Bobby of Cloverfield Farm Part 3

Soon the family came home. As they drove into the yard, Mother spied her pansy bed and cried, "Somebody has been digging in my garden and has dug all my little pansy plants up."

Next, they came to the big garden, and when Father saw his radish bed, he said, "Somebody's been digging in my garden and has dug all my radish plants up."

Then Bobby ran to look at his garden. When he saw it, he cried, "Somebody's been digging in my garden and here she is fast asleep."

When the Old Brown Hen heard Bobby shout, she woke up and ran away.

And her little chicks ran in all directions and called, "Peep, peep, peep!"

"Let's catch her," said John.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "When he saw it he cried, 'Somebody's been digging in my garden and here she is fast asleep'"]

Father and John and Bobby chased the Old Brown Hen and caught her and put her in a chicken coop.

Then she called, "Cluck, cluck, cluck!" and her thirteen chicks came running.

And there they lived until the chicks were grown up.

And they did not scratch up any more gardens that Summer.

And that is the end of the story of the Old Brown Hen.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SHEEP WASHING]

IV

One morning in May, Bobby saw the flock of sheep going along the gravel driveway toward the road.

Rover and Bobby's big brother John were driving them. Hobson, the hired man, went ahead.

"Where are you taking the sheep?" asked Bobby. "Have you sold them?"

"Come and you shall see," answered Father. "Do you want to ride with me in the buggy, or help drive the sheep?"

"I'd like to help," said Bobby.

"Well, here is a long stick for you," said Father.

Bobby was off like the wind and soon caught up with the others.

The leader of the flock, the big bell wether, went ahead. All the other sheep followed. Sometimes they tried to stop and eat gra.s.s by the roadside. Bobby was after them with his long stick.

Sometimes they tried to go into a farmer's yard. Rover chased them back into the road.

Once a big, black dog came from a farmyard, barking savagely. "Bow-wow, bow-wow!" he said. The sheep were dreadfully frightened. Some ran up the road and some ran down the road.

Rover ran at the big, black dog and drove him back into his yard. Then he and John and Hobson and Bobby brought the frightened sheep together again and started them down the road.

"I wonder where we are taking the sheep," thought Bobby.

About ten o'clock, they came to a creek with a bridge over it. Across the bridge they drove the sheep. On the other side, Hobson stopped them and drove them to one side of the road. Farmer Hill tied Prince to the fence.

"Can you guess what we came for?" he asked.

Bobby looked all around. John and Hobson and Rover were driving the sheep into a pen at the edge of the creek. The pen was surrounded by a fence of rails, with a gate near the water.

Then the men put on the old clothes which they had brought in the buggy, and went into the pen among the sheep.

Bobby looked puzzled.

"Let's take the bell wether first," said Mr. Hill; and John grabbed the old sheep in spite of his ugly-looking horns.

They took him through the gate and started to pull him toward the water.

"Oh, Father, I know," shouted Bobby. "You are going to wash the sheep."

When Bobby found that he had guessed right, he danced for joy. Then he settled down to see how it would be done.

Old Bell Wether was the largest sheep in the flock and had long, curved horns. He had been washed every year of his life, but he never liked to be dragged into the water. Now he held back with all the strength of his four stout legs.

John was in front, trying to pull him along. Farmer Hill and Hobson were behind, trying to push him along.

Suddenly, Old Bell Wether changed his mind. He lowered his head and rushed forward, striking John a tremendous blow.

Into the water went John. Bobby could not see a bit of him.

Into the water, too, went Old Bell Wether. But his head was above water and was moving out into the creek.

Bobby could not move or speak. He feared that big brother John would be drowned.

Then he saw John rising out of the water and Father helping him back to land.

"Old Bell Wether played us a sharp trick," said Mr. Hill.

"Oh, Father," shouted Bobby, "he is almost across the creek. He'll surely get away."

Farmer Hill was watching the pair of horns.

"We'll get him," said he.

He started toward the bridge, catching up a rope as he went. Hobson followed.

Before they could run across the bridge, Old Bell Wether walked up out of the creek and started toward home. But he was tired after his swim, and his wool was heavy with water.