The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-16
HOW A TURTLE TAUGHT A Les
son.

ABOUT thirty years ago, there was q
little boy whose name was John-a pretty
boy, with thick golden hair, large brown
eyes, red cheeks and freckles. One day
in summer he was playing by the side of
a brook in one of the pastures near his
home in the country. This brook re-
sembled the boy in some respects. 1t was
in its light-hearted youth, and went on its
way, leaping and sporting, like all blithe-
some young rivulets. who do not think in
the least that they are fast running from
the green meadows and cool mossy forests
to the burdened rivers and tossing seas
| This active little boy first built dam
of moss and turf and stones; then he
rolled up his trousers and sailed his little
| schooner rugged boat; and, finally, waded
aimlessly over the smooth sand through
the cool, running water, dashing the
sparkling drops to right and left with his
frisky feet. In this way, he came to
large flat rock, over portion of whose
swooth surface the stream flowed in a
broad, crystal current. A mud turtle sat
on the rock, half out of the water, enjoy
ing the pleasant sunshine, apparently as
contented and happy as a turtle could be.
But when he saw the boy splashing along
at such a rate, he thought it high time to
be gone; perhaps he had previously had
some experience of the tender mercies of
boys, for he made great haste 10 reach the
protecting mud of the bank.
All, ha, you rogue you think you can
get away, do your shouted the young
ster. The next instant he was kneeling
on the slippery rock, with both out
stretched hands over the frightened pris-
oner. John had been:carrying his shoes
his stockings stuffed into them-with one
hand but now, in his eagerness to secure
the turtle, he dropped them upon part
of the rock covered by the stream, and,
turning sidewise as they fell, the water |
rushed in, filling them to the very toes
There" !" exclaimed John, half in real |
pd spd h8Hlf eli ip affected SsasHa'ipBa 'sansy ,ssSg
there. sir. until I come back from school
tonight"
That night, John came home from
school with group of schOolfellows,
over the village road, instead OF across the
pasture, forgetting all about the turtle he
had left on the rock.
Vacation began the next day, and John
was to spend a whole month with his
brother. who lived in Boston. You can
understand the excitement which attends
a bows preparations for his first journey;
but country boys first visit to Boston
exceeds, perhaps, any experience OF yours
in that line.
The month passed swiftly away, and
John returned home with brighter eyes
and prouder step. The world had been
revealed to him on broader scale. What
had he not seenf He was hero in the
opinion of his school mates. He had
enough stories to tell of his adventures to
last through the winter, beside having
brought home the most interesting book
and the handsOmest knife that Boston
could furnish. If possible, it was mer.
rier boy than before who now bounded
through the dear old pasture. There
were several dams to be visited by their
young proprietor, one somewhat exten.
siye. with q miniature water-wheel and
mill at the side. The dam had been par,
tally washed away by violent rain, ana
an accumulation OF moss had clOgSed the
wheel of the mill.
"Ah! see there has been freshet,
and nv mill is damaged. A clear loss of
two thousand dollars, and only insured for
eight hundred! It must be repaired to-
morrow, and l shall have to hire hun
| dred workmen! These freshets are terri
BILE things for manufacturers, l declare ~
Leaving the scene of this disaster, he ap-
preached the smooth, white rock, which
was always favorite resort, and near
| which, on the bank of the stream, there
| was structure of brick about two feet
high, which this young man called my
summer residence on the Hudson"
| Six Yards from the rock, he paused
suddenly, with his eyes intently hxed
upon some object before him. Step by
step he drew nearer, without once remov-
| ing his ewes, which were now full of hOr-
ror mingled with hopeful doubt; but as
he proceeded the doubt vanished and the
| horror spread over his whole cOuntenance.
| There Law the turtle on the rock, upon It's
hack. as he had left tits extended legs
and protrude6 head shriveled and dry,
scorched by the blazing suns Of four Au-
There was NO need of gentle pity now
no opportunity for showing humane kind
ness to q dumb, helpless, harmless Great
ure. No more would it gladly hide itself
in. the protecting earth, or hasten in fright
from the dreaded hand. Whatvain strug-
eles to regain its feet! What WEAKNESS
and despairl What agony when the
noon suns beat down! What pangs o.
slow starvationl As all this passed
through Johns mind, the rock seemed
i no longer the old familiar pleasant spot
but like Z haunted place.
| With pallid face, he turned away, and
hurried homeward in the gathering twi
light, nor stopped until he reached the
4 cheerful room in which his mother sa1
sewing and his father reading.
That boy has long been man, but the
years that have passed have by no means
worn away the remembrance of this scene
or the impression it made on his mind
and ON that memorable evening John tool
his frat lesson in thoughtfulness and kind
mess toward dumb animals.E s. zhdyer
IN st. KickOkGs.