Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-23
Mrs. Hardsnap.
BIZ BERTHA coLBuRN.

L
she had important business on hand. and.
| indeed, she had.
| Soon she came out on q newly -plowed
| field. Here she stretched up her long neck
and looked sharply around to see IL she
| were being observed.
| Redwing Blackbird was whistling in HIS
| maple watch tower. Bob O'Lincoln was
curveting gayly over the meadow, while
| Mrs Catbird. from the alder. began as
usual to scream out her opinion of clumsy
turtles, but Mrs. Hardsnap had nothing
| to fear from these neighbors.
| Having satisfied herself that no enemies
were In sight. she went straight out into
| the plowed field. AS she walked she lifted
her shell well on the ground, but her short
pointed tail dragged In the soft dirt. She
went but a few rods. and then comm
| to dig rapidly with her hind feet. 1t was
easy for her to dig: her feet were broad.
| partly webbed for swimming and furnished
with sharp claws, four on her hind and Ave
| on her forefeet
When she had made a little hole she laid
some eggs in it. They were spherical, with
| thin tough shells, instead of hard, brittle
| ones like those laid by her bird neghbors
| AS Mrs Hardsnap surveyed the twenty
| hye white eggs in the hole she said to her
self complacently: Mrs. Catbird may boast
| lay as many eggs as that all summer. s
have been only half an hour about It,"
| With few scratches she covered them
with earth and walked back toward the
| pond. less hurriedly than she had come but
| still with observant eyes.
Mrs. Catbrd called out from the alder
| bush: Il saw you. The ground Is not a
| safe place for eggs Why don't you climb
tree? Ha! ha! You'd better sit on those
eggs and not leave them there for the sun
10 match; and II they should ever hatch, I'd
hope your young ones wouldn't look like
you See the warts on your wrinkIed skin
and the pointed ones on your tail! Hal hav'
Mrs. Hardsnap paid no attention to saucy
Mrs. Catbird. but ampled through the grass.
| When she was near the pond she sat down
| to walt for breakfast. Al long time she
remained motionless, and II she had not
| been so hungry she would have been sleepy.
occasionally she mofstened her eyes with
their wrinkling membranes, finally she
closed her lids and was fast asleep
Her hearing was not very acute but her
sense of smell was sharp, and warned
her that something was approaching; she
opened her eyes to see brown frog hop
ping toward her. Opening wide her
mouth she waited. Her shell was green,
with brown biotches. SO froggfe did not
notice her in the grass. He took another
leap and landed directly In front OF her.
In an instant her open Jaws closed upon
him Mrs Hardsnap had no teeth. but she
had hooked beak, and her bony jaws had
sharp. cutting edges. so she had no trouble
| III uSfOurllS the klcklHg
- While she was eating Bunnie Rabbit
came running along. but suddenly stop
ped. and. putting paw to her nose, said:
Excuse me. The odor of musk is very
Hardsnap did not deign to reply-her
mouth was too full to speak-and Bunnie
hurried away.
few days after this when Mrs, Hard
spot she saw the big dog Bruno bound
Ing toward her. She was not afraid of
him; she did not even withdraw into
her shell-she simply waited
Bruno shifted without getting his nose
very near her; evidently he did not like
the odor. He put out a paw and poked
her a little. Mrs. Hardsnap tried to
scratch him. but Bruno was to quick for
her. He poked her again; then putting
one paw under her, with swift jerk, he
turned her on her back.
Now, although Mrs Hardsnap could
draw her head and legs out of sight be-
heath her upper shell, they were quite
unprotected when she was on her back,
since her under she'll was SMALL so.
ground. with quick motion she turned
herself right side up and commenced to
scramble away. Bruno could not allow
anybody to get away from him In that
fashion. so he turned her over again.
Several times did Mrs. Hardsnap strug-
gle to her feet, until Bruno in a careless
moment came too near her head. With
vicious click Of her jaws she chung to
his forepaw, while Bruno howied with
pain and jumped about trying to shake
her off. Finding his efforts in vain.
Bruno started for home. limping pain
fully along and dragging his heavy foa.
Mrs. Hardsnap did not intend to let her
self be taken into strange region where
other foes might be waiting. SO in a few
minutes she loosened her hold and
dropped.
Bruno. with tail between his legs, ran
home as fast as his aching foot would
permit while, Mrs. Hardsnap entered the
pond. and swimming around until she.
found Mr.. Hardsnap related her adven-
ture.
Early that evening she was sitting on
the shore telling the same story to John
Rama, who sat on log at a safe distance.
when Mr.. Skunk came along. Now none
OF the pond people like Mr.. Skunk. for
the odor he carried in his pocket was
more disagrseable that the Hardsnaps
musk.
Good evening. Mrs Hardsnap." said
he pleasantly; Il am very much obliged
to you"
Mrs Hardsnap looked at him with an
CRY eyes, and waited for him to explain.
TT was very kind Of you to lay all
those eggs for me-" he continued. 7
found them with very little trouble. and
! assure you enjoyed them immensely"
Mrs. Hardsnap stretched out her neck
and snapped at the skunk, but he was
just out of reach, and when she started
a swift runner, but he easily outdis-
tanced Mrs. Hardsnap. As he ran he
looked over his shoulder and called out:
''Too bad you cannot serve me as you
did Bruno. Thank you for those eggs;
nlea So Law some moral