The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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WAS AFRAID HIS TERRAPIN WOULD SCARE
By S. C. Turnbo
We hope an account of the following little incident will not be out of place here and will relate it. It occurred during the childhood days of my brother, Andrew J. Turnbo, who when he was just old enough would follow my father when he went squirrel hunting around the field. The child was a dear lover of terrapins and every one of them he found he would pick it up and carry it to the house for a pet. Andrew was born on the north bank of White River in Keesee Township, Marion County, Ark., in 1863 and we were living on this same farm when this amusing incident occurred in 1866. One day during the year named my father took his gun and dog and started out to kill squirrels and my little brother went with him as usual. While they were passing around the field above the house Andrew discovered a terrapin and picked it up at once and began carressing it and was carrying it along when a squirrel run up a tree, and while my father was preparing to shoot it Andrew who was a few yards behind my father says, "Pap, are you going to shoot?" "Yes, why?" says my father. "Well," replied the child, "you reckon my terrapin will scare?" and hugged it tight in his arms. The child supposed or imagined that at the report of the gun the terrapin would jump out of his hands and run away.
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