Chapter XII

Now Mary and the big [boy] with the [gun] became great friends. He used to bring her [candy] in his [satchel]; once he took her out in his [boat] to gather [flowers]; and he promised to take her to the County Fair. Early on that day he came for her with his [horse] and [carriage]. Mary was all ready, in her new [hat], with [bows] on her [shoes]. "Where is the [lamb]?" he asked. "[Father] says he mustn't go," said Mary sadly, "so I shut him up in the [barn]". "Oh but he must go!" cried the [boy]. "He's entered--they expect him." [Mary] didn't understand that, but she was very glad to take her dear [lamb] with her. They walked about the Fair grounds and saw the [horses] and [cows] and [sheep] and [pigs] in the [pens]; and visited the [tent] where the [rabbits] and [chickens] were, in their [cages]. And everywhere that [Mary] went the [lamb] kept close beside her; and all the [people] looked at them and smiled. At last the [boy] said, "Now we are going into the [exhibit hall] so we will leave our [lamb] in this nice little [pen] beside all the other [lambs] to wait for us." They looked at the [fruits] and [flowers] and the [quilts] and [preserves] in the [exhibit hall]. Then they found Marys [father] and [mother] and had dinner together; and afterward they saw the [horse] race, and the [hot-air balloon] go up, and heard the [marching band] play. It was a long time before they went for the [lamb]. Some [people] were looking at him, and just as Mary ran up they fastened a blue [ribbon] on his [head]. "Oh, thank you! How pretty!" she said. "Hurrah!" cried the [boy]. "Our [lamb] has won first prize! That means he's the best [lamb] in town!" "Of course!" said little [Mary]. "He's the best [lamb] in the whole [world]!"

End of Project Gutenberg's Mary's Little Lamb, by Edith Francis Foster