Johnnie wanted to make one more. But his father came along and happened to pick up a barrel stave, remarking that it was just the thing to make a boy jump to his work. So Johnnie decided, for some reason or other, that four hoops would be enough to practice with. Of course when he and s...o...b..ll joined the circus they would need dozens of hoops. But there wasn"t really any hurry about that.
So he went for a milk pail and trotted off to the barn, where he sat down on his three-legged stool and began milking the Muley Cow.
He couldn"t help thinking, as he sat there and sent streams of milk tinkling down upon the bottom of the tin pail, what a fine scheme it would be to build a hoop big enough for the Muley Cow to jump through.
It ought to be easy to teach her. For everybody knew that she was a famous jumper. She made more trouble, jumping the fence, than all the rest of Farmer Green"s herd.
Johnnie Green got to thinking so intently about the matter that he began to dawdle. And if there was one thing that the Muley Cow didn"t like it was to have to stand still while a slow milker puttered at his work. So she suddenly gave her tail a switch and brought the end of it across Johnnie Green"s cheek.
It was a stinging smack. And Johnnie Green cried, "Ouch!"
After that he stopped his day-dreaming until milking was over. And then he went back to the woodshed and gazed at the four paper hoops leaning against the woodpile.
X
THE TIGER
In the same pasture with s...o...b..ll was a black lamb. He was the black lamb that Farmer Green once gave to Johnnie for a pet. But he ran away up the lane the very first time Johnnie tried to hold him in his arms.
After that the black lamb had always stayed with the flock. He was a wild, unruly fellow, bigger and older than s...o...b..ll. And he was quite outspoken--and not always careful of his language.
This black lamb chanced to be near s...o...b..ll when Johnnie Green came into the pasture on a certain fine morning. And when Johnnie began calling to s...o...b..ll the black lamb said, "Why don"t you run the other way?
That"s what I always do when boys call me."
s...o...b..ll made no answer. He stood and looked at Johnnie Green, who was walking towards him with outstretched hand.
"Come on!" cried the black lamb. "I"ll run with you."
"No!" said s...o...b..ll. "Johnnie may have something good for me to eat.
Some salt, maybe!"
"Huh!" said the black lamb. "Don"t be stupid! What if he has brought you a little salt? He"ll want you to jump through that hoop again for him, the way he did yesterday." s...o...b..ll had told the black lamb about the strange proceeding of the afternoon before.
"Well--" s...o...b..ll murmured, as he hesitated, not knowing whether to obey the black lamb or Johnnie Green.
"Well! Are you coming with me?" the black lamb demanded. "_I"m_ not going to stay here where that boy can grab me. _I_ don"t intend to spend my time jumping through any old hoop. _I"m_ not quite so silly as to do that."
"I believe I"ll let Johnnie catch me," s...o...b..ll told him. "Johnnie said something yesterday about our joining the circus. No doubt you"ve noticed the circus posters on the side of the barn?"
"I have," said the black lamb with something like a sneer. "No doubt you"ve noticed the picture of the tiger?"
"Yes, I have," s...o...b..ll admitted.
"My uncle joined a circus once," said the black lamb.
"Is that so?" cried s...o...b..ll. "Tell me--did he enjoy it?"
"I can"t say," the black lamb replied. "He never came back again. They fed him to the tiger--so I have been told."
And then the black lamb started to run. And suddenly s...o...b..ll whisked about and followed him.
Johnnie Green wondered what had come over s...o...b..ll. Was this the pet that had once followed him all the way to school?
"I"ll keep him tied up in the barn for a few days--once I catch him,"
thought Johnnie. If he intended to teach circus tricks to s...o...b..ll he certainly didn"t want to spend valuable time chasing him all around the pasture.
At last Johnnie Green had s...o...b..ll cornered. At last he slipped a rope about s...o...b..ll"s neck. And then he led his pet towards the bars.
"_Baa-a-a!_" called the black lamb.
It sounded so much like a jeer that Johnnie turned around and made a face at the black rascal.
In the barnyard Johnnie brought forth a paper-covered hoop. He held it up in front of s...o...b..ll. "Jump!" he cried.
But s...o...b..ll drew back.
"_Baa-a-a!_" he bleated. "How do I know that there isn"t a tiger behind that thing?"
"Come!" Johnnie urged him. "Jump! Jump!"
s...o...b..ll only moved further away.
And then Johnnie Green lowered the paper-covered hoop and stepped forward to grasp s...o...b..ll by his fleece.
As Johnnie"s hand let the hoop fall s...o...b..ll gave a frightened blat.
Staring right at him, and grinning horribly, was a tiger pasted upon the side of the barn.
s...o...b..ll turned and ran towards the gate.
XI
CRACKED CORN
The next time Johnnie Green dragged s...o...b..ll into the farmyard he shut the gate carefully behind him.
"We"ll never join the circus if you"re going to behave like this,"
Johnnie told s...o...b..ll severely. "Now, you pay attention!"
He held up a bare hoop--not a paper-covered one--and when he said, "Jump!" s...o...b..ll showed that he had not forgotten his lesson of the afternoon before.
"That"s better!" cried Johnnie Green. "Jump again!" And when s...o...b..ll jumped once more Johnnie was so pleased that he went into the chicken house and came back with a handful of cracked corn. "Here!" he said to s...o...b..ll. "There"s more like it if you behave yourself."