JOHNNIE GREEN'S INITIALS
Timothy Turtle found himself in a very uncomfortable position, stakedout as he was on the bank of Black Creek, with one rope about his bodyand another about his neck.
And even then Johnnie Green was not satisfied. Though his friend Redinsisted that their captive could do them no harm (saying, "How can hebite when he can't move his head?") Johnnie Green replied that he would"fix him" so there couldn't possibly be any accident. And taking the oldgrain-sack he had brought back with him, he wrapped it carefully aroundTimothy's head, till he looked for all the world as if he had theearache.
"There!" Johnnie Green said, when he had finished. "He'll have to bitethrough that bag before he bites us; and I guess he'll find he has apretty big mouthful."
Then he pulled out his jackknife and felt its sharp edge with his thumb.
"Lemme do it for you!" Red begged him, holding out his hand for theknife.
But Johnnie Green had no such idea.
"No!" he said firmly. "I've got to cut my initials myself."
"He might get loose and grab you," the red-haired boy remarkedhopefully.
But Johnnie Green told him that he would risk that.
"Which way are you going to cut them?" Red asked him.
"What do you mean?" Johnnie inquired.
"Are you going to make 'em read when he's going or coming?" Redexplained.
"I hadn't thought of that," Johnnie Green replied. "But I guess goingwould be better. Then if he stands up you can read 'em just the same,without any trouble."
So Johnnie kneeled down beside Timothy Turtle. It took him some time todecide just where he would carve his initials on Timothy's shell. And hehad about decided that the best place to put his mark on Mr. Turtle'sback would be exactly in the middle of it, when he cried all at once,"Look, Red! Look!"
"Whassamatter?" the red-haired boy wanted to know.
"This is the queerest thing I ever heard of!" Johnnie exclaimed. "Hereare my initials already cut!"
Red could not believe him, until he had peered at Timothy's shellhimself. And then he saw that what Johnnie had said was true.
"There's a date, too," Johnnie pointed out. And he read it aloud."That's more'n thirty years ago," he declared.
But the red-haired boy laughed boisterously.
"Shucks!" he jeered. "Somebody's been playin' a joke on you. Somebodyknew you were lookin' for this old turtle and put your initials and thatold date on him just to puzzle you."
Johnnie Green didn't know exactly what to think. But probably he was nomore upset than was Timothy Turtle, who was not having a good time atall.
"I don't care if some one did catch this turtle first," Johnnie said atlast. "I'm going to carve my mark on him just the same."
So he began to cut "J. G." in the exact center of the back of TimothyTurtle, much to that old fellow's rage.
And when Johnnie Green had finished the letters he cut the date belowthem.
"What you goin' to do with him now?" Red asked Johnnie then.
"Turn him loose!" Johnnie replied.
"Aw--don't do that! Lemme have him!" Red coaxed.
Johnnie Green said that he was sorry--but he intended to set his captivefree, just as he had planned.
He soon found that turning Mr. Turtle loose was no easy matter. Strangeto say, Timothy Turtle did nothing to help. On the contrary, he made thetask as hard as he could for Johnnie Green, trying his best to bite thatyoung man.
In the end Johnnie had to cut the rope that held Timothy's head. Andwhen that furious old fellow at last found himself in Black Creek oncemore he still wore a noose of rope, like a collar, around his neck.
* * * * * * *
When Johnnie Green told his father about his adventure with TimothyTurtle, he had a great surprise. Farmer Green said that when he was justabout Johnnie's age he had cut his initials on a turtle, down by thecreek.
Now, since Johnnie was named for his father, their initials had to bealike. So the J. G.--and the old date--that Johnnie had found must havebeen carved by Farmer Green when he was a youngster.
Somehow, Johnnie found it very hard to imagine that his father had everbeen a boy like himself and had spent his time playing near the creek,and carving his initials on the back of a turtle.
"How old do you suppose that turtle is?" he asked his father.
"Oh, he must be a regular old settler," Farmer Green declared. "He mayhave been around here when your grandfather was a boy, for all I know."
"Do you really believe that?" Johnnie exclaimed.
"Well," his father answered, "there's only one way to find out."
"What's that?" Johnnie inquired eagerly.
"Ask Mr. Turtle himself," Farmer Green replied with a smile.