HOW A TURTLE TAUGHT A LESSON. 15! 



waded aimlessly over the smooth sand through the 

 cool, running water, dashing the sparkling drops to 

 right and left with his frisky feet. In this way, he 

 came to a large, flat rock, over a portion of whose 

 smooth surface the stream flowed in a broad, crystal 

 current. 



A mud-turtle sat on the rock, half out of the water, 

 enjoying the pleasant sunshine, apparently as contented 

 and happy as a turtle could be. But when he "saw the 

 boy splashing along at such a rate, he thought it high 

 time to be gone ; perhaps he had previously had ex- 

 perience of the tender mercies of boys, for he made 

 great haste to reach the protecting mud of the bank. 



"Ah, ha, you rogue! you think you can get away, 

 do you?" shouted the youngster. The next instant 

 he was kneeling on the slippery rock, with both hands 

 outstretched over the prisoner. John had been carry- 

 ing his shoes his stockings stuffed into them with 

 one hand ; but now, in his eagerness to secure the turtle, 

 he dropped them upon a part of the rock covered by 

 the stream, and, turning sideways as they fell, the 

 water rushed in, filling them to the very toes. . 



' 'There!" exclaimed John, half in real and half in 

 affected vexation, ' ' you have made me get my stock- 

 ings wet, and you must be punished for it. I shall 

 turn you over on your back, and you may stay there, 

 sir, until I come back from school to-night." 



That night, John came home from school, with a 

 group of school-fellows, over the village road, instead 

 of across the pasture, forgetting all about the turtle 

 he had left on the rock. Vacation began the next 

 day, and John was to spend a whole month with his 



