"The Lamb On Wheels" – Part 5 - A Classic Story For Your Children

Hi,

This is Stefania and this is part five of the Lamb on Wheels.

In our last episode the lamb had fallen into a coal hole and she got all dirty and messy and now she's going to have a bath and then she's going to have another adventure.

The continuation of the Lamb on Wheels.

And I certainly do need a bath,

Thought the lamb to herself when she heard this talk.

She could look down at her legs and see how black they were.

Oh,

What a terrible adventure it is to fall into a coal hole.

I wonder what will happen next.

And she soon found out for when the man had come out of the cellar and was again shoveling the coal down the hole Mirabelle and Arnold took the black,

Which used to be the white,

Lamb on Wheels into Dorothy's house.

Dorothy and her brother Dick were glad to see the children from next door.

No,

To give Mirabelle's lamb a bath,

Said Dorothy's mother.

I wonder if I'll be put into the bath tub,

Thought the lamb.

And she was,

Though she was not dipped all the way in for fear of spoiling the wooden wheeled platform on which she stood.

With a nail brush and some soap and water,

Dorothy's mother scrubbed the coal dust out of the lamb's wool.

There she is,

Nice and clean again,

Said Dorothy's mother as she held the lamb on wheels for the four children to see.

But she is all wet,

Cried Mirabelle.

I'll set her down by the warm stove in the kitchen and she will soon dry,

Said the mother of Dick and Dorothy.

And I'll put my sawdust dowel down there with the lamb so she won't be lonesome,

Said Dorothy.

And then the four children played games in the sitting room while waiting for the lamb to dry.

And as Mary the cook was not in the kitchen just then,

The lamb and the sawdust dowel were left alone together for a time.

Oh dear,

Oh my dear,

How glad I am to see you again,

Exclaimed the sawdust dowel when they were alone.

But tell me,

What happened?

You are soaking wet.

Yes,

It's very terrible,

Bled the lamb.

I fell down a coal hole and had a bath.

Then she told her different adventures and the sawdust dowel told hers.

So the two toys had a nice time together.

Soon the warm fire made the lamb nice and dry and fluffy again.

And she was as clean as when jolly Uncle Tim the sailor had bought her in the store.

Then the two toys had to stop talking together as Mirabelle,

Arnold,

Dorothy and Dick came into the kitchen.

Oh,

Now my lamb is all nice again,

Cried Mirabelle when she saw her toy.

Oh,

I am so glad.

So am I,

Said Dorothy.

For many days Mirabelle had jolly good times with her lamb on wheels.

Sometimes the lamb was taken to Dorothy's house.

And then there was a chance for the wooly toy to talk to the sawdust dowel and the white rocking horse.

And one day the lamb had another strange adventure.

Mirabelle had been out in the street near Dorothy's house,

Pulling her lamb up and down by a string.

And Mirabelle kept watch to see that Carlo the dog did not run along and get tangled in that string.

The little girl also made sure that no sidewall coals holes were open.

She did not want the lamb to fall into another one.

Oh,

Mirabelle,

Come over here a minute,

Called Dorothy to her friend.

Mother got me a new box for my sawdust dowel things.

Oh,

I do want to see it,

Cried Mirabelle,

And she was in such a hurry that she let go of the string by which she had been holding on to and pulling her lamb.

For once in her life Mirabelle forgot all about her toy.

The lamb rolled along alone down the street.

And while Mirabelle was looking at the new box for the sawdust dowel's clothes,

A big dog came running along the street.

He saw the white wooly lamb near the curb.

Oh,

Maybe that is good to eat,

Thought the dog.

And before the lamb on wheels could say a word,

That dog picked her up in his mouth and gave her a bite.

Yes,

The big dog carried away the lamb on wheels.

The lamb on wheels was so frightened when the big dog took her up in his mouth that she did not know what to do.

If she could,

She would have rolled away as fast as a toy railroad train,

Like the train that Arnold and Dick had been carrying.

But the dog had the lamb in his mouth before she knew what was happening.

Besides,

Across the street was a man,

And as he happened to be looking at the lamb,

Of course she dared not make believe come to life and roll along as she sometimes did in the toy store.

It was against the rules,

You know,

For any of the toys to do anything by themselves when any human eyes saw them.

