The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-06-07
TEO'S STRANGE ADVENTURE.
How One Boy Learned to Take Better Care
of His Things.

How One Boy Learned to Take Better Care
of His Things.
Both Ted and mamma were very
tired especially mamma. This was be-
cause they had been looking for things
all day. Just before schooltime they
had searched the whole house for Ted
reader; and after they found it on the
floor of the hall closet, Ted ran all the
way to school, but was ten minutes
late and had to stay in at recess.
He left his overshoes at school, and
when he wanted to go out to play in
the afternoon he could not find his
cap. Ted felt sure he had brought
that home, but did not know just
where he had put it; so he and mamma
worked very hard TO find out, and had
almost given up when Jane saw it in
one of the kitchen wash-tubs Ted
said that he remembered laying it on
the edge of the tub while he stopped
TO play with the cat, and Jane must
have pushed it in as she passed by.
The cap soon dried by the kitchen
fire: but it proved too wet to play out
without ovcrshoes, so Ted roasted
chestnuts over the library fire and mis-
laid the tongs. They could not be
found when the fire needed mending,
but when mamma put baby May to
bed that evening she saw them lying
at the foot of the crib where Mays soft
little feet would have kicked against
them and been hurt had no one hap
pened to notice She looked very seri-
GUS. and when she told Ted he looked
very grave; for he loved the baby dearly.
As mamma tucked Ted in his crib
that evening she said: well, Ted, |
am glad you can't take your head and
legs and arms off; for if you could l
am sure you would lose them"
Then she kissed Ted and left
him, never dreaming what strange
thing was going to happen to
her little boy. But l think nearly
every boy who reads this story can re-
member strange things that keve hap
pened to him between the TINY lie goes
to bed and the time he rises in the
morning.
When Ted was alone he turned over
and closed his eyes. He was thinking
of what his mother has said and of how
odd it would be if he really were really
screwed together and could unscrew
himself whenever he wished to. He
thought it would be fine joke to scare
the the boys at school by taking off an
arm and running after them as he
waved it over his head. How surprised
and frightened they would be-
And now the strange thing happened
of which | spoke, although to Ted il
seemed so natural that he did not think
about it at all.
1t was no longer night, and Ted was
no longer in bed. 1t was recess al
school, and Ted was in the playground
with all the boys, They We're playing
a very amusing game, in which every
boy except the leader and the judge
had to unscrew one of his legs and ther
follow the leader as best he could. II
was surprising how well the boys coulC
hop and jump, turn somersaults anC
climb trees with only one leg. The un
screwed legs were placed in a row
against the fence, and the name of the
| owner was written in the shoe of each
so that the boys would make no mis-
take when they were ready to put the
legs on again.
After the game was over some of the
boys snapped legs, and as the bar
rowed member was almost sure to be
either too long or too short for its new
wearer, they would limp around in the
most comical way; and it only added t.
the fun if very short boy changed
with very tall one. Ted was JUS
about to swap with Tommy Pearson,
when the school bell began to ring, anC
the boys had to screw on their legs in
hurry and run inside.
During the afternoon while the bov,
were busy doing examples Jack Ames
who sat in front of Ted, turned hi
head on the neck screw until his fac,
was Just where the back of his heat
had been, which gave him very funn,
look. When Ted glanced up from hi
slate he saw Jack, with his head screwe,
around, winbing and grinning at him
he could not help laughing out loud.
When the teacher saw what had han
pened he was very angry, and, wall1in,
up to Jack, took the mischief-makinl
head off and put it on his desk. as
warning to the boys to play no NOR
tricks. Poor Jacks head looked yer,
sad up on the teachers desk, while tn
rest of Jack sat limp and quiet on tn
seat in front of Ted. 1t was an awful
warning to the boys, who were YER
quiet and good until school closed
Then the teacher put the head back i
its place. but told Jack that if such
thing happened again he would keep |
until late in the afternoon.
After school was out Ted lent one q
his legs to Tommy Pearsons and put O.
instead enc of Tommy's. As Tomm
was an in ch shorter than Ted both boy
limped a good deal; and they playe
tag to see who could limp the fastest.
! While they were in the midst Of thi.
MIR. Burns, Ted's father, stopped to tax
him home, saying he was in a grea
hurry. Ted, thinking his father woul
be angry if he knew of the borrowe
leg, whispered to Tommy, whose hous