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Tale of Snowball Lamb

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<h2>XXIV</h2><h3>HALF AND HALF</h3> <p>All the sheep in the pasture hurried down the hillside toward the bars to look at Snowball. And soon dozens of disputes might have been heard: "He is!" "He isn't!" "He's sheared!" "He's not!" About half the flock were sure Johnnie Green had sheared Snowball; while the other half were just as sure that Snowball still wore his fleece.</p> <p>At last Aunt Nancy Ewe went close to Snowball and walked all the way around him. And when she joined her friends she announced that she had solved the mystery.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</SPAN></span></p> <p>"Snowball is sheared on one side only!" she exclaimed.</p> <p>It was true. And the moment the flock learned what had happened they set up a deafening <i>baaing</i>. "<i>Baa-ha-ha-ha-ha!</i>" they laughed. "Now who's a sight?" they asked Snowball. "Now who looks funny?"</p> <p>Poor Snowball couldn't say a word. He hung his head. For he was terribly ashamed of his appearance.</p> <p>"It's not my fault," he wailed at last. "When Johnnie Green had me half sheared that horrid boy Red came along and asked Johnnie to go fishing. And you know Johnnie Green! He can't miss a fishing trip. . . . He said he'd finish shearing me to-morrow."</p> <p>"Ha!" cried Aunt Nancy Ewe. And she flung at Snowball the very words he had used the day before. "Johnnie<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</SPAN></span> Green's 'to-morrow' means 'never!'"</p> <p>"Oh! I hope not!" cried Snowball. "That would be awful!"</p> <p>Somehow Snowball managed to get through that first dreadful day. But the following day he gave up all hope; for Johnnie Green never came near him. Nor did he come the next day, nor the next, nor the next.</p> <p>Little by little the sheep stopped teasing Snowball. Little by little he became used to having one side of him sheared and the other side thick with fleece.</p> <p>For some time he tried to keep as much out of sight as possible, grazing along the stone wall where he could bury himself in the bushes whenever one of the flock strayed near him. Or if he couldn't hide, he took pains to stand so that only one side of him should show.</p> <p>It was a long while before his neighbors<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</SPAN></span> stopped smiling when they saw him. But finally there were only two in the flock that couldn't seem to forget how ridiculous Snowball looked. These were the young black ram and old Aunt Nancy Ewe. And perhaps they can't be blamed, because Snowball had once openly made fun of them. When they were near him Snowball was very uncomfortable. But with the rest of the flock he felt more at his ease. And sometimes he even went so far as to say that he <i>enjoyed</i> being half sheared.</p> <p>"On a cool day I find it pleasant to turn my clipped side toward the sun," he would remark. "And if there's a chilly wind I don't have to shiver. I let it blow against my fleecy side; and I never feel it."</p> <p>In two weeks Snowball was claiming that he <i>preferred</i> to be only half sheared.</p> <p>Maybe that was true. Maybe he was<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</SPAN></span> only trying to make himself think it was. Anyhow, when Johnnie Green came into the pasture one day and called to him Snowball bounded down the grassy slope toward the bars.</p> <p>And when he came back to the pasture, some time later, he didn't look very different from his companions. One side of him, however, showed a pinkish tinge, because Johnnie Green had just sheared that side very close. And the fleece on his other side had already begun to grow out a bit.</p> <p>But Snowball didn't mind that. He had a pink nose, always. And he said that pink was his favorite color.</p> <p>And never again did he laugh at anybody, no matter how queer a person might look.</p> <h3>THE END</h3> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div class='center'><big><b>SLUMBER-TOWN TALES</b></big><br/> <small>(Trademark Registered.)</small><br/> By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY<br/> <small>AUTHOR OF THE</small><br/> <small>SLEEPY-TIME TALES and TUCK-ME-IN TALES</small><br/> —————————————————————————<br/> <b><small>Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH</small></b><br/> —————————————————————————<br/></div> <p>These are fascinating stories of farmyard folk for boys and girls from about four to eight years of age.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF MISS KITTY CAT</div> <p>When Mrs. Rat saw Miss Kitty Cat washing her face, she knew it meant rain. And she wouldn't let her husband leave home without his umbrella.