watched him wiggling here and there
with much delight. There was also a big, mud-colored fish that lay a
long time upon the bottom without moving anything except his fins and
the tip of his tail, and Twinkle also discovered a group of several
small fishes not over an inch long, that always swam together in a
bunch, as if they belonged to one family.

The girl watched these little creatures long and earnestly. The pool was
all of the world these simple fishes would ever know. They were born
here, and would die here, without ever getting away from the place, or
even knowing there was a much bigger world outside of it.

After a time the child noticed that the water had become a little muddy
near the edge of the bank where she lay, and as it slowly grew clear
again she saw a beautiful turtle lying just under her head and against
the side of the bank. It was a little bigger around than a silver
dollar, and instead of its shell being of a dull brown color, like that
of all other mud-turtles she had seen, this one's back was streaked with
brilliant patches of yellow and red.

"I must get that lovely turtle!" thought Twinkle; and as the water was
shallow where it lay she suddenly plunged in her hand, grabbed the
turtle, and flung it out of the water on to the bank, where it fell upon
its back, wiggling its four fat legs desperately in an attempt to turn
over.

Chapter II
Twinkle Discovers the Turtle Can Talk

AT this sudden commotion in their water, the fishes darted away and
disappeared in a flash. But Twinkle didn't mind that, for all her
interest was now centered in the struggling turtle.

She knelt upon the grass and bent over to watch it, and just then she
thought she heard a small voice say:

"It's no use; I can't do it!" and then the turtle drew its head and legs
between the shells and remained still.

"Good gracious!" said Twinkle, much astonished. Then, addressing the
turtle, she asked:

"Did you say anything, a minute ago?"

There was no reply. The turtle lay as quiet as if it were dead. Twinkle
thought she must have been mistaken; so she picked up the turtle and
held it in the palm of her hand while she got into the water again and
waded slowly back to where she had left her shoes and stockings.

When she got home she put the mud-turtle in a tub which her papa had
made by sawing a barrel in two. Then she put a little water into the tub
and blocked it up by putting a brick under one side, so that the