home without his umbrella.
THE TALE OF HENRIETTA HEN
Henrietta Hen was an empty-headed creature with strange notions. She
never laid an egg without making a great fuss about it.
THE TALE OF THE MULEY COW
The Muley Cow belonged to Johnnie Green. He often milked her; and she
seldom put her foot in the milk pail.
THE TALE OF TURKEY PROUDFOOT
A vain fellow was Turkey Proudfoot. He loved to strut about the farmyard
and spread his tail, which he claimed was the most elegant one in the
neighborhood.
THE TALE OF PONY TWINKLEHEELS
Pony Twinkleheels trotted so fast you could scarcely tell one foot from
another. Everybody had to step lively to get out of his way.
THE TALE OF OLD DOG SPOT
Old dog Spot had a keen nose. He was always ready to chase the wild
folk. And he always looked foolish when they got away from him.
THE TALE OF GRUNTY PIG
Grunty pig was a great trial to his mother. He found it hard not to put
his feet right in the feeding trough at meal time.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
TUCK-ME-IN TALES
(Trademark Registered)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THE
SLEEPY-TIME TALES and SLUMBER-TOWN TALES
=Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH=
A delightful and unusual series of bird and insect stories for boys and
girls from three to eight years old, or thereabouts.
THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN
Jolly Robin spreads happiness everywhere with his merry song.
THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW
A wise bird was Mr. Crow. He'd laugh when any one tried to catch him.
THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL
Solomon Owl looked so solemn that many people thought he knew
everything.
THE TALE OF JASPER JAY
Jasper Jay was very mischievous. But many of his neighbors liked him.
THE TALE OF RUSTY WREN
Rusty Wren fought bravely to keep all strangers out of his house.
THE TALE OF DADDY LONG-LEGS
Daddy Long-Legs could point in all directions at once--with his
different legs.
THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID
He was a musical person and chanted all night during the autumn.
THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY
Betsy spent most of her time among the flowers.
THE TALE OF BUSTER BUMBLEBEE
Buster was clumsy and blundering, but was known far and wide.
THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY
Freddie had great sport dancing in the meadow and flashing his light.
THE TALE OF BOBBY BOBOLINK
Bobby had a wonderful voice and loved to sing.
THE TALE OF CHIRPY CRICKET
Chirpy loved to stroll about after dark and "chirp."
THE TALE OF MRS. LADYBUG
Mrs. Ladybug loved to find out what her neighbors were doing and to give
them advice.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Final page, "Crirpy" changed to "Chirpy" (Chirpy loved to stroll)
End of Project Gutenberg's The Tale of Snowball Lamb, by Arthur Bailey