The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-12-23
EBEN'S ADVENTURE.
The Fiery Eyes in the Dark and What They
Proved to BE.

The Fiery Eyes in the Dark and What They
Proved to BE.
"Please tell us story, grandma, be-
fore the lamp is lighted" was the plea
of Sarah Richie, as she drew stool to
her grandmother 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 grandmas chair.
swell, dears, what shall the story be
about?"
"Please let it be a true story about
when you were little girl"
IF you like will tell you true
story, but it happened much longer ago
than when l was little girl. 1t is
about one Of my mothers brothers
when he was 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 hacked on a coarse hackle Ia
kind of coarse comb made by fastening
long steel teeth in board), they had
to comb it through 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.
ut was nearly a mile to the woods
and just at the edge of the wood was q
pretty brook, singing over the pebbles
Eben lost no time in lettering, for II
was not till after that he could see his
| friend James. He went directly TO Mrs
Leavett and did his errand. and told hel
he could stay awhile and play with
James, and then they went out for {
good time.
IL can not tell you what they played
but am sure they enjoyed themselves
for Eben forgot his promise to hi
mother, and did not think of it unit
Mrs. Leavett called James, and then, Il
his dismay. he saw the sun sinking be
hind the hills He hurried to get tn,
hackle and start for home, but Mrs
Leavett would not let him go until h,
had eaten supper, and both Mr.. ant
Mrs. Leavett urged him to stay al
night, but he knew his mother wa,
looking for him, and he feared he woult
be punished for not keeping his prom
Use. James went with him to the edg,
of the wood, but he was timid ant
dared not go far.
Nov you children may think it die
not require mach bravery to wall
through two miles of woods, on wag
on road, even if it was dark evening
but it was very different then from
what it is now. The country was new
ly settled, and there were many wilt
animals, but Eben was not natural.
timid, and if he had obeyed his mothe
he would have had no fear, but chill
dren then were taught to obey thei
parents in all things, and they wer,
taught from the Bible that it was ;
great sin to disobey, so Eben feared
that something would happen to punisl
him for his disobedience and breaking
his promise to his mother.
ut was very dark in the deep woods
but Eden hurried on, and had got owe
half way through the woods when h'
saw two cleaning eyes coming to
ward him, and in a moment a darl
animal dashed past him; how
frightened he was. Ne was sure i
was no wild animal, it must be one o
those dreadful witches that he ha,
heard of but never seen. Oh! II l
should come behind him and carry hin
off, as he heard of their doing witt
naughty children.
"Now, Eben was nearly twelv'
years old and you think ought to hav
known better than to believe such
foolish thing. But people then wer
not as we'll educated as they are now
and poor people like Mr.. Warren neve
saw a newspaper and had very few
books except the Bible, and Ebin ha
never been to school so much in hi
whole life as you go in one year.
"Well, Eben did not dare to stop o
look behind him, but hurried on as fas
as he could, but again he saw thos
same eyes coming toward him an
again the dark animal dashe
past him. again and again wa
this repeated, until it seemed to Ebi
that he could not be more frightene
and live; but he was nearing the edg
of the wood, and if he could only &c
to the clearing he would be safe; fo
Mr.. Lunn lived just at the edge Of th