CHAPTER VI 



THE FRESH- WATER MUSSEL. 



How the Boys and Girls broke open the Mussel's House, and what 

 they found in his Two Rooms. 



One day, when I was playing " keep-liouse " with 

 my brothers, we found we had no dishes, so we put our 

 heads together to know what we should do. Finally, 

 we agreed to go to a creek or brook that ran through 

 the woods a long way off, and pick up some of the mus- 

 sel or clam shells that lay upon the bank. We thought 

 our ripe strawberries would look " so sweet ". against 

 the white, shining shells. They are commonly called 

 clam-shells, though the clam is a little different. We 

 picked up a great many, washed them clean in the 

 clear, running water, and put them in our baskets to 

 carry home. Some of them were fastened together 

 by such a nice little hinge, others were broken apart ; 

 and we wondered what they were, how they came 

 there, and if God made them just on purpose for 



