344 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Fal>le of an Ambitious Turtle. 
What a foolish turtle ! He could not be content with 
his beautiful swimming pond, his nice bed of rushes, and 
his dainty dinner of frogs and minnows. He had heard 
the ducks tell of the wonderful things they saw when 
sailing through the air, and nothing would satisfy him but 
enjoying the prospect for himself. So having made friends 
of a pair of them that built their nest near his home, lie 
engaged them to introduce him to the upper regions in 
the manner you see in the picture. Cunning fellows they 
were, real sharpers, as you will presently find. Away 
. they went up, up, until t lie poor turtle began to grow 
dizzy and faint, and just as he was immediately over a 
rocky place, he let go his hold, and down he came upon 
the atones, where he was dashed into a hundred pieces, 
and the ducks had a grand feast picking his bones. The 
writer saw just such a turtle a short time since— only he 
had two legs, and wore clothing like yours, instead of a 
hard shell. You would have called him a nice looking 
young man, and so he was before his nose was painted 
with brandy. His father was a well-to-do farmer who de- 
sired to educate Ins son to the same profession. But the 
boy heard lads from the city tell of the fine times they en- 
joyed there, of the balls, the theaters, and other amuse- 
ments they attended, and he soon despised Ins peaceful 
home, and when of age he took his own way, and came 
to New York to enjoy the world. He had a few hundred 
dollars which a relative had left him, and with this he 
started in business. There were plenty of friendly com- 
panions to introduce him to the theater and the gambling 
house, and they were not long in picking his pockets as 
clean as the ducks did the bones of the turtle ; and when 
we saw him he was seeking to borrow money with which 
to return home. Poor fellow, let us hope that his speedy 
fall shook the nonsense out of him, and prepared him for 
a new and a right start in life. We have seen old turtles 
sell their farms to buy a patent right or a flourishing 
store, of some smooth tongued decoy duck, with which to 
make their fortunes, hut in almost every case they soon 
came down with a crash. The girls too would do well to 
think of the ambitious turtle, when tempted to slight the 
affection of their early friends, for the attention of some 
spruce young fop from town ; if they once fall, they may 
scarcely hope ever to recover even their former place. 
More Hfice than Scientific. 
A gentleman much interested in botanical matters re- 
cently directed one of the clerks at his place of business 
to copy a list of names for him. On looking over w hat 
had been written, he was surprised to find the word 
"Large-nonia." On pointing out to the young man that 
an error had been made, he was informed in all sincerity 
that it was not really incorrect, but oidy an improvement 
on the original. The word was B/g-nonia, but as big was 
rather a slang term, he had altered it to large, which 
meant the same thing, and was much more elegant! 
Alexander Dnmas and Mushrooms. 
I Once while traveling toward Lake Constance, Alexan- 
der Dumas, the noted French writer, was compelled by a 
storm to stop at a small hotel in Vadutry. He did not 
understand the language of the place, but managed to ask 
for eggs, cutlets, and potatoes, nunc uf which were, to be 
had. Remembering that the mushrooms of that country 
were in very high repute, he attempted to ask for a dish 
of them, but his language here failed him. As a last re- 
sort, he snatched a pencil, and paper, and drew what he 
thought to be a good representation of them. " Oh, yes, 
yes," "said the woman, and she at once started out. In 
five minutes she re-appeared, bringing Dumas an open 
umbrella! A second look at his sketch convinced him 
that she had brought what his picture most nearly resem- 
bled. Perhaps the rain then falling may have helped her 
imagination. (Try your skill in sketching a mushroom.) 
Impertinence Punished. 
A correspondent writes to the Agriculturist from 
Wayne Co., N. Y. : "Near our village lives a young 
Bliss just blooming into womanhood, who attracts much 
attention by her beauty. She is a merry hearted, but sensi- 
ble girl, and apparently in nowise spoiled by the many 
compliments she receives. Recently she greatly enjoyed 
the discomfiture of a young man who rather impertinent- 
ly attempted to introduce himself. He had recently come 
from the City, and dressed in the night of fashion, was 
riding with a companion when he caught sight of Miss 
L., who was just drawing a kettle of water from a 
spring near the house. He exclaimed, *' what a charm- 
ing creature ! I must make an acquaintance,*' and forth- 
with he stepped from his carriage, and with a very stylish 
bow, requested "the privilege of drinking water drawn 
by such fair hands." She started to bring a tumbler, but 
he insisted on drinking from the kettle, and raised it to 
his lips. Just then a mischievous pet sheep belonging to 
Miss L came frisking around the corner behind the 
stranger, and without any warning, with a powerful butt 
sent him sprawling headforemost into the spring, kettle 
and all '. He was not injured, but the starch was thor- 
oughly taken out of him, as well as from his shirt bosom, 
and he lost no time in scrainbling back to his carriage 
and hurrying away from the sound of Hiss L's. laughter." 
A Formidable Weapon* 
The New-Haven Palladium narrates the following: 
"Two drummer boys of the Tenth Conneclicut Volun- 
teers, while off duty, when Gil I more was pounding Fort 
Wagner, determined to discover the effect made upon 
the fort. They borrowed an opera glass, and went out a 
distance from camp to obtain a favorable site to witness 
operations. They had proceeded about three-quarters 
of a mile, when they came suddenly upon a burly rebel, 
who, upon sight of them, snapped his gun at them, which 
did not explode, the piece not being capped. One of the 
boys at that moment thrusting the glass into the case which 
hung by his side, the rebel thought he was drawing a re- 
volver, and immediately threw down his gun, crying out 
" I surrender." The boys immediately sprang forward, 
seized his gun, and at a " charge bayonet " drove the big 
fellow into camp. When he discovered that the only 
appearance of a weapon in the boys' possession was an 
liable of an Aristocratic Beetle. 
Our artist, who dreams with his eyes wide open, and 
who sketches the marvelous things he observes when in 
that state, says that this is a correct representation of a 
hum-bug lie found among the insects. To common eyes 
he looked like only a fat brown beetle ; but being the pro- 
prietor of a large manure heap, he was accounted very 
rich, and was therefore highly honored by his fellow in- 
sects. He disdained to employ his own legs for crawling, 
and the humble grasshopper was only too glad to earn a 
livelihood by wheeling his carriage, and his neighbors 
took off their hats and made their obeisance as he passed. 
We presume the artist had been rudely treated by some 
purse-proud and ignorant nobody, and his imagination 
was so much disturbed, that he fancied for a moment that 
other creatures besides men were capable of su-rh mean- 
ness. We will leave you to make out the rest of the 
story, and to discover the moral. There is more in this 
picture, than appears at first sight. Examine it thought- 
fully, and let us hear what instruction you find in it. 
opera glass, he w as much incensed, declaring he could 
not be held as a prisoner of war ; but, of course, being 
fairly caught, his protestations were of no avail. 
The I>og- and tbe Kitten. 
An instance of the intelligence of dogs is thus re 
laled by a writer in the London Agricultural Gazette, 
who vouches for its truth. The dog, a female, had a fam 
ily, which were all taken away ami drowned. Shortly 
afterward, three cats on the premises each had a litter of 
kittens, and these were all thrown into the water by a 
servant ; but as he was returning, he was met by the 
dog, carrying in her mouth one of the kittens which she 
had rescued. The servant tried to take it from her, but 
she escaped, and for a lime no one could make out 
where she had put it. Some hours later, at night, a 
mewing was heard in the far end of a large stable, and 
there in the corner were the three cats disputing which 
had the right to care for the little one. The dog sat by, 
looking on, and from time to time taking the Kitten 
in her paws, and licking, and warming it. 
