Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-11-18
AFTER TURTLES EGGS.
BY FRANK r. srodIroN.s

-
lis now a long time since the boyhood
happy period of ,theiy lives, Moses, who
was spending the summer It lis ffkthet's
country house, OF al island Of fhs COST
of South Carolina, was visited by Richard,
his cousin. Very early IN tho morning
after Richards arrival, he was lying in bed
looking out of the window, between the
graceful palmetto trees, at the beautiful
blue ocean, stretching away until it seemed
to'meet the sky. AS Richard was native
of an inland villSgesin the North, this scene
was very novel and interesting to him, and
there locking over the water, had not Moses
burst into his room.
.tHello, Richard ~ cried he: e'Jump up
and come 90 with me after turtle eggs The
tide and the moon were exactly right last
Richard had no idea whae the tide and
the moon had to do with turtles eggs; but
up he jumped, and the two boys were soon
out on the beautiful broad beach. As they
walked along, Moses informed his cousin
that on moonlight nights, at certain stages
of the tide the turtles came up high on the
beach, and having scooped out . hole in
the sand. like great bowl, they laid their
eggs, and then smoothit over nice and fiat.
Richard had read all this in his school
books, but it was very different to be whore
he could see the real thing, and he hur-
ried along, full of expectation and delight.
'.Here y cried Moses, ''here is turtle.
track[l See it?:'' and he pointed out to
Richard O broad mark in the sand a. if q
log had been pulled along, and on tho edge
of this track were in the marks Of the tur-
ties Aippers, as Moses called them.
; In few momedta, the place where Tie
eggs were likely to be found, and. with .
single that LIE had brought with him, Mo-
ses soon uncovered them. =:
There they were, ell packed away 80
scientifically into the hole, layer over layer
that had the boys tried to put them al.
back again, into the same space they could
never have done it. Richard thought that
there must be half bushel of them, but
when they were put into the basket he
concluded there were not SO many. Al
any rate, there were enough for a splendid
feast for the whole family. Just a. they
were about to leave for home, Richard
gave a shout. whats that down by the
water" he cried.
Moses turned around, and suddenly
dropped the basket, and had the eggs been
hens eggs, with brittle shells, they would
have been broken all to smash.
| "a turtle = cried Noses ''She's not got
off yet Run, Richard. Head her off"
The boys put after the turtle at full
speed, and the frightened creature Topped
down toward the water, as fast ,as she could
go, which as:not very fast oh dry land
She was not very large turtle, being only
about q foot and half long and foo
I wide4 Richard reached her first, and
caught hold of one of her hind flirpers
but she jerked it away from him with grea
ease.
,sSpurn her off," cried Nbses yboo "a.
very much excited. Don't let her re
INTO tho water = and he seized bold of on
/ side IF her she)l. and lifted 1t M it'll.
! wdys But 1ox t6ey were ID place wher,
there was depression in the beach, an<
there we're three or four inches of water il
it. Here the turtle had a better chance
and away they went, splashing along, tn
turtle. on two fippera. and Moses lon tw'
legs. Richard could not get q chance t.
take hold, and directly the turtle brok
away from Moses and made off faster thai
ever for deep water.
"Head her off," cried Moses, who wa
almost out of breath and Richard wade'
out quickly in front of her, intending to sto
her and turn her over backward. But tn
turtle now could swim and it made das
right between his legs, and the sharp edge
SO barked his shins that he fairly howled
Away went the turtle and was almost ir
stantly out of sight.
Il hadn't any idea." said Richard, rut
bling his legs, that turtles had such shar
Shells"
'If we'd been sharp as their shells, sal
Moses. 1--WE would have brought III
stick along. then We could easily hav
turn ed her over"