A RIDE TO TOWN

Much to old dog Spot’s disgust Johnnie Green and his new pet lamb soon became great friends. It wasn’t long before Snowball, as Johnnie called the white lamb, followed his young master about the yard and even into the farmhouse when Mrs. Green wasn’t looking.

It was a remark that Johnnie made about Snowball one day which caused old Spot to speak his mind plainly to the Muley Cow. Johnnie Green actually said, in Spot’s hearing, “Snowball knows as much as a dog!”

“I never did have any use for sheep,” Spot told the Muley Cow. “Everybody knows they’re all terribly stupid. So you can imagine how I felt when Johnnie Green spoke like that to his father.”

The Muley Cow chewed her cud. She had a far-off look in her eyes, as if she might be thinking about what Spot was saying or as if she might not. Anyhow, she did not speak.

“And to think ” Spot growled “to think how I used to take care of Johnnie when he was no more than a baby! Do you suppose this lamb could take care of a baby? Do you suppose he’d pull a baby out of the mill pond? Or fight off a bull? Or kill a snake?”

The Muley Cow turned her calm face upon Spot.

“If you’re jealous ” she began.

“Jealous!” Spot barked. “Of course I’m not jealous. But I must say that this Snowball Lamb is very displeasing to me.”

“Then why don’t you ” the Muley Cow began again.

“I would,” Spot interrupted, “I would only I’m not a sheep-killer. And I don’t intend to become one.”

“This boy,” said the Muley Cow, “he’ll grow tired of that lamb. The other boys will begin to tease him because the lamb follows him about. And that will be too much for Johnnie. . . . I know boys,” the Muley Cow declared.

Old dog Spot sighed. “I hope you’re not mistaken,” he remarked. “Time will tell. Just now anybody can see that Johnnie Green is simply crazy about that silly new pet of his.”

It was only a few days later that something happened to cause old dog Spot to lose all hope.

Johnnie Green and his father hitched up the old horse Ebenezer and started for the village. Of course Spot would have followed them, under the wagon, if he had been at the barn when they left. But he wasn’t. He was up in the pasture, chasing woodchucks.

Just as old Ebenezer turned the corner at the foot of the hill Johnnie Green happened to look back. And there was Snowball, following a little way behind them!

Of course it would never do to let him run all the way to the village and back. And Farmer Green didn’t want to turn around and take Snowball home. So Johnnie Green jumped down and lifted Snowball into the wagon.

So he rode to the village; and then rode home again.

Johnnie Green was greatly pleased by the whole affair. And Snowball was pleased, too. As soon as he reached the farmyard he began talking about his trip to the village.

Everybody listened to Snowball with wonder. That is, everybody wondered except Henrietta Hen. She began talking in a shrill voice about her visit to the county fair. And she said spitefully to Snowball, “You’d better get out of the way before old dog Spot comes back from the pasture!”