Once little Mary and her lamb really did get lost—and something dreadful almost happened! They had been picking berries in the bushes up Clover hill, and couldn't find the way out. The sun was setting, and Mary thought of snakes and bears! She was tired and hungry, too. She was eating blueberries from her pail, and crying, and the lamb, who would not eat berries and wanted his milk in the old coffepot was crying, too—"Ba-a-a!"—when a big, tall boy with a rifle in his hand broke through the bushes behind them. He sat down on a stump and stared at them, looking so white and scared that Mary felt sorry for him. "Did a bear chase you?" she asked. "Oh no," said he, "It's only I'm so glad you are alive!" He didn't dare tell her he had mistaken her little brown head bobbing among the leaves, for a bird, and raised his gun to shoot it when he saw a little white lamb bobbing beside it and stopped to look closer! So her little lamb had saved Mary's life—but she never knew it. "Now how came you up here?" the boy asked. "Are you lost?" "Oh no," said Mary, winking away the tears, and smiling; "We aren't exactly lost—only we can't just find our home. And we want our supper, too." "You shall have it!" said the boy. "You are little Mary—I know your house—and I'm going to carry you there, quicker than a horse can trot!" So he took Mary in one arm and the lamb in the other, and the gun he left hidden in the forest under a tree. Then he quickly found the road (it was close by, after all,) and in ten minutes they were safe home again; and Mary's mother thanked the big boy and gave them all some supper.

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!"