“They like it lots better’n salt!” said Laddie.

“Sure they do!” agreed Russ.  “We’ll bring more sugar, and we’ll tell Mr. Hixon about it.  I guess he’d like to give his sheep the things they like best.  They like ’em to grow good and fat.”

The boys were so interested watching the sheep eat the sugar, that they forgot all about the ram that had seemed so angry because of Margy’s red coat.  The first they knew was when they heard a loud: 

“Baa-a-a-a-a!”

Then they heard a pounding of hoofs on the ground and the ram came running at them.

“Oh, look!” cried Russ.  “Here he comes!  We’d better get on the other side of the fence!  Come on, Laddie!”

“I’m coming!” answered the little fellow.  “Hurry!”

“It—­it’s too bad we didn’t save him some sugar,” panted Russ, as he and Laddie ran on.  “Maybe that’s what makes him mad at us.”

“Maybe it is,” agreed Laddie.  “Hurry, Russ!” he shouted, looking over his shoulder.  “He’s coming closer!”

The ram was, indeed, running faster than the boys, and only that they had a start of him he would have caught them before they got to the fence, and then he might have butted them with his head.

But, as it was, Russ reached the fence first.  He turned to wait for Laddie, who was a little behind him.

“And if that old ram had hurt you I’d ‘a’ thrown stones at him,” said Russ afterward.  But Laddie, with an extra burst of speed, managed to get to the fence, and Russ helped him through.  The ram was so close that his head struck the rails with a bang.

“It’s a good thing it wasn’t us he hit,” said Russ, as they found themselves safe on the other side.

“That’s right,” agreed Laddie.  “He’s terrible mad ’cause we didn’t save him any sugar.  I was going to, but it all spilled.”

They stood on the safe side of the fence looking at the ram, which shook its head, stamped its feet, and, now and then, uttered a loud “Baaa-a-a-a-a!”

I don’t really believe the ram was angry at Russ and Laddie for not giving him sugar.  I think the leader of the flock thought perhaps the boys might be troubling the sheep, and wanted to drive them from the field.  That’s just what he did, anyhow—­drive them from the field.

For a little while the boys stood watching the sheep.  Those that had come to eat the sugar seemed to have licked up all there was on the grass, and they came with the others, to stand behind the ram, near the fence.  They all looked at the boys.

“I guess they like us,” said Laddie.

“All but the ram,” said Russ.  “And I don’t like him.”

“Neither do I,” agreed his brother.

“Well, come on,” said Russ, after a bit.  “We can’t have any fun here.  Let’s go and sail the boat I made.  I was looking for you when Jane said she gave you the sugar.  I couldn’t think what you were going to do.”

“I thought about the sugar for the sheep when I saw the man going with the salt,” explained Laddie.  “But I guess I won’t do it any more—­not while the old ram is in the field.  Come on, we’ll go and sail your boat.”