Public domain story from a an old paper. Please see links at the end. Slightly better formatted more errorful version can be found at my Scribd page.
Dinosaur Story
HARRY RAMSDELL sat on the steps reading, and his little brother Gardiner sat beside him watching the antics of seven small puppies that, rolling over their mother, gnawing her stumpy tail and otherwise disturbing her rest, seemed to be having the time of their lives. After i space, Gardiner spoke:
“Ain’t they funny said he. “Say, Harry, do all little animals have fun like that?”
“Most of them,” replied Harry, looking very wise, as he always did when his small brother asked questions, for Harry was twelve and very learned, indeed.
“Do turtles?” asked Gardiner. “I’d like to see a litter of turtles cutting up.”
“Aw, turtles come from eggs,” said his brother, scornfully. “They don’t have any fun. The mother turtle just leaves the eggs in the sand and they hatch out: that’s all. Sun does it, I guess.”
“That’s funny.” cried Gardiner. “I’d like to see them in the turtle’s nest.”
“Oh, golly,” cried Harry. “They don’t make any nest, I tell you just dig a hole in the sand; that’s all.”
“I thought only birds laid eggs,” added the little fellow.
“All reptiles – turtles, snakes, frogs, lizards – as well as insects, lay eggs,” said the wise brother. “Some of them make a sort of nest, that is. the insects do, but not the lizards and things. I guess they are hatched out by the sun’s heat. I’ve seen an ant’s nest. It’s fine.”
“I wonder,” mused Gardiner, “if you found some turtle’s eggs somewhere and brought ‘em home would they hatch out by the stove?”
“Why, I suppose so, but I guess it would be pretty hard to find ‘em,” replied Harry, and then he sat thinking instead of reading, for the question had aroused interest in such a search. He decided to make an effort to find some turtle’s eggs and try the experiment for himself before the summer came.
