Page:Emma Speed Sampson--The shorn lamb.djvu/140

136 child down the hill. The ram was taken by surprise. For a moment he stood still and then started after her.

In Rebecca's hasty flight the mourning bonnet slid from her head. It proved a sop to Cerberus. For several seconds the ram gave up the chase and satisfied himself by pawing the bonnet to pulp. It gave Rebecca time to tumble over the wall into the house occupied by the hydraulic ram, where she crouched trembling, thankful she had left the top open. She couldn't decide which heart—hers or Faithful Heart's—beat the louder. The ram was enraged now, and besides, he must show his flock, which had started to run down the hill, what a truly great person he was. He had never liked the noise that came from that closed box and now that the little creature whom he had marked for destruction had taken refuge there, the thud, thud that came forth was more distasteful than ever to his majesty. He gathered himself together for a mighty rush.

"Blim!" he came against the side of Rebecca's refuge. The stout oak boards gave him as good as he sent and he rolled over into the water.

Rebecca thought she heard someone laughing. Through the knot hole she had viewed the overthrow of her enemy, and had almost laughed