As the lamb grew big and strong he got very frisky, too. He found out
that when he ran at things with his hard little [head] down and bunted
them, the things would fall down. He thought that was funny, so he
bunted everything. In the [house] he bunted over [chairs] and the
[shovel] and [tongs], and nobody dared set a [bucket] or [tub] on the
floor. Outdoors, he ran at the [hens] and [chicks], to see them
flutter and scream. Once he bunted little Aunt Hannah's [cat]--but she
didn't fall down; she stood up and cuffed him with her [paw], and
scratched him! But [Mary] fell down when he bunted her, and so did
[Hannah], although they were bigger than the [cat]. One night he ran
at Mary's father, bringing in the [pail], and spilled all the milk
over his [boots]. Then Mary's [father] said if the [lamb] didn't
stop 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. At
last one day, he bunted the [cow] which was tied to the [fence] by a
long [rope]. Now Bossy liked to bunt, too; so when the [lamb] ran at
her 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 he
flew right over the [fence] and fell on his [head],--then he rolled
over and over into the duck-[pond]. All the [ducks] began to flap
their [wings] and quack, and the big gray [goose] hissed at him and
chased him. The poor naughty little [lamb] was so frightened that he
ran to [Mary], all wet and muddy, and hid his [head] in her [dress].
After that, he didn't bunt things any more!
[Illustration: HOW THEY PLAYED HIDE AND SEEK.]
[Illustration: MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]
X
One day Mary and her lamb were playing in the [barn]. He would lie
still as a [mouse] while she buried him in the [hay], but when she
clapped 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 hole
where they could both creep in out of sight. After supper they played
hide-and-seek with [Hannah]. So many nice hiding-places--under the
[flower]-bushes, behind the rain-[barrel], and around the [wood] by
the [woodshed]. At last [Mary] remembered her hole in the [hay] and
crept in, with the [lamb] which followed her everywhere. Then they
waited, keeping very still, till by and by [Mary] grew sleepy--for it
was almost [bed]-time. She laid her [head] on the [lamb]'s soft neck,
as they cuddled down together in their [nest], and before they knew
it 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 she
went 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 home
with Hannah," said [father], as he came from the [barn] with his
[lamp]. The [girls] often slept together, and Mary's mother didn't
hear the "I guess," so she only said "It is naughty to go without
telling me. She mustn't again." So nobody knew where [Mary] was, all
night! 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 of
the [carriage] and of the [horse] trampling on the [street] waked
Mary--and how astonished everybody was, when she and the [lamb] came
creeping out of the [hay]!
[Illustration: HOW HE SAVED MARY!]
[Illustration: MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]