ich he carried about with him, distributing a little as a
reward for their obedience to his call.

"The Kilkenny farm is divided by the King's River, which at times is so
rapid and impetuous as not to be fordable by the strongest horse. A
plank bridge, eighteen inches wide, and one hundred and ten feet long,
with a rail on one side, is thrown across for the convenience of those
who may be desirous of crossing the stream.

"When it is necessary to remove the sheep from one side of the river to
the other, the shepherd crosses the plank, sounding his horn, and each
individual of the flock passes regularly after him in single file. Even
in the highest floods, there has never occurred one single casualty."

"That reminds me," said Mr. Sullivan, "of the flocks in the Island of
Cyrnon, which, on the landing of a stranger, always flee away into the
interior of the country; but as soon as the shepherd blows his horn,
they scamper around him, and forget every fear.

"But all this time I am quite unmindful of my young friend, who has not
yet asked one question."

"I want to know whether it's easy to be a shepherdess," said Minnie,
blushing; "because I should like to be one; only I should want the kind
of sheep that would own their lambs, and love them."

Both Mr. Lee and his visitor laughed heartily.

"Sheep have one trait, and a very marked one," said Mr. Sullivan, "which
makes it difficult to keep them in order. That is, their habit of
imitation. On my farm, the boundary one side is a stone wall, and it
seems almost impossible to keep them from going over it. There is no
better feed in my neighbor's pasture; but for some reason the leader
runs over, and then the whole flock follow. They know better, and they
seldom attempt it when Moses, the dog, is in sight; for sheep soon learn
the exact boundaries of their enclosure: from being driven back so
often, they find how far they can roam, and remain in peace.

"So, Miss Minnie, unless you can run very fast, and like to keep on the
chase pretty much all day, I think you would find it easier to take care
of your pets at home than to be a shepherdess."

"Will you please tell me a story about sheep?" said the little girl.

"If you like a laughable story, I can tell you one which I was thinking
of not a minute since. It illustrates their habit of imitation. It is
often exceedingly difficult to drive a flock of sheep through a narrow
passage to which they are unaccustomed; but i