And so the lamb had to let herself be carried away by the dog.

Now you might think that when the man saw the dog,

He was afraid that the dog would be scared of him.

And so he would have let herself be carried away by the dog.

Now you might think that when the man saw the dog run away with the lamb on wheels in his mouth,

The man would have stopped the dog.

But the man was thinking of something else.

He was looking for a certain house.

And he was thinking so much about that and other things that he never gave the lamb a second thought.

He did see the dog take her away.

But maybe he imagined it was only some game the children were playing with the toy and the dog,

For Mirabelle and Dorothy were there on the street in plain sight.

But as the two little girls were just then thinking of the new box for the sawdust doll,

Neither of them thought about the lamb and they did not see the dog take her.

Oh,

What a nice box!

Said Mirabelle to Dorothy.

I'm glad you like it,

Said Dorothy.

She had her sawdust doll in her arms and as it happened,

The doll saw the dog running away with the lamb on wheels in his mouth.

Oh dear,

Oh dear me,

That is dreadful,

Said the sawdust doll to herself.

Oh,

The poor lamb!

What will happen to her?

Away ran the dog with the lamb on wheels in his mouth down the street over a low fence and soon he was in the vacant lots where the weeds grew high.

And then,

As there were no human eyes in the vacant lots to see her,

The lamb thought it was time to do something.

She began to wiggle her legs,

Though she could not get them loose from the platform with the wheels on,

And she cried out,

Baa,

Baa,

Baa!

Hello there,

What's the matter?

Barked the dog and it made his nose tickle to have the lamb,

Whom he was carrying in his teeth,

Give that funny baa sound in his mouth.

Matter,

Matter enough I should say,

Exclaimed the lamb on wheels.

Why are you carrying me away like this,

You very bad dog?

For being a toy,

She could talk animal language as well as her own,

And the dog could understand and talk it too.

Why am I carrying you away?

Asked the dog,

Because I am hungry of course.

But I am not good to eat,

Bled the lamb.

I am mostly made of wood,

Though my wheels are of iron.

Of course I would like to have real wool on the outside,

But inside I am only stuffed.

Dear me,

Is that so?

Asked the dog,

Opening his mouth and putting the lamb down amid a clump of weeds in the vacant lot.

Yes,

It's just as true as I'm telling you,

Went on the lamb.

I am only a toy,

Though when no human eyes look at me,

I can move around and talk,

As can all of us toys.

But I am not good to eat.

No,

I think you're right about that,

Said the dog after smelling of the lamb.

For that is how dogs tell whether or not a thing is good to eat,

By smelling it.

You look so natural,

Went on the dog,

That I thought you were a real lamb.

That's why I carried you off when that little girl left you and ran away.

I'm sorry if I hurt you.

No,

You didn't hurt me,

But you have carried me a long way from my home,

The lamb said.

I don't know how I am ever going to get back to Mirabelle.

Can't you roll along to her on your wheels?

Asked the dog.

I haven't time to carry you back.

Not very well,

The lamb answered.

It is very rough going in this lot full of weeds and stones.

I can easily roll myself along on a smooth floor in the toy shop or at Mirabelle's home,

But it is too hard here.

Hmm,

I'll leave you here now,

Barked the dog,

And when it gets dark I'll come and get you.

I'll carry you back to the porch of the house from in front of which I carried you off.

Then you can roll in and get back to Mirabelle,

As you call her.

Shall I do that?

Well,

I suppose that would be a good plan,

The lamb said.

I don't exactly like being carried in your teeth,

But there is no help for it.

Then I'll do that,

Promised the dog.

I'll come back here and get you after dark.

You'll be all right here in the tall weeds.

I suppose so,

Replied the lamb,

Though I shall be lonesome.

Please forgive me for causing you all this trouble,

Went on the dog.

I never would have done it if I had known you were a toy,

And now I'll run along and come back tonight.

I hear a dog friend of mine calling me.

Another dog at the far end of the lot was barking,

And the lamb crouched deeper down in the weeds.

Dear me,

This is surely an adventure,

Said the lamb on wheels to herself as she was left alone.

Being taken away in a sack,

As the sawdust dhowl was,

Couldn't be any worse than this,

And though none of my legs is broken,

As was one of the white rocking horses,

Still I am almost as badly off,

For I dare not move.

