The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-08-24
View ofLifa.

Twill relate an adventure which occurred tom
last summer, and whicA<eaches lesson tina
may not be agreeab,e1 accords with ia
realities OF LIE.
was travelling toward Southampton in tn
sage-coach. and Vaen We arrived al Oxford /
slapped for tbs ni,,nt ihaush two or three hour
Of daylight silil ro9,.nea Unexpended AixiOu
20 complete my journey, and with only ilr'l
miles further to .FWel, called at several ne, III
boring houses 10 pgoe.fe, POSSIBLE, some immed
late coayey Ince onward / was ultimately d.
reeted 20 a farmer who resided about halt .
mile from oxford and owned One.horse wagon
vhicl my informant Supposed could procure.
waised to the house and found that The owner
kept a small tavern, Oh rather \ lonely ts-road
He was hot in the house, bul his wife tOIt me he
visi the barn, trinming his lambs. felt ne III
tie curiosity to know what the woman meant BY
saying he was trimming lis lambs nor was
quite sure whether her words were TO be under
stood literally or referred fgJratively to the far
mers children; but As disiked to expose my
ignorance by venuriny any questions, | walked
toward the barn to satisfy my curiosity, as wei As
to procure the mans wagon.
As l approached The barn was soon relieved
from any doub. as to thenature u, the lambs aud
while their beating manifested that they were
verit,bie sheep, it inlieated tina. the trimming
to which they were subjected was no agreeable
operation found all the doors Of the barn close
~ shut, and from the commoliun within began
to doubt whether ought to invade what seeme,!
TO be designed as an act Of private discipline.
however summoned up resolution enough to open
one of the doors, aud was Immediately assailed
from within by several voices at once to shut the
door, which had inclined through caution to keep
l,v Of Il ,f,I I.k.
ded the inteIur being, however, thus camarous-
~ enioined, hastily closed the door after me as
timidly entered his seemingly rwal Paudemon-
ium After becoming i,mi!iaraed to ,he surroun.
ding twilight, 80 as 10 see distinctly what was
transpirng, discovered several Children Of both
sexes, who were struggling to drag some alright
ed lambs toward the tanner and lie no sooner
received one IN his powerful grasp than he, with
a sharp ard bloody knife, cut of the lambs tail,
and then permitted him to escape.
was shocked at this apparent cruelty. espe
cially as deemed it one OF those wan,on and
graiultous muilatious which the caprice OF fashion
or taste sometimes causes to be inflicted on hors
es, dogs, and o.hcr animals, even ventured to
suggest my abhorancc of the act, though it seemed
to the actors especially to the BOYS, a matter of
much sport but the farmer assured me that the
operation was dictated by beueyolence rather than
cruelty. as the tail. iflef; unnrpncd wonld durng
the summer and winter. contract 80 mueh ex,ran,
eous adhesons that tbe sheen world Inc incom-
moded bv the weirbt and the fleece injured NV
stains and tangles. Nv wrath was ann.ascd bv
thus finding that every lamb was 10 partieioate i,
thu benefits which were to result from his pres
ent pains, and began TO look on the scene with
the Goodness that results from n rious concious-
ness That presen, evil, IRE Inn, n,cries in dsc;,e
now observed that solne Of the lambs which
wire brought by the children 10 the farmer were
dismissed without bis INJECTING OH them any mu
t.latiou They cried as Justify rs their brothers
and sisters III they were dismissed and found
themselves safely located in the part of the barn
which was allotted for the lambs which had been
operated on, when shakin, their tails several
times, as ii to satisfy themselves the appsndage
was still where it ought Ia be. they craNlally
ceased thor ortcres and became reconcilel 10
the troubles ottbcir neirhbors. | theart couId
even detect, despite the demure Quaker-like Look
Of the unmutilated ones that they shook their tails
a little more than was necessary To simply salts
fly themselves that all was well with them. I
was quit wiling that the tails should be shaken
till all doubt of their safety was removed nav.
was willing that they should be shasen some
time longer, in ioy that the valued aupendar.s
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