Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1889-09-26
THE LITTLE LAMB.
Hts Tender Youth Is an Extremely Sad
Experience.

heaves to the right; surges up and then
down, and it whirls and twirls with him
while he staggers and struggles, and twists
one lee around the other like vine around
a tree or else he spreads those members
all out until they look like the forks un-
der weather vane. He tumbles down
for the fiftieth time, and for the fiftieth
time renews the fight to secure that foot.
ing in the great world from which only
can he reach the life giving milk. His
mother-paticularly if it is her first-in
her crazy anxiety TO help, knocks him
down, steps on him, and does-without
leaving out a possible exceptiOn-every.
thing she should not not do, while she
leaves nearly everything undons that
might help the little fellow to get the de.
sired nourishment.
In half an hour his milk-can is full
his sides bulge out with surfet Of the
pure article warranted TO stand the most
rigid test for admixture of water. And
as the shepherd slowly urges the old eve
toward home, the lamb goes reeling and
rolling along like an old tar just ashore
from years voyage.
About the first error the lamb makes
in life is to mistake the shepherd or his
dog for its mother, and many are the ma
nGuvres that must be gone through with
to make the new arrival follow the right
party. His next error is likely to be an
attempt to walk on mir when he comes to
a place where he should 90 down hill.
His ten minutes experience in life has
made him believe that all the earth ia a
level plain, and in broad daylight he steps
off the top of hill just as serenely asa
man steps off the top landing of the stairs
in total darkness when he is certain the
stairs are yet twenty feet away. The re-
suit is a great surprise TO man and lamb
in each instance.
The lamb picks himself up and con-
tinues down the hill /; he soon comes to
the conclusion that everything is down
hill in this life, and not on a dead-level.
Upon getting to the foot Of the bill he
still tries to continue downward, and ~
result he runs his nose into the ground
and looks surprised again. He now comes
to place to get up hill and goes US just
as our man starts to go up stairs in total
darkness when he thinks the stairs are
still twenty feet away.
Our lamb is now getting very suspi-
cious. He was pushed over and grovled
at for following the dog when he thought
it was his mother the shepherd kicked
and abused him for following him he
tumbled down hill when he saw nothing
unusual in the looks of the ground, and
up hill again under similar circumstances.
I'm this frame of mind he comes TO Q
shadow cast by neighboring hill. This
is the most appalling thing he has yet
seen in life. He stands in the bright Gun.
shine twelve inches ahead Of him all the
world is black. How shall he get over
that terrible line? 1t must be worse than
going down hill or up hill or running af-
ter a dog that growls or man that kicks.
1t surely looks much more frightlul than
any of these things. His mother is in
the shadow and coaxes him to come along;
but he will not risk it-he stands on the
edge and bawls at the top Of his powers
The shepherd with his big foot comes to
the rescue, and our poor lamb is lifted
from sunlight into shadow on the end Of
number nine boot.
At this time he is about one hour old.
For a whole hour he has been running
his respiratiye, circulative and locomotive
powers as an independent being and has
become quite lamb. Just at that instant
carriage drives rapidly along the road.
His quick eye sees it; he thinks, perhaps,
it is his mo her and that she is running
from danger. He strikes out after it. II
is wonderful what an hour has done for
him in the way of development he runs
faster than the shepherd, faster than his
mother and is in imminent danger Of get
ting under the horses' feet or the wheels
Of the carriage.
1t is here that the dog comes into play
if he understands his business. He runs
up alongside Of the lamb, pushes it over
with his nose, jumps upon it and holdsit
down upon the ground with his nose un-
til the shepherd comes up. The shepherd
takes the lamb and stands it upon its feet
so that it can see It's mother who has come
up to within a few feet He holds it un-
I'll it sees its mother on the move and then
lets it 20. The old eve licks off the face
of a sadder and wiser lamb, lets him have
another dose of liquid nourishment and
together they get home.
There is only one thing that is five hum
dred times as funny and provoking by
turns as lamb, and that is FIVE hundred