y
across the street would charge me with being a sheep thief, and prove
it by McCarty. May be this was a conspiracy on the part of the captain,
whom I suspected of a desire to run for office when we got home, to get
me in his power, so that if I went for him in my paper, he could charge
me with stealing sheep. It worked me up considerable, but we were out of
meat, and if there was a sheep in the vicinity, and I got it, there was
one thing sure, they couldn't get any more mule down me. So we rode up
to the plantation, which was apparently deserted. There was a lamb about
two-thirds grown, in the front yard, and McCarty and myself dismounted
and proceeded to surround the young sheep. As we walked up to it, the
lamb came up to me bleating, licked my hand, and then I noticed there
was a little sleigh-bell tied to its neck with a blue ribbon. The lamb
looked up at us with almost human eyes, and I was going to suggest that
we let it alone, when McCarty grabbed it by the hind legs and was going
to strap it to his saddle, when it set up a bleating, and a little boy
come rushing out of the house, a bright little fellow about three years
old, who could hardly talk plain. I wanted to hug him, he looked so much
like a little black-eyed baby at home, that was too awfully small to say
"good bye, papa" when I left. The little fellow, with the dignity of an
emperor, said, "Here, sir, you must not hurt my little pet lamb. Put
him down, sir, or I will call the servants and have you put off the
premises." McCarty laughed, and said the lamb would be fine 'atin for
the boy's, and was pulling the little thing up, when the tears came into
the boy's eyes, and that settled it. I said, "Mac, for heaven's sake,
drop that lamb. I wouldn't break that little boy's heart for all the
sheep-meat on earth. I will eat mule, or dog, but I draw the line at
children's household pets. Let the lamb go." "Begorra, yer right,"
said McCarty, as he let the lamb down. "Luk at how the shep runs to
the little bye. Ah, me little mon, yer pet shall not be taken away from
yez," and a big tear ran down McCarty's face. The boy said there was a
great big sheep in the back yard we could have, if we were hungry, and
we went around the house to see. There was an old black ram that looked
as though he could whip a regiment of soldiers, but we decided that he
was our meat. McCarty suggested that I throw a lariet rope around his
horns, and lead him, whiles, he would go behind and