Mr. Spencer laughed. "I should need a big pasture," he said. "See the
sheep in the brook, Robert! They enjoy running water as much as the cows
and horses do."
"Do sheep need much care?" asked Robert, who found farm life very
interesting.
"They need to be protected from stray dogs and to have a shelter from
the cold and storms. Otherwise they give very little trouble. They
should always keep their warm wool coats until the cold spring winds are
over. Some farmers are very thoughtless about this, and their sheep and
lambs suffer and die from cold. It would make your heart ache to see, as
I have often seen, the little dead lambs in the bleak pastures."
"I'll remember that, when I have my farm," said Robert, with ready
sympathy. "I'll have my sheep keep their coats on, just as I wear my
reefer, until it is warm."
THE AIR-GUN
On the way home from the sheep-pasture, Mr. Spencer saw a boy by the
side of the road with an air-gun in his hands.
"There is Frank Weston shooting birds," he said, stopping his horse.
"What are you shooting, Frank?"
"English sparrows, Mr. Spencer," said the boy, coming forward. "My
father said I might shoot all I could find. There's one, now."
"You are mistaken," said Mr.
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