The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-11-09
WE'LL SOLD TURTLE.
m WAS or THE SWAPPING KIND, AND
THEREBY HANGS THIS TALE.
o. Opened the Way For q Country Lad TO
Wall street, = Rich Wife and business
Success Qualities Displayed In Small
Transaction which Pleased the Banker.

I Il would not nave lhinutu Joih ~
ton on the floor the other day. " said
broker to a party of friends yesterday
IF he had not used such "a tone of sus
| picion when he demanded more margin
ON certain stocks that i had with hin
| in loan.
"Ir's only his way, Charlie. said I
nearer. He didn't mean to injure yor
at all. /"
Possibly he did not, said the frs
speaker. lit may have been due TO tn,
training that old Dutch banker -
gave him and his innate desire 10 LEI
nothing escape.
"When he and were boys, " Charlie
continued, II spent several summers on
his fathers farm out in Jersey. Ii was
there that he met his partner, and there
is curious little story connected with
their first business transaction, one IN
which he did the old fellow. but at
the same time endeared himself TO him.
John and | had been fishing, and
among other things had caught snap
ping turtle that weighed about 20
pounds. We were carrying the snapper
home tied TO stick, one having hold Of
each end of IL, when we met the bank
er driving along in a buggy to his sum-
mer home
Our catch presented good appear
ance, and the old fellow stopped TO in
quire about it. as he had never seen so
large turtle before except in the mar
ket. He asked what we were going to
do with it, and we told him what deli.
cious soup il would make. At once he
wanted il and offered 90 cents for il. /
was for accepting the 80 cents, but not
so John. He felt that he had a custom
er and held out for 81, and he got it.
"Old - was little afraid of the
snspper's jaws, but John and / bridled
the turtle by passing a bit of fishing
line around it and between its jaws
and so tied its head well back under its
shell. We then received our silver dol
lar, tossed the snapper under the seat Of
the old mans buggy. and he drove off
with il.
AS he did so | started ON toward
nome, but John sat by the roadside.
What are you waiting for?' | said
1.-THE snapper said John.
a" Its gone, said l.
Mebbe it il. and mebbe it amt.
Wait a minute and watch the old man,
said he
And sure enough, before the old
man had gone half mile we heard him
yell and then saw him jump from his
buggy.
John rolled on the grass aud laugh
ed nearly as loudly us the old man had
yelled.
Picking himself up, he said, Let's
go get our snapper
ia rather have the dollar, said. |
What's the matter with having |
DothY he replied, and tossing me the |
iollar and telling me to remain where /
was he started up the road after the
I'D man, who was afraid to 60 near his
buggy, for the snapper had bitten
through its Bride, had nipped the old
mans shins and had taken undisputed
Of the buggy.
HE found the old fellow in a state
II conservation, swearing az the snap
per in the most expressive German at
us command and rubbing his shins at
he same time.
What you sell me-de devil?' asked
he old man.
4" No, "a nice fat. juicy snapper, said
John, and | sold him too cheaply, too.
He'll make delicious soup and plenty
# it,
" 'Donnerwetter! Soupl I'll haf no
CUP! Ghf me my tollar and take dc
,rute
" i haven't Your dollar. Charley has
{ back there in the road Take the
napper to him, and | guess he'll give
you the dollar.
Me- Me take dat eatin ting?
'ouldl t get into that PIGGY now for
luartcr each way, Get i'm out and keep
he tollar.
IL was like rolling off Il log for John
o take "a stick prod the snapper and
ERIK him 10 the ground as soon as he
lad fastened his jaws upon il. Old
)utchy, as we called him, Jumped into
lis buggy az soon as the snapper reach
d the ground and drove hurriedly away.
OF course / rejoined John, and we
DON had his snappership swinging from
ur stick. We walked home in tri
lmph, with the dollar in one pocket ana
he snapper, metaphorically, in the
ther. Our joke was too good 10 keep.
nd that night va related il to all who
listed the mill.
The old man bore us no i'll will, bat
till he never wanted TO buy any moro
4 our 'schnappers, although he occa.
ionally stopped 10 look at them from
he seat Of his buggy when he met us
arrying them home.
John and l were sitting OH the mill
teps one evening when the old man
Irove up He stopped, asked John to
ide with him, and together they drove
~. They were gone about an hour.
hat night John said, I'm going to 10
banker.
'You-going to be- banker! What
| exclaimed.
Nonsense r not, it's a fact The old
nan tonight asked me TO take n position
With him. told him knew nothing
4 the business and would be failure.
You pc a failurep he said. You,
Tho haf solt me schnapper and hat
ct my tollar and my schnapperl Dot
J too funny. You come Wit me. want
on, aud some day put you on dc ex-
hange. You judge human nature, and
on know animal nature. DE bulls and
@ bears is dc place for you.
John went with the old man and
yer since has had the dollar in one
and and the snapper on the stick in the
ther. He married the old man rs daugh-
Pr. got into the firm and now owns the
vhnla concern v--New York Times