THE RED COW 



Mary Belle Mary buds. There is a distinct as- 

 sonance, but it is a slim one on which to hang a quo- 

 tation. Still, the "Mary buds" reminded me of 

 spring and that led to results. Lambs are always 

 associated with spring in literature, and why 

 shouldn't they be in fact? My personal recollec- 

 tions of lambs all coincide with days : 



"Whan that Aprille with his showres soote, 

 The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote." 



So what on earth was a lamb doing in this world 

 in January .f^ On inquiry I learned that one must ex- 

 pect such things if he goes in for pure-bred, pedi- 

 greed sheep that may take prizes at the fall fairs. 

 Any lamb that is born after 12 p.m. of December 

 31 of the preceding year is entitled to rank as a 

 spring lamb. When the fall fairs come round Mary 

 Belle will have the advantage of several months' 

 growth over the lambs that come in the springtime 

 "the only pretty ring time." This makes it look 

 to me as if prize-winning were rather more impor- 

 tant than sheep-breeding. Poor Mary Belle will have 

 to spend the most frisky months of her life in a lit- 

 tle pen, instead of skipping about among the flowers, 

 as a lamb should. She is being robbed of her youth 

 in the hope that she may win a blue ribbon. 



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