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF HENRIETTA HEN</div> <p>Henrietta Hen was an empty-headed creature with strange notions. She never laid an egg without making a great fuss about it.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF THE MULEY COW</div> <p>The Muley Cow belonged to Johnnie Green. He often milked her; and she seldom put her foot in the milk pail.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF TURKEY PROUDFOOT</div> <p>A vain fellow was Turkey Proudfoot. He loved to strut about the farmyard and spread his tail, which he claimed was the most elegant one in the neighborhood.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF PONY TWINKLEHEELS</div> <p>Pony Twinkleheels trotted so fast you could scarcely tell one foot from another. Everybody had to step lively to get out of his way.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF OLD DOG SPOT</div> <p>Old dog Spot had a keen nose. He was always ready to chase the wild folk. And he always looked foolish when they got away from him.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF GRUNTY PIG</div> <p>Grunty pig was a great trial to his mother. He found it hard not to put his feet right in the feeding trough at meal time.</p> <div class='center'> —————————————————————————<br/> <span class='smcap'>Grosset & Dunlap,         Publishers,         New York</span></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div class='center'><big><b>TUCK-ME-IN TALES</b></big><br/> <small>(Trademark Registered)</small><br/> By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY<br/> <small>AUTHOR OF THE</small><br/> <small>SLEEPY-TIME TALES and SLUMBER-TOWN TALES</small><br/> —————————————————————————<br/> <b><small>Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH</small></b><br/> —————————————————————————<br/></div> <div class='blockquot'> <p>A delightful and unusual series of bird and insect stories for boys and girls from three to eight years old, or thereabouts.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN</div> <p>Jolly Robin spreads happiness everywhere with his merry song.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW</div> <p>A wise bird was Mr. Crow. He'd laugh when any one tried to catch him.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL</div> <p>Solomon Owl looked so solemn that many people thought he knew everything.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF JASPER JAY</div> <p>Jasper Jay was very mischievous. But many of his neighbors liked him.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF RUSTY WREN</div> <p>Rusty Wren fought bravely to keep all strangers out of his house.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF DADDY LONG-LEGS</div> <p>Daddy Long-Legs could point in all directions at once—with his different legs.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID</div> <p>He was a musical person and chanted all night during the autumn.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY</div> <p>Betsy spent most of her time among the flowers.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF BUSTER BUMBLEBEE</div> <p>Buster was clumsy and blundering, but was known far and wide.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY</div> <p>Freddie had great sport dancing in the meadow and flashing his light.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF BOBBY BOBOLINK</div> <p>Bobby had a wonderful voice and loved to sing.</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF CHIRPY CRICKET</div> <p><ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'Crirpy'">Chirpy</ins> loved to stroll about after dark and "chirp."</p> <div class='unindent'><br/>THE TALE OF MRS. LADYBUG</div> <p>Mrs. Ladybug loved to find out what her neighbors were doing and to give them advice.</p> </div> <div class='center'> —————————————————————————<br/> <span class='smcap'>Grosset & Dunlap,         Publishers,         New York</span></div> <hr style='width: 45%;' /> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/backendpapers1.jpg" width-obs="514" height-obs="800" alt="Back Endpapers Left" title="Back Endpapers Left" /></div> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/backendpapers2.jpg" width-obs="530" height-obs="800" alt="Back Endpapers Right" title="Back Endpapers Right" /></div> <hr style='width: 65%;' /> <div class='tnote'><h3>Transcriber's Notes:</h3> <p>Obvious punctuation errors repaired.</p> <p>The remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'apprear'">appear</ins>.</p> </div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

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