The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-12-24
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EBEN'S ADVENTURE.
Tho Fiery Eyes In the lark and What They
Proved to BE.

EBEN'S ADVENTURE.
Tho Fiery Eyes In the lark and What They
Proved to he.
please tell us story. grandma, be-
fore the lamp is lighted was the plea
of Sarah Richie. as she drew stool to
her grandmother's side, and looked low
ingly in her face.
Grandma smiled as she saw the other
children gather eagerly around her,
even Joseph laying aside the book he
had been trying to read by the fading
light, and coming near to the circle
around grandma's chair.
well, dears, what shall the story be
abouto'
''Ploase let it be true story about
when you were little girl"
IF you like will tell you true
story, but it happened much longer ago
than when | was little girl. 1t is
about one of my mothers brothers
when he was q boy. At that time
the country was very new, and
houses a long distance apart, and
there were no factories to manufacture
cloth. but the women and girls spun
the yarn and wove the cloth for their
families. and more than that, they
spun their own thread to make their
clothes with. 1t required great care to
prepare the fax for thread. for after it
had been hackled on coarse hackle "a
kind of coarse comb made by fastening
long steel teeth in board, they had
to comb it through a very fine hackle.
Zone day Mrs. Warren told her son
Eben that he must go to Mrs. Leavett's
and borrow her fine hackle, SO she
could hackle some fax for thread.
Eben was pleased to go. as it was a
pleasant day and he had not seen James
Leavett for long time. When he was
ready to start. Mrs. Warren said:
'Eben, you may stay and play with
James awhile, but be sure and start in
time to get home before dark Eben
promised that he would, and then
started on his three-mile walk. Two
miles of the distance was through thick
woods.
1T was nearly mile to the woods
and just at the edge of the wood was a
pretty brook, singing over the pebbles.
Eben lost no time in lettering. for it
was not till after that he could see his
friend James. He went directly to Mrs.
Leavett and did his errand. and told her
he could stay awhile and play with
James, and then they went out for q
good time.
81 cad not tell you what they played.
but am sure they enjoyed themselves,
for Eben forgot his promise to his
mother. and did not think Of it until
Mrs. Leavett called James, and then. to
his dismay. he saw the sun sinking be-
hind the hills. He hurried to get the
hackle and start for home, but Mrs.
Leavett would not let him go until he
had eaten supper, and both Mr.. and
Mrs. Leavett urged him to stay all
night, but he knew his mother was
looking for him, and he feared he would
be punished for not keeping his prom
Use. James went with him to the edge
of the wood. but he was timid and
dared not go far.
Nov you children may think it did
not require much bravery to walk
through two miles of woods, on a wag-
on road, even if it was dark evening,
but it was very different then from
what it is now. The country was new
~ settled, and there were many wild
animals, but Eben was not naturally
timid. and if he had obeyed his mother
he would have had no fear but chill
dren then were taught to obey their
parents in all things, and they were
taught from the Bible that it was a
great sin to disobey, SO Eben feared
that something would happen to punish
him for his disobedience and breaking
his promise to his mother.
1T was very dark in the deep woods,
but Eden hurried on, and had got over
half way through the woods when he
saw two cleaning eyes coming to-
ward him, and in moment dark
animal dashed past him; how
frightened he was. He was sure it
was no wild animal, it must be one of
those dreadful witches that he had
heard of but never seen. Oh! If it
should come behind him and carry him
off, as he heard of their doing with
children.
Now, Eben was nearly twelve
years old and you think ought to have
better than to believe such a
foolish thing. But people then were
not as well educated as they are now,
and poor people like Mr.. Warren never
saw q newspaper and had very few
books except the Bible, and Ebin had
never been to school SO much in his
whole life as yon go in one year.
We'll, Eben did not dare to stop or
look behind him, but hurried on as fast
rs he could, but again he saw those
same eyes coming toward him and
again the dark animal dashed
past him. Again and again was
This repeated, until it seemed to Ebin
that he could not be more frightened
and live; but he was nearing the edge
Of the wood, and if he cosld only get
10 the clearing he would be safe; for
Mr.. Lunn lived just at the edge of the
wood. just as he thought this he saw
right in the road great ball
Of fire. What could he do? lie dared
not go back and how could he get cour-
age to pass that ball of fire-if he could
pass it. lie must pass it, there was no
other way. and SO although his heart
was almost suffocating him he walked
toward it, and what do you suppose it
waso
1T really was ball of fire or very
round brand of fire not in the road but
just beside it where good Mrs Lunn had
been making soap beside the little brook,
and had not put out the fire. Just then
when he was thinking how foolish he
had been he saw the dark animal ap-