The Story of a Lamb on Wheels | Page 8

to," Dorothy said. "Oh, Uncle Tim, don't you believe Dolls,
and Lambs, and things like that, really know one another when they
meet?"
"I shouldn't be a bit surprised if they did," answered the sailor. "You
take your Lamb over and see if she remembers the Sawdust Doll and
the White Rocking Horse."
"I will!" promised Mirabell.
And when the Lamb heard this, though just then she dared not move by
herself or speak, she felt very happy. For, as I have told you, though
she dared not move when human eyes were looking at her, there was
nothing to stop her from hearing what was said. The Lamb had ears,
and what good would they be if she could not hear through them, I'd
like to know?
"Oh, I am so glad I am going to see the Sawdust Doll and the Rocking
Horse again," thought the Lamb. "I hope I get a chance to talk to them
when no one is looking. I want to tell them about their friends that are
still in the toy store."
While Arnold hurried next door with his toy fire engine, that pumped
real water, to play with Dick and to show his puzzle, Uncle Tim went
downstairs to talk to Mirabell's mother. Then Mirabell got her best
doll's comb and brush, which were just the right size, and not a bit too
small or too large, and with this comb and brush she smoothed the
kinks and snarls out of the Lamb's wool.
For when Arnold had opened the door so suddenly, banging the Lamb
into a corner, though he did not mean to do it, he had tangled the
woolly coat of the toy.
"But I'll soon smooth it out," thought Mirabell, as she used comb and
brush. "And I won't hurt you, either, my nice Lamb!"
And Mirabell was so careful that the Lamb never once cried Baa-a! as
almost any other lamb would do if you pulled her wool.

The little girl had made her Lamb nice and tidy, and she was going
downstairs, Mirabell was, to see what Uncle Tim was doing, when
Arnold came back from Dick's house with the toy fire engine and the
wooden puzzle the sailor had made for him.
"Oh, Mirabell, I know how we can have a lot of fun!" cried Arnold.
"How?" asked the little girl.
"With your new Lamb," went on her brother. "Come on, I'll show you.
We must go down to the kitchen. It's a new trick. Dick told me about it.
He did it with an old roller skate."
"What trick is it?" asked Mirabell. "I hope it won't hurt my Lamb."
"No, it'll be a lot of fun," said Arnold. "I told Dick and Dorothy about
your Lamb, and they want to see her. I guess the Sawdust Doll and the
Rocking Horse want to see her, too."
"I'll go over to-morrow," promised Mirabell. "Now show me the funny
trick, Arnold."
The two children went down to the kitchen. There was no one in it just
then, as the cook was out, and Mother was in the parlor talking to
Uncle Tim, the sailor.
"First we've got to get the long ironing board," said Arnold.
"What are we going to do with that?" Mirabell asked.
"Make a sliding downhill thing for your Lamb," answered her brother.
"Why, how can you do that?" asked Mirabell. "There isn't any snow
now, though there was some for Christmas. How can you make a
sliding downhill thing without snow?"
"Ill show you," Arnold said. "Wait till I get the ironing board."
It was kept in the cellar-way, hanging on a nail, and Arnold went there

to get it. But the board was so long and heavy that his sister had to help
him lift it down off the nail.
"We'll put one end up on a chair, and the other end down on the floor,"
said Arnold. "That will make a sliding downhill place."
"Yes," replied Mirabell, as she saw her brother do this. "But it isn't
slippery enough for anybody to slide down. You must have snow for a
hill."
"Not this kind," Arnold answered, with a laugh. "You see your Lamb
has wheels on her, and she can roll right down the ironing board hill,
just like Dick made an old roller skate roll down. Look, Mirabell!"
Arnold took the Lamb from his sister's arms and set the toy on the high
end of the slanting ironing-board hill. And when the Lamb looked
down, and saw how steep it was, and how long, she said to herself:
"Oh, I'm afraid something dreadful will happen to me! I never coasted
downhill before, though I have heard some of the sleds and toboggans
in the toy department speak of it. Oh,