Dollabella, Mary's biggest doll, had had the measles, but she was
getting better. "When people get better" said [Mary], "they always go
to 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 away
from her, and off he went! The [gate] was shut, but he squeezed
through a gap in the [fence], and tore Dollabella's [dress] on a
[nail]. Mary squeezed through the gap, too, and her [skirt] caught on
the [nail], and tore a great big three-cornered [hole]. The [lamb] ran
across a field and jumped over a [stone wall] into the [bushes] and
Mary 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] from
the lamb's back. At last they came out into a [wheat]field and saw
Farmer Clover at work with his [hoe]. "Hello!" said he. "Who's running
away--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] of
molasses. 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] had
to take a [sewing needle] and [thimble] out of her [basket] and mend
her [dress] and Dollabella's too.
[Illustration: HOW BOSSY BUNTED HIM.]
[Illustration: MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]