Once little Mary and her lamb really did get lost--and somethingdreadful almost happened! They had been picking [berries] in the[bushes] up Clover [hill], and couldn't find the way out. The [sun]was setting, and [Mary] thought of [snakes] and [bears]! She was tiredand hungry, too. She was eating [blueberries] from her [pail], andcrying, and the [lamb], who would not eat [berries] and wanted hismilk in the old [coffeepot] was crying, too--"Ba-a-a!"--when a big,tall [boy] with a [rifle] in his [hand] broke through the bushesbehind them. He sat down on a [stump] and stared at them, looking sowhite and scared that [Mary] felt sorry for him. "Did a [bear] chaseyou?" she asked. "Oh no," said he, "It's only I'm so glad you arealive!" He didn't dare tell her he had mistaken her little brown[head] bobbing among the [leaves], for a [bird], and raised his[gun] to shoot it when he saw a little white [lamb] bobbing beside itand stopped to look closer! So her little [lamb] had saved Mary'slife--but she never knew it. "Now how came you up here?" the boyasked. "Are you lost?" "Oh no," said [Mary], winking away the [tears],and smiling; "We aren't exactly lost--only we can't just find our[home]. And we want our supper, too." "You shall have it!" said the[boy]. "You are little Mary--I know your [house]--and I'm going tocarry you there, quicker than a [horse] can trot!" So he took [Mary]in one [arm] and the [lamb] in the other, and the [gun] he left hiddenin the [forest] under a [tree]. Then he quickly found the [road] (itwas close by, after all,) and in ten minutes they were safe homeagain; and Mary's [mother] thanked the big [boy] and gave them allsome supper.
HOW HE WON THE PRIZE.]
MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.]
XII
Now Mary and the big [boy] with the [gun] became great friends. Heused to bring her [candy] in his [satchel]; once he took her out inhis [boat] to gather [flowers]; and he promised to take her to theCounty Fair. Early on that day he came for her with his [horse] and[carriage]. Mary was all ready, in her new [hat], with [bows] on her[shoes]. "Where is the [lamb]?" he asked. "[Father] says he mustn'tgo," said Mary sadly, "so I shut him up in the [barn]". "Oh but hemust go!" cried the [boy]. "He's entered--they expect him." [Mary]didn't understand that, but she was very glad to take her dear [lamb]with her. They walked about the Fair grounds and saw the [horses] and[cows] and [sheep] and [pigs] in the [pens]; and visited the [tent]where the [rabbits] and [chickens] were, in their [cages]. Andeverywhere that [Mary] went the [lamb] kept close beside her; andall the [people] looked at them and smiled. At last the [boy] said,"Now we are going into the [exhibit hall] so we will leave our [lamb]in this nice little [pen] beside all the other [lambs] to wait forus." They looked at the [fruits] and [flowers] and the [quilts] and[preserves] in the [exhibit hall]. Then they found Marys [father] and[mother] and had dinner together; and afterward they saw the [horse]race, and the [hot-air balloon] go up, and heard the [marching band]play. It was a long time before they went for the [lamb]. Some[people] were looking at him, and just as Mary ran up they fastened ablue [ribbon] on his [head]. "Oh, thank you! How pretty!" she said."Hurrah!" cried the [boy]. "Our [lamb] has won first prize! That meanshe's the best [lamb] in town!" "Of course!" said little [Mary]. "He'sthe best [lamb] in the whole [world]!"
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