Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1909 — ODD OCCURRENCES. [ARTICLE]

ODD OCCURRENCES.

A celebrated English naturalist relates a comical story of, his first introduction to a turtle/some forty yeafrs ago. There was to be a grand public dinner at a seaside hotel, and the catering being entrusted to a noted cook and purveyor, in honor of the occasion he undertook to provide real turtle soup for the feast. Acoord ingly, a live tiirtle arrived at the hotel a few days before the date fixed for the banquet, and, of course, became the one theme of conversation and astonishment in the neighbor hood. People for miles around flocked to see it, and if the turtle, Ks it lay on its back in a straw-carpeted shed, feebly moving its flippers to and fro, had been a griffin, it couldn’t have attracted more attention. The turtle was not to be killed ; until the morning of the eventful day, but on the preced ing afternoon some bright person suggested to the landlord that it ; was get ting weak, and that it would be all the better and fresher, and reappear to greater advantage in tomorrow’s tureens, if it had a sea bath. -The idea was voted capital, a wheelbarrow was brought, the prospective soup hoisted upon it, with a long line fastened round its shell, and the procession forthwith started for the beach, with half the town in its wake. The barrow was wheeled into the sea and tilted until Its bvirden was launched. Off the turtle paddled joyously, and the rope being paid out to utmost length. After a proper lapse of time, the rope was hauled in, but the loop was empty. The grateful turtle doubtless ste'ered for the West Indies, and ox-tail soup grated the banquet. But 'it was not safe to mention “turtle soup" to the landlord for many a year. ~ .» * • * A traveler recently stopped at a Georgia, hotel, where the landlord had just bought a live wildcat, which was chained in the yard. The traveler had never seen such ah animal before, and ’was rather nervous about its proximity. That night'the landlord went through the house putting out the lights, and the traveler heard the rat* tting of the chains on the lamps as they were lowered to be extinguished. He thought it was the wildcat’s chain, and, as the sound came nearer, he was convinced that the beast had escaped and was prowling through the house. The idea was terrifying. Remembering that his door was ajar, he sprang from the bed, made a dash for the window in his night clothes and jumped to the ground. The proprietor heard the noise, looked out, and, see ing the guest making off, supposed he was "jumping his board” and chased him, the town marshal joining In th< pursuit. The traveler fled in dire dismay for'nearly a mile, when, hearing the footsteps close behind, he attempted to climb a tree and was captured. Then hyitual explanations followed, and thelguest returned to finish his nap. * * * An odd hunting adventure recently a British officer in India. He was mounted on a fleet mule, and was running down a wild boar, intepdlng to lance it, when the animal turned bit the mule’s leg, and then fled again The mule screamed savagely, and in a minute she had deposited the officer on the grpund; then, kicking out-vig-orously five or six times, as if to see that her legs were all right, she started after the‘unfortunate pig at lightning speed, with fury in her ei'p? and vengeance In the crook of her ears. The race was not long, and the Wild boar soon realized that he had exasperated a relentless enemy. He was soon winded, and the mule, coming up with him, caught him by the backbone with her teeth, crunched it and threw him to the ground, and then, before he could rise, kicked him so Vigorously that he was a deal boar in leßs than no time. Then the mule returned to her master and gave utterance to a “hee-haw" of triumph.