Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-04-12
A STORY FOE THE LITTLE FOLKS.
THE MUD-TURTLE AND THE GHOST

L
Three small boys, Harry, Sammy, and
Tommy, eight, nine, and ten years of
age, last summer went down to Jabbish
Brook, where they had swim. Their
swimming consisted in crawling about
with their hands on the bottom of the
brook where it was shallow, making
great splashing with their feet, and then
shouting. Hi! Hi! see me swim T.
though none of them could swim a
stroke. They nevertheless tried to make
each other believe that they were very
proficient in the art. Boys are not easily
fooled, and so | suppose that neither of
these deceived the other, but, like some
men, perhaps they deceived themselves.
After they had padded about in the
water for three or four hours in the heat
of the day, until their skins were we'll
tanned. Harry, the ringleader, of the
party, proposed they should go out. No
quicker SAID than done! In a minute
they were all standing on one leg,
jumping up and down to shake the wa
ter out of their ears. This done, they
hurried on their clothes, wi,hou. stop
ping to wipe themselves, and were soon
ready to push for home,
They had all started, when Harry turn
ed and threw stone into the water No
sooner had it pumped to the bottom
than up from deep hole sprang huge
mud turtle. He came ont on shore, and
with his ugly-looking mouth wide open
toddleG for the boys. They were little
frightened at first, and ran few steps :;
but their courage suddenly returning,
they each picked up a stick, and gave
him such drubbiug that he was glad to
run back to the water, into which he fell
with thud Then again he faced his
enemies The boys thrust their sticks at
him, and he caught one in his mouth and
held on so tight that when they all
pulled together at it they hauled the
huge fellow out of the water upon the
land.
Then Sammy, as quick as a flash,
seized hold of his tail and Topped him
over. l. was fortunate that Sammy did
thia, otherwise some of them might have
been severely bitten; but lying fiat on
his back, the turtle was perfectly help
less. The boys now found in the drift
wood wide boald about FIVE feet long :;
they pushed him upon it, shopldered
him, and bore him off in triumph.
1t was nearly a mile to their homes,
and most of the way was up hill. The
little fellows sweat prodisiously, for the
turtle was very heavy; but at last they
deposited their burden in a huge tub,
where they supposed he would be safe.
Very soon after he was weighed by the
boys fathers. Guess how much he
weighed l-ffty-three pounds, boys as
sure as l live. You may be certain that
for fresh water turtle he was perfect
monster.
The father of one of the boys was
also considerable in size, weighing on
Fairbank' scales two hundred and fifty
pounds. Drinking rather too much beer
that day. about twelve o'clock in the
night he woke, you may be shure, very
thirsty. He got up. lit his pipe. and in
his night-cap and long night-gown went
cropping about the house for drink of
water. The pail was empty. and so he
went out of doors to the well and drew
some.
When he had quenc!,ed his thirst, he
happened to think about tho turtle. and
went to the tub near by to look at him.
Judge of his surprise the cover and the
huge stone which had held it down both
lying on the ground. He looked into
the tub and found that the cap tive had
escaped He Immediately started in pur-
suit. Hurrying into the main street. he
spied the turtle running away as fast as
possible; and. giving chase, soon over
hauled him.
Now as this man was running along
he was seen by two ladies on the opposite
side of the way. He was ridiculous
looking objec: in his night-dress, with a
pipe in bis mouth and in front of him
ran huge mud turtle. If the ladies
had taken a good square look at him. l
am certain they would have laughed a
great deal at bis odd appearance but
no, they only gave one slight glance. and
then ran screaming away, thinking him
ghost
As soon as they got home they routed
all the inmates of the house in which
they boarded, telling them, one after an.
other, as fast as they appeared, that they
had scene specter Several of the men
and three of the ladies sailed out in pur.
suit of the apparition, and the crawl
ing imp which the two scared ladies saw