Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-11-29

ut may traly be said that was con.
tented with my condition. and If content.
mcnt is happiness. | was happy. As the
state of earthly affairs was exactly suited
to my physical constitution, enjoyed
uninterrupted good health, and, as you
may judge, my life was very long one"
1.-The longevity of muh-turtlcs, and all
animals of that class, is provctbal."
"Yes sir, and this was more pariicn-
larly the case in the earliest ages Of the
world. think | must have lived sever
oil hundred years, when great change in
mundane affairs became visible. Thc
ground was covered with vcrdurc aud
many new orders Of creatures made their
appearance. OF those. as then thonght) J
the human species was the most remark
able, and shall never forget the wonder
| felt when first saw the erect position
of these new inhabitants Of the earth. /
tried to initiate their upright mode Of
walking; but was quite rricVed aud dis.
appointed when | discovered my INABILITY
to balance myself on my hind Ilappcrs." "
"You appear to have been a very sen
sitivc turtlc." said |, land your ambition
to initiate man, proves that you were
bound to be progressive. | will venture
to bet that you did not coniinuc for a
very long ti,nc in reptile condition"
Il have told you that | remained u tor
toisc for hundreds Of years, ut least Kept
the external form of the tortoise, though
my soul aspircd to a superior grade of cx-
i,,cacc. Willie crcpt on the earth,
longed to fly up to the very clouds"
"Many creeping things or earth, !
dare say, have similar aspirations"
Very probably; and III ambitions de
siics were soon to he graliIicd. w hen
men began to multiply, some of them
CHANGED to discover that turtles were par.
ticulariy cvailahlc for culinary purposes,
and rs | had grown to an extraordinary
size. and was enormously fat. was select.
el as proper oEciing to the deity OF tn,
! Kitchen"
! ''ln short we may venture to suppose
that You produced very iinc kettle o
soup"
"On that subject | am rot prepared t,
| speak, hut remember that the operation
OF cutting off my head was not nearly 5,
painful rs had expected. was no
even aware that the act had been perform
ed until found myself hcadlcss, or t,
speak more accurately, my heal roun'
itself hodylcss."
"Siuiilar incidents aic recorded In th
. history of the guillolinr. and physiolngi>t
general believe that head of II 'lrcal
tated person Is conscious for some NOM
cnts, or minutes. after its separation Iron
the body"
81 don't care hutton-tI,ank wha
phosiologi>ts believe" said Whindl
quite caplon>ly; II hnop all about il
and my own experience nce'lS II" r"niil
nation from these speculative fellows
Much Of their science is mere con iertul,
but my knowledge is all matter of fact
"Certainy." SAID |, "aS far as yo
yourself arc concerned, that knowledG
must he quite satisfactory. But in wl'
character did you make yonr next appeal
ance ON this stage Of cXi,tence?"
"For eight hundred or thousan
years, or longer perhaps, for | kept n
diary or memorandum book to note I'll
+ progress Of time. | lived in several h,
: man forms. AT one time was an Ant,
. Difuvian blacksmith, and manufacture
f hardware and table cutlery on very e!
tcnSivc scale, considering that the stea
machinery had never been introduce
t into these branches of business. Then
! became shepherd with large nock, m
in this trade l proSpercd exceedingly
] my mutton was universally allowed to
= the best in the market"
f ut seems then that you coml incd Il
butchcring trade with Your pastoral av
: catitn."
Il IL was exactly such a tradesman
II would. in these days, be called Sinner
II that is to say | raised my own mea
= slaughtered it with my own hands NJ
v sold it myself, SO that my cuStome
d were never lumbuGgcd when they bong
mutton with the expectation OF finding
d catahle."
s. "Oh, the innocent simplicity of cal
times" said !, with IL sigh Of genui
1t feeling, "Iou were very young and Il
1t less no doubt, when you carried on
pr business Of that STYLE
o 81 WAS ind cd mere youth, Just cnt
ing my two hundred AMI wcnty;ei9l
=" year"
"lIoll!" cried I. "i,n't there some m
&c take OF iiyurcN?"
N Not speak by the card. Yon sc'
< to forget that nu Ante. Diluviun WAS
I, Sancl as n mere juvenile until he had
Q. tainel the age Of three hundrcd."
u "Ah, sure enough! how stupid y
to to overlook such an obvious circu
nc stance"
" Il say that l was approaching
at two hundred ami twenty year, vi
Sc fell in love with u fair SIlepherdesS, "
he fed her flock in my nei ,, hborhoud. Sc
10 came to an understanding with the d;l
c- sci, but her parents objected to our I'M
Int on the ground that she was too young
he q wife. as she hal seen scarcely t
id hundred and fifteen summers. Well
no postponemcnt of the nuwals for scvc
:" or eighty years was recommended by
ell old people, hut { am almost ashamed
nj confess it } the natural impa'ienco of
Ike lover made me avcrsc to that brief della,
NY "And in that think you were sol
III what excusable."
"Not to spin ont the story the bloc
IT, ing maiden and l agreed to clope. 1
make Sretna green affair of it."
ou ooh hnI I norcnivA thof Won y,oro n