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 ? 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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