Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-11
The Story of the
Turtle

,
dog which was lying on doorstep in
front of a house saw her and rushed
barking out into the road But the
turtle was wise old turtle, and as
soon as she saw the dog coming she
rev her head and her tail into her
shell and kept perfectly quiet, and
when the little dog came up to her
and fourd she did not move he said
to hims If:
How silly | was. This is nothing
Tut stone. and | thought it was
moving. I think I'll 60 back and fin
ish my nap"
So back he went and was Just shut
ting up his eyes when the stone be-
gan to move again.
Out he rushed. more furious than
ever. but the old turtle was wise
enough to keep perfectly still. ami
The dog said to himself, well, this
old stone has fooled me again and |
Won't even look at it any more" So
be went home and went to sleep, and
In few minutes the turtle went on
again.
She got almost to the top of the
hill without more adventures, when
che saw some children coming.
! ooh, dear!" said she. Here are
some children and they are worse
than dogs Perhaps If I keep per
tectly still they may go by without
seeing me-"
So she crept to one side of the
road, pulled in her head AMI tail, and
kept very still still The children got
almost by but the very last one called
cut, "Oh, see here. here's great
turtle!" and he took stick and began
TO poke it.
The turtle kept still as long as she
could and then she put out her head
and snapped at the stick. That fright
ened the little girls and they ran
away calling. Come on, Tommy, OF
the turtle will bite YOU
ooh. who's afraid of an old turtle g"
cried Tommy, and he gave it kick,
hut the turtle bit his toe and held on
| Ill Tommy began to scream and tried
to run away. Then the turtle let So
and Tommy ran off down the hill.
After she had rested a few minutes
she went on and at last reached the
! top Of the hill safely but very tired,
fer it was long journey for the
turtle to take.
The next morning she dug hole
in the sand and then she sat down to
consider whether she should lay nine
egss or ten. At last she decided that
az nine is an odd number she had bet
ter lay ten. So each morning she laid
all egg and covered it up with, sand.
Then she spent the rest OF the day
| eating worms and insects.
| A number of birds had their nests
on this hill, and as the turtle had a
good appetite they began to be afraid
! she would eat up all the insects, SO
they went to her one day and said
Mrs. Turtle, would you be willing
tc go to the other side of the hill to
get your dinner, for we have little
| birds to feed and if you stay much
nothing left for us to give our little
, birds and they are SO hungry we have
not time to fly long distance for
i! food a.
The turtle answered. Little birds,
have only one more egg to lay, and
then l am going back to my home in
, the pond +
The next morning after she had laid
her last egg, she covered them all very
wS-mlv with sand and said to herself,
Nov the warm sun and the warm
sand will certainly hatch these eggs
| better than I can. so | will go home
again. for I begin to feel very home.
sick for my pond
She could go down hill much faster
than she could go up, so she managed
to get home without any trouble.
After while the little turtles all
Matched. and they crawled round in the
sand, and sat in the sun and caught
flies and had very happy life: but
one day they were very much surpris-
ed to see a large turtle coming up the
hill. for they had never seen a turtle
larger than they were.
"Halloa," said the large turtle as he
came nearer. 81 am your Uncle Bryan
What are you doing up here, and
where is your mother?"
"Mother!" said they. Whats a
MOTHER"
ga mother" said Uncle Bryan, els
feeds YOU
mother We take care of ourselves"
Ol, yes. you nave, Sdlu OHCle d.!
am, Everybody has mother, and il
she isn't here. she must be waiting for
yoN in the pond at the foot of the
hill"
"A pend" the turtles said. whats
a pond?"
why. pond said Uncle Bryan,
sis a great piece of water where
turtles live and it's much pleasanter
than this hill. You can stay in the
water. or lie on the rocks in the sun,
and there is always plenty to eat there
I advise you to go down the hill to the
nond and find your mother You will
know her by the check on the under
side Of her shell, which is just like
yours
"Have we got checks on our shells?
asked the little turtles.
Surely you have" said Uncle Bry.
am, cor you wouldn't know what fam.
lily you belonged to-
So the little turtles all turned over
on their backs to see if they had
checks on their shells, and sure
enough, there was the same check on