I wonder what will happen to me next.

It was not long before something did happen.

As the lamb stood on her wheels and wouldn't platform among the weeds,

All at once two boys came along.

They were looking for some fun.

Oh,

Look!

Cried a big boy,

There's a little white poodle dog over in the weeds!

And he pointed to the lamb,

Whose white coat was easily seen amid the green leaves.

Oh,

We can have some fun with it,

Said the little boy,

Let's call it.

So they whistled and called to the white object they thought was a dog,

But the lamb did not move.

Of course she couldn't while the boys were looking at her.

That's funny,

Said the big boy,

What do you think is the matter with that dog?

It doesn't come to us.

Let's go up and see,

Said the smaller lad.

Together they tramped through the weeds until they were close to the toy.

Then the big boy cried out.

Why,

It isn't a dog at all,

It's a lamb on wheels.

So it is,

Said the little boy,

But I know how we can have some fun with it just the same.

Oh,

Asked the big boy,

We can play Noah's Ark over in the brook,

Explained the small boy.

There are some boards over there.

I was making a boat of them the other day.

We can make another one now,

And we can get on and sail down the brook.

And we can take the lamb on board with us and make believe we're in a Noah's Ark and that there's a flood and all like that.

Won't that be fun?

Yes.

I guess it will,

Said the big boy,

Come on,

I'll carry the lamb.

So picking up the toy and tucking it under his arm he led the way to the brook,

Which ran through the vacant lots.

It was a nice brook,

Not too deep and wide enough to sail boats on.

Now we'll make a boat,

Said the smaller boy as they came to a place on the bank of the brook where there were some boards and planks.

The big boy set the lamb down near the water,

And then the two lads began to make a big,

Wide,

Flat boat called a raft.

It didn't take long to make it.

All aboard,

Cried the big boy when the boat had been finished.

All aboard,

Come on.

He picked up the lamb again and got on the boat.

The smaller boy went with his friend.

With long poles cut from a nearby tree,

The boys shoved the raft out into the middle of the brook.

Now we're on a Noah's Ark,

Laughed the small boy,

And we have one animal with us,

A woolly lamb on wheels.

And down the brook,

Mirabelle's toy went sailing with the two boys on the small,

Flat boat.

This is certainly surprising,

Thought the lamb.

I was bought by a sailor,

And here I am making a voyage.

I hope I shall not be seasick.

Now,

While the lamb on wheels was being carried away by the dog,

And after she had been dropped in the lot,

Where she was picked up by the boys and put on a Noah's Ark boat,

While all this was happening to the toy,

Mirabelle,

The little girl who owned the lamb,

Was almost heartbroken.

After she had admired the box Dorothy had for the sawdust doll,

Mirabelle ran back to get her pet toy.

Oh,

Where is my lamb on wheels?

Cried Mirabelle,

Looking up and down the street.

Where is she?

Where did you leave her?

Asked Dorothy,

Who had gone back with her friend.

I left the lamb right here by the fence,

Answered Mirabelle.

She had a string on.

I was pulling her along the sidewalk,

And when you called me,

I let go of the string and ran.

Oh,

Where is my nice lamb?

Maybe Dick took the lamb,

Suggested Dorothy to Mirabelle,

When they had looked up and down the street,

In front of and behind the fence,

And even in the yard,

And had not found the toy.

Dick sometimes takes my things and hides them just for fun,

Dorothy said.

Or Arnold,

Maybe,

Added Mirabelle.

Just then,

Dick and Arnold came out of Mirabelle's house,

Each with a slice of bread and jam.

And there was some jam around their mouths too,

Showing that they had each taken a bite from their slices of bread.

Oh,

Arnold,

Did you take my lamb?

Cried Mirabelle.

Or did you take it,

Dick?

No.

No,

Nope,

Answered the boys.

But where is she?

Asked the little girl over and over again.

Where is my lamb on wheels?

Oh,

I know,

Suddenly cried Dick.

I thought you said you didn't,

Exclaimed his sister.

You said you and Arnold didn't hide her away.

Neither did we,

Went on Dick.

But I think I know where she is just the same.

Where?

Asked Arnold,

As he had finished the last of his bread and jam,

Having given his sister a bite,

While Dick gave Dorothy some.

Where is the lamb on wheels?

