Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-01-13
ONE HOUR OF LAMB LIFE.
PITFALLS THAT LIE IN THE PATH
OF THE YOUNG MUTTON.

PITFALLS THAT LIE IN THE PATH
OF THE YOUNG MUTTON.
Has to begin the Rusiuess Of Life When
Five Minutes Oid-l.ike Man He Oftsn
Essiwstes lnsccurateiy. but the shsphsrd
and the dog Are There 70 Help Hin.
be ID OH his feet The unsteady earth under
him now heaves to the right, surges up and
then down, aud II whirls and It twirls with
him while hs stsggers and struggles, and
twists one leg around tho other like vine
around tree; or else he spreads those mem.
bers all out until they look like the forks
under a weather vane. He tumbles down
for tho hfticth time, and for the fiftieth time
renews the fight to secure that footing in the
great world from which only can he reach
the life giving milk. His mother-particu.
larly II It II her hrst-in her Grassy anxiety to
help, knocks him down, steps OH him. and
does-without leaving out a possible exccp
tion-sverythinG she should not do, while
she leaves nearly everything undone that
might help the little fellow to get the desired
nourishment
"Oh, the poor, dear little thing; isn't It too
had, !" says the sympathetic stranger. Tho
COMPOUNDED pair Of idiotsi" frcts the i'm
patient shepherd, who does not care to drive
them until the lamb ands milk and "gets
filed up"
caANoEs HIS MIND OFTEN.
In half an hour his milk can is full; his
sides bulge out with . surfeit Of the pure
article warranted to stand the most rigid
test for admixture Of water. And - tho
shepherd slowly urges tho old eve toward
home, tho lamb goes Keeling 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 Tor it,
mother, and many are the maneuvers that
must be gone through with TO make the new
arrival follow tho right party. His next er
rOr b likely to 10 an attempt to walk on air
when he comes to . place where he should 60
down hill. His ten minutes experience In
life has made him believe that all the earth
Is level plain, and in broad daylight he steps
OF the top Of . hill just as screncly az a man
steps OF the top landing Of the stairs in total
darkness when be Is certain that the stairs
are yet twenty fest away. The result b q
great surprise to man and lamb In each in
stance.
The lamb picks himself up, and continues
down the hill: he soon comes to the conclu-
sion that every thing Il down tho hill In this
life. and not OH q dead level Upon gettlog
to the foot Of the hill he still tries to continue
downward, and ~ . result runs his nose into
the ground and looks surprised again. He
now comes to place to get up hill, and goes
up just AZ our man starts to 60 up stairs IN
total darkness when be thinks the stairs are
still twenty feet away.
l., l.,
He was pushed over and growled at for fol.
lowing the dog when he thought It vas his
mother; the shepherd kicked and abused him
for following him; he tumbled down hill
when he saw nothing unusual In tho looks Of
the ground, aud up hill again under similar
circumstances. In this frame Of mind he
comes to shadow cast by neighboring hill
This d the most appalling thing he has yet
seen In life. He stands In the bright sunshine:
twelve inches ahead Of him all the world Is
black. How shall he get over that terrible
linei It must be worse than going down hill
or hill. or running after dog that growls
or u man that kicks It surely looks much
more frixhtful than any Of these things. His
mother il in the shadow. and coaxes him to
como along, but he will not risk it-he stands
on the edge and bawls at the top Of his pow.
ers. The shepherd with his zig foot comes to
the rescue. and our poor lamb is lifted from
sunlight to shadow ON the end OF . number
nine boot.
He trots along after his mother for few
yards and meets . now difficulty. This time
it is from shadow to sunlight. 1t looks tough;
the situations seems to present no end Of din.
culties He walks across the line with fear
and trembling, only tGsfind it very simple and
easy, and concludes that things are not SO bad
$lr., l.,<>l, IL hoo 20 Av>A
out that things which seem easy in life lead
often to disaster, and fOrbiddiny things often
present no real danger.
THERE'S NOTHING rUNXlER
At this time he In about one hour old; Tor
whole hour he has been running his respira-
| tive, circulative and locomotive powers - Oh
independent heing, and has become quite q
lamb Just at that instant a carriage drives
rapidly along the road. His quick eye sees it;
he thinks perhaps it is his mother. aud that
she IL running from danger He strikes out
| after it. 1t u wonderful what an hour has
done for him in the way Of development; he
runs faster than the shepherd, faster than biz
mother, and Is In imminent danger Of getting
under the horses feet or the wheels Of the
| carriage
It u here that tho dog comes In play, il he
understands his business He runs up along.
side Of the lamb. pushes It over with his nose,
jumps upon It and holds It down upon the
ground with his nose until the shepherd comes
up. Tho shepherd takes the lamb and stands
| it upon its feet ~ that It can see its mother.
who has come to within few feet He holds
It until 1t sees its mother ON . move aud then
lets it CO. The old eve ticks of the face Of .
| sadder aud wiser lamb-lets him have another
dose Of liquid nourishment. and together they
| get home.
There Is only oue thing that is 500 times a.
funny and provoking by turns a. a lamb, and
that i 50O lambs together when they are
about month old The shepherd sits down
and watches the 500 lambs all In bunch BY
themselves, playing, running and frolicking,
| and he lau1hs When he has tried and triad