The Monitor-register., 1896-10-16

night he had made friends with the
horses, cows, chickens, ducks, geese and
cats, and he was found lying under a tree
in rapt admiration of a pert jay which
chatted about him. aud which he had
almost coaxed to alight on his finger.
"Cone with me and I will show you
something more" said Mrs. Lynn, the
next morning after breakfast. She put q
pail of salt in his hand and they went
up a little glen, then up a steep hill, and
called, MAN, Nan, Mani"
A quiet patting of footsteps are now
heard, and down the path came a line of
soft-looking white animals.
"What's their names ?" asked Jack,
with great interest.
They are sheep. There are a great
many more up over the hill, but they do
not know me very we'll so they refuse to
come. We must go further"
Higher up they went to where a sunny
pasture sloped more gently down on the
other side, and there were hundreds of
pretty creatures nipping the short grass,
or lying under the trees. They looked at
the stranger with shy, gentle eyes, but
gathered near as Mrs. Lynn repeated the
call.
Jack laughed and whooped. and threw
himself on the ground in the excess of his
delight, at first frightening them away.
But he was soon in among them, winning
them by his coaxing tones and the salt
which he held out to them.
The boys face seemed transformed as
Mrs. Lynn got her first glance at his eyes.
He laid his hand lovinglyon the heads of
some half grown lambs, and be tenderly
lifted one which seemed a little lame.
"You may take that one to the house if
you like" said Mrs. Lynn, land 1 will
bind ur the injured foot"
He did SO, and when he returned to the
flock be stayed there all day, only going
to the house when called to dinner by the
sound of the conoh she'll. And every day
afterwards the most of his time was
spent on the breezy hillside, finding his
fill of enjoyment with the sheep. He
was little seen at the house, seemed not
to care for human society; but he took
long walks at his will, from which once
he brought home 3 bird with a broken
wing, and again a starved stray kitten,
both of which he ca refully tended.
"Hear himW said Mrs. Lynn, one day,
when she had gone into the meadow
where her husband was at work. 81
believe he knows every sheep there
Jacks voice came ringing down with
"Hiho. hiho! Hiho.o GOO! Where be
you Flax, Flinders and Foam ? Come
here my jolly boys, and kick up your
heels in the mo.or-r ming"
"He gets off some such rigmarole every
time he goes near them," she said. sand
I'm sure all the sheep know him."
Jack stayed a month among his feecy
darlings and when the time came for say
ing good by to them, nobody vas there to
hear him say it. He allowed Mrs. Lynn
to shake his band as he vent on board
the train that was to take him to his
home, or rather to his homelessness, but
he made little response to their kind fare.
| wells.
She had tried 80 faithfully to impress
him with the idea that there are plenty In
this wide world whose hearts the dear
Lord had filled with a tenderest pity and
love tow ard those whose paths seem laid
in Swallowed places, that she felt keenly
disappointed, and feared she might have
entirely failed. However, she remem-
bered with comfort just as the last car
was passing the platform from which she
had watched it, she distinctly caught
sight of a boys face, whose eyes were
filled with tears, as he strove to gain a
glance at her, and she believed in her
heart that it was jacks face.
"It's no use trying to get the matter
righted," said Farmer Lynn to his wife,
speaking in a tone Of great vexation.
This man Green is a tricky knave. Ever
since his sheep broke into my field and
got mixed with my flock the fellow has
been claiming some twenty of my best
Atwoods and Cotsw olds, and now he's
going to law to make me give them to
him."
"Well, il the sheep are yours won't
that course be the best for you ?"
"Not with such a man as that. He is
ready to swear that the sheep are his. and
there's the trouble. Pm MORALLY sure I
know my own sheep, but when it comes
to be pinned right down to swear to zach
one among so many I can't do it."
She shook her head.
mo you couldn't. Sheep are too
much alike, and you would run the risk
of making a mistake. When is the trial
to be ?"
"Next Thursday week."
For the next few days Mrs. Lynn went
about with a very sober face. She took
two or three rides to the village, had an
interview with her husbands lawyer.
wrote several letters, and one day the
whole ~peighborhood was alarmed by a
messenger inouiring his way with q tele-
gram for Mrs. Lynn, it being the first
message of such a nature that had ever
made its way into the township.
But after that everything went off very
quietly, until tbs morning of the day set
for the trial. as
"Well" said Mr.. Lynn, II s'pose Green
will be out here this AFTERNOON to swear
that my SHEEP are his. His lawyers are
coming too"
The afternoon came and with it Green,
the lawyers and half the township beside.
They went and looked over the ground,
saw the flocks feeding in the adjoining
fields and how, by the fence breaking,
they had become mingled. Then little
remained but for Mr.. Green to declare
which of the sheep had remained with
Mr.. Lynn's flock.
But Mr.. Lynn protested against the
wrong being done him, as they picked
out . number of the choices animals and