*'How large were you?" asked Willis. 



"1 can not tell how fast I grew." 



Book again made himself useful. "Men 

 who have watched and measured their 

 growth claim that at two weeks of age 

 a young oyster is as large as a pinhead; 

 at that of three months as large as a pea. 

 Its shell grows about an inch in diameter 

 each year for the first three years. After 

 that its size does not increase so fast." 



Mrs. Oyster again resumed her story. 

 "At last one day they said that we would 

 soon be large enough for 'seed.' A few 

 days later we found ourselves broken off 

 from our clutching places and shut up in 

 some dark place. The next thing we 

 knew we were being lowered on a sandy 

 bottom not so deep down as our old 

 home. Now, when we catch and grow 

 on something we like a vertical position. 

 At first our two valves are alike, but in 

 time the left one becomes more convex. 

 If the shell of one of us' becomes so 

 heavy that it breaks off, the convex side, 

 in dropping, goes to the bottom. When 

 they planted us the men were kind 

 enough to lay us in that position. 



"When I was about a year old I be- 

 gan to spawn. It is needless to say that 

 I lived over again the sad experiences of 

 my poor mother. Some of the spat at- 

 tached themselves to my shell and I 

 gladly adopted them. For a while we 

 were very happy. Then one day, those 

 great iron tongs again disturbed us. The 

 'seed' were broken off and I was replaced 

 childless. Next time I spawned I under- 

 stood what it all meant. I begged my 

 second set of adopted children if one of 

 them ever had a chance to do so to send 

 me a message. I lived with the great 

 hope that I might be allowed to remain 

 there until I had heard from some of 

 them." 



"Did you ever hear from any of 

 them?" 



"From only two of my great family, but 

 other oyster mothers have not had even 

 that much good luck. One day a diving 

 bird came along hunting me. He said 

 that another l)ird with great strong 

 wings had a message for me from one of 

 my children. 



"How excited I liecame ! One of my 

 stolen cliil(h"cn had been seen at the 

 New York harbor. 



"About two years later," continued 

 Mrs. Oyster, "a fish brought me a letter." 

 Taking a crumpled paper from out of her 

 pocket and wiping her watery eyes on 

 her mantle frill she read : 



Dear Mamma : 



I have begged one of the students to 

 write this. When he goes fishing again 

 he will try to find a fish who will promise 

 to take it to you. 



Since I was torn away from you I 

 have been in several places. I am now 

 a fine oyster — a "beauty," I heard some 

 one say. I am at present in a great 

 building called a college. Another of 

 those wise men who look at you through 

 glasses and whom they call "professor" 

 is making plans to analyze several of us 

 raised in different places. People want 

 to know, it is said, of what value we are 

 as food. It breaks my heart to think of 

 what we must come to. 



Farewell, 



Your Child. 



While Mrs. Oyster again wiped her 

 eyes Book said, "It is too late for me to 

 tell you much about this Prof. Atwater. 

 I will only tell that he says that one 

 quart of oysters contains about as much 

 nutriment as one quart of milk. As food, 

 oysters form flesh and make heat and 

 force in the human body. You can at 

 any time consult the books farther." 



"Finally," said Mrs. Oyster, "I was 

 taken away from my sea home and lived 

 in a place where the water was nearly 

 fresh for a little while. After 'floating' 

 here for a couple of days I was sent to 

 the market and sold as an extra fine 

 oyster. They called me a 'blue point.' " 



Just then Aunt Jennie shook Willis and 

 asked him why he had not .sfone to bed. 

 He rubbed his eyes and looked around, 

 surprised to see his oyster lying quietly 

 in its dish, with no snail nor book in 

 sight. 



The next morning he told Joseph and 

 his aunt about his dream. "After this," 

 said he, "when I wish to know things 

 which I cannot notice and understand, I 

 will ask the books. They know so much. 

 Mrs. Oyster did not get to tell me about 

 her cousins who make pearls. I mean to 

 consult some books about them this very 

 dav." LovEDAY Almira Nelson. 



56 



