THE MLD-TURTLE. 



" Will you marry me? " said the mud-tm-tle to the yellow-bird. 

 The yellow-bird sat on a spray of jewel- weed, and was as bright as 



the jewel blossoms 

 themselves; but she 

 turned her back on 

 the mud-turtle, and 

 paid no attention to 

 him. 



" You need not be 

 so scornful," said the 

 mud-turtle. "I am 

 well-to-do, and can 

 make you happy. 

 My mud-house has 

 three rooms in it, and 

 I hope that is enough. 

 You are probably not 

 used to more than 

 one." 



• " That is true," 

 answered the yellow- 

 bird, turning and 

 looking at him with 

 her bright black 

 eyes; "I am used to 

 one room only, but 

 that one room is a 

 large one. Its ceil- 

 ing is the blue sky, and its floor is the green earth ; and it is so 

 wide that I have never found the walls of it yet. Sweet! sweet! 

 chirrup ! chu ! Good-by to you, mud-turtle ! I wish you joy of your 

 three rooms!" and away flew the yellow-bird. 



" What a disagreeable, ill-tempered bird!" said the mud-turtle, 

 as he drew his head in slowly. " She would have made a very bad 

 wife. 1 will marry one of my own kind. After all, there is noth- 

 ing like a mud-turtle." And he was quite right. 