Asked Arnold.

Down in our cellar,

Went on Dick.

Don't you remember how she rolled down there once,

When the man was putting in coal?

Maybe she's there again.

Oh,

Let's look,

Cried Mirabelle.

So the children ran to Dorothy's mother,

Who said she would have Patrick the Gardener look down in the coal bin for the lost lamb on wheels.

But of course,

The lamb on wheels was not in Dorothy's cellar,

And Mirabelle felt worse than ever.

I guess.

Someone must have come along the street when you weren't looking,

Mirabelle,

Said Dorothy's mother,

And carried your lamb away.

I guess so,

Sobbed Mirabelle.

Oh,

But I wish I had her back.

Uncle Tim gave her to me,

And now he is away far out on the ocean.

Oh dear.

And the little girl felt very bad indeed.

She did not give up the search,

And Dorothy,

Dick,

And Arnold also helped.

They looked in the two yards across the street,

And in other places,

But the lamb could not be found.

The reason Mirabelle could not find her toy,

As you and I know very well,

Was because the lamb on wheels was riding down the brook on a raft with the two boys.

At first,

The lamb was much frightened when she looked over the edge of the flat boat of plank and boards,

And saw water on all sides of her.

I must really be at sea,

As that jolly sailor was,

Thought the lamb.

I am on a voyage at last.

Oh,

I hope I shall not be seasick.

Oh,

How wet the ocean is,

She thought,

As some water splashed up near her when the little boy shoved the boat along with his pole.

The lamb,

Not knowing any better,

Thought the brook was the big ocean.

But as the boat sailed on down and down and did not upset,

And as the lamb grew less frightened and was not made ill,

She began to feel better about it.

Perhaps I am more of a sailor than I thought,

She said to herself.

I never knew I would be brave enough to go to sea.

I wish the bold tin soldier and the calico clown toys could see me now.

I'm sure they never had an adventure like this.

So the lamb on wheels stood on her wooden platform in the middle of the boat and looked at the water of the brook.

Now and then little waves splashed over the edge of the raft,

But only a little water got on the toy,

And that did not harm her.

Isn't this fun?

Cried the little boy,

Who at first thought of playing Noah's Ark with the boat.

It's jolly good fun,

Agreed the older boy.

Let's make believe we are going on a long voyage.

So the raft went on and on down the brook,

And the lamb on wheels was having a fine ride.

Now I wish some of the toys were here with me,

She thought to herself.

I wonder if the sawdust dow would get seasick if she were on board here.

I don't believe the bold tin soldier would,

And the calico clown would be trying to think of new jokes and riddles,

So I don't believe he would be ill.

But I wonder what's going to happen to me.

What will be the end of this adventure?

The two boys pulled their boat down to a broader part of the brook where it flowed at the bottom of a garden.

At the upper end of the garden was a large house,

And not far away was another house.

The lamb on wheels could see the houses from where she stood on the raft,

And she wondered if any little boy would be able to get out of the boat.

She thought the lamb would be a good friend,

And she wondered if any little boys or girls lived in them.

Having adventures is all right,

Thought the lamb,

But one can have too many of them.

I have been on a voyage long enough,

I believe.

I wish I could get back home to Mirabelle.

A few minutes after that,

The big boy cried,

Oh,

Come on,

Jimmy,

There's Tom and Harry.

We can have a game of ball.

And he pointed to some boys who were running around the lots through which the brook was now flowing.

What shall we do with the lamb?

Asked the small boy.

Leave it here on the raft,

Answered the older boy.

Maybe we'll want to play Noah's Ark again,

And we can find the raft here.

Now we'll go and play ball.

They shoved the boat over toward the shore of the brook,

And then the two boys jumped off.

They left the lamb behind them.

Dear me,

How fast things do happen,

Said the lamb,

Speaking out loud to herself,

As there was no one near just then.

A little while ago,

Mirabelle was pulling me along the sidewalk with a string.

Then she left me,

And the dog ran off with me.

Then he left me,

And the boys carried me off on the raft.

Now they have left me.

I wonder who will take me next.

That's the end of this episode of The Lamb on Wheels.

Yes,

The lamb has more adventures to come.

We'll be back soon with Part 6 of The Lamb on Wheels.

Bye for now!

Thanks for watching!