Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-01-27
THE STORY OF A HERMIT
CRAB.
BY MARY J. PORTER.

"Have you seen the little lobster.
Miss Alden?" The waitress at board.
ing-house by the seashore asked the
question of one of the guests.
mo, 1 have not. Where is it?"
sIn tin pail on the back porch.
Fay caught it this morning."
"Fay" was the black-eyed, bare
footed, seven year-old son of the cook.
On her way to look at the curiosity,
Miss Alden must needs pass through
the kitchen.
80 your little boy has caught a
lobster?" she said 10 the mistress of
that apartment.
"Yes, miss. He's always looking
out for queer things along the beach,
and to day he came in with this. It's
the smallest lobster 1 ever saw. 1
didn't know that they ever were SO
small. Just look.
The cook, while talking, had brought
in the tin pail. 1t contained a quanti-
ty of sand in the bottom, anil some
water in which tiny creature peeped
out OF cookie she'll.
Fay, who overed about his treasure
like guardian angel, stood by his
mothers side.
"What strange, little ANIMAL" eK-
claimed Miss Alden, who was some-
what unfamiliar with the habits Of
shell fish. "Do take it into the
psrlor and let the ladies see it."
Fay obediently carried his ANAL
aquarium into the parIor, Miss Alden
going witt: him as assistant exhibitor.
''See what this boy hasl" was her an
nouncemept.
The several ladies and gentlemen
present at once rose to their feet
in order to examine the contents of
the pail. ats lobster" said Fay.
"No, my man" laughed a professor
of Natural History, who happened to
be among the boarders. "That's a
hermit crab. Where did you find
him?"
"Down along the beach. He was in
snSther shell b 1t L hammered it open
so that my mother could see him.
"Oh, you did, did you? How is it,
then, that he is in this shell now"
"Why. you See, when 1 broke open
the she'll he was in, put this one and
another in front of him, and let him
take his choice"
so he chose this one, and its too
small for him?"
"Yes, SIR"
"The first one was larger, 1 sup
pose?"
Eyes, sir"
"a hermit crab is a queer little
creature. 1t moves from one shell to
another, according to its convenience
is in it goes into another that fits 1t
more comfortably"
While the professor was speaking
one of the ladies touched the head of
the crab with her knitting-needle, and
it withdrew as far as possible into its
shell. Then another lady carried the
pail into dark corner of the room,
and the crab tried to get out again.
When it was taken to the light it tried
to hide itself once more. But the
shell was decided misfit. The crab
could neither get out of 1t entirely, nor
hide itself IN it completely.
Fay soon thought it time to reach it
from the crowd of admirers. As he
took it out of the room he whispered
to Miss Alden, "You may have this to
take home with you."
''Ch, no, Fay, L II not take it from
you"
"Yes, Miss Alden, it's yours"
Too much attention proved fatal to
the hermit crab. When Fay went to
look at it next morning he found il
lying dead in the tin pail.
Miss Alden was to take her departure
at noon. She had already forgotten
about her promised gift. The boys
memory, however, was better than
hers.
As she went out of the front door
Fay stood in front of her.
''Iae little crab died, Miss Alden"
he said sadly.
"Did it, Fay? I'm sorry. Perhaps
we played with it too much"
Eyes, ma'am, L think so," answered
Fay.
"Well, never mind. When I get
home Ill send you book with ever SO
many pictures of fishes"
Fay's eyes sparkled. If there was
anything he wanted to know more
about 1t was the subject of fishes. Let
us hope that Miss Alden sent him the
book.
Other children, as we'll as he, do
well to observe the habits of living
things, and to read what they can
about them, too
Birds, animals and fishes are all Curl
ously and wonderfully made by the
great Creator. He has taught them
how to find homes and how to get their
food. In studying about their ways
We admire the wisdom of Him who
made them and us for His own gloE.-
Christian Ipte[LiQencer