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Only the break caused by some dismal lagoon, amidst whose dank stagnant waters even the cypress cannot grow the habitat of black water-snakes and mud-turtles of cranes, herons, and Qua-birds.
Far below The Dam, where the changeful current had left a wide sand-bar and a great tree-trunk stretched its fallen length across from the shore to the water's edge, the mud-turtles basked in the sun-shine, and, at the approach of Boyhood, glided or splashed to the safety of the water.
Standing on the weedy margin, and throwing the line over the elder-bushes that dip into the water, it seems as if we could catch nothing but frogs and mud-turtles, or reptiles akin to them. And even when a fish of reputable aspect is drawn out, one feels a shyness about touching him.
All is in the most glorious green a very extravagance of fresh and brilliant color relieved with the bright purples and tender leafing of the flowering shrubs and vines that intertwine among its heavy jungle. Upon the broad, flat rocks one may see dozens of stolid "sliders," or mud-turtles, some of great size, basking in the sun like so many boarders at a country hotel.
Whereat all the ants, bugs and lizards at once bent their forelegs, and the toads, which were already squatting, bobbed their noses in the dust. Even the mud-turtles poked their heads out of the water to see what was going on. All the worms and grubs who lived up in trees or tall bushes had to come down to the ground.
There were pools, too, in some places, where water-lilies had managed to plant themselves, and where colonies of mud-turtles lived undisturbed; and there were shady places by the sides of the pools, where the brown pitcher-plant held its cups of clear water, and the ghost-flower glimmered spectrally among the dead leaves of last year.
I reckon he is useful down there in Washington, but say, do you know what he always reminded me of? One of those mud-turtles I used to play with as a boy up in Columbia County, shuts up tight soon as he sees you coming. Now Theodore Watling ain't like that, any way of speaking. We can get up some enthusiasm for a man of his sort. He's liberal and big.
"What is it?" she asked. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I've just come from the dock, and " "Why, you look like a mud-turtle," said Aunt Stanshy, bending over still farther and holding out the lamp, whose light fell on Will. "Mud-turtle? I don't wonder you say so, and there's another and worse-looking one out in the dock." "Two mud-turtles? What do you mean? Where have you been?"
Venerable mud-turtles crawled up and roosted upon the old logs in the stream, their backs glistening in the sun, the first inhabitants of the metropolis to begin the active business of the day.
"I don't either," said Marian; "those men work as slow as mud-turtles." The conversation was taking place at the Elliotts' dinner-table, and Uncle Charley looked up from his carving to say: "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and the slower the mud-turtles are, the longer we shall have our guests with us. For my part, I shall be very sorry to see pretty Patty go out of this house."
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