Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-03-22
THE BABY TURTLE.


ed of good things to eat, for
boys are always hungry you know,
and they were going to look for
wild flowers. They had found
quite a bunch of flowers when
they came to- a pond with bit
of gravelly beach ito it's bank.
They sat down to eat their lunch
con when Joey spied little turtle
summing itself on the sand. 1t was
a very small turtle, no bigger
than fifty cent piece. "Oh, look
mother, lock- cried Joey "See
the baby turtle; am going to take
it home. Can't mother? Please
| say that 1 may."'
I joey and his mother took tin
box from the lunch basket and
put the little turtle In it, width
some wet moss and sand, to make
1t feel at home.
joey named the baby turtle Club,
and he was so kind to him that
the little turtle did not mind be-
ing prisoner, and lay in the tin
box quite contented.
joey put the tin box that was
Chuhs home into warm window
and caught tiles for him to eat,
and brought water to keep the
moss damp, until he and Club be-
came very good friends.
One day Blink, the big yellow cat,
came and looked into the tin box.
Club was frightened when Blink
smelled of his she'll and turned
him over with soft paw; but
Blink was too wise a cat to mis-
take Club for a mouse, and soon
went off about his business.
Chuh did not have to stay in
the tin box adj the time. Joey Of
ten took him in his hand and
carried him around, and one day
he put him in little wagon and
hauled him around in the back
yard.
When Walter and Allen, two
Of Joey's friends, saw Club they
wanted d turtle too and made
plans to go to the pond to hunt
for some of Clubs brothers and
sisters.
The boys became so interested
in talking it over that Joey forgot
all about Club who was in his
Hthba wagon in the driveway, and
an automobile came chug chugging
along.
Joey ran to get his wagon out
OF the way, but in his haste he
upset it and spilled Club in the
grass
l. My, what an exciting time that
was. The three boys hunted and
hunted and hunted for Club but
could not find him. They We're a
fraid they would step on him he
was so little. They looked every
where except in the right place,
and they might never have found
him at all if Blink had not come
to help them.
Blink had keen eyes and sharp
nose that led him straight to the
spot where Club was, and in a
moment more Joey had the baby
] nh Ia In, hi HON
ing him to put him in the tin
box.
A few days after that joey and
his mother went for another walk
to the woods where the pond was.
I'm take Club along" said
Joey. Pm sure he would like a
picnic, too, and perhaps we can
find another baby turtle to keep
him company"
uHt it did not happen at all as
joey planned. He put Club on
the ground n1ar tha water
BE careful, joey" called his
mother. Don't leave Club there,
or he will go into the water."N
"Oh. no, he can't get away
said Joey, and he watched the
baby turtle crawl very slowly
along the sand.
But suddenly Club seemed to
know that he liked the woods
and the sandy beach and the water
better than a tin box, and before
Joey could catch him he had hur-
ried into the water and disappear
ed.
Joey looked and looked, but he
could not see Club, and although
they waited long time he did
lot coma back.
well" said Joey at last, 81
guess it's all rightly | suppose he