Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

CHAPTER XVI
TALES OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN
UR father had fine conversational abihty and
brought much to the circle of his home. On
returning from a long absence he would be met
with eager joy, and he ever had something of
interest to tell. With what attention we listened
to the narrative of his adventures while gone
and to the new stories he had to tell and anecdotes
he had heard. Just as soon as dinner was over on the
day of his return, we would hasten to get the work done up
so as to join father and the boys about our log heap fire, and
then how we listened!
The tedium of our more quiet lives was thus broken, and
we caught a vision of the world outside that was inspiring.
The chief stories and anecdotes that struck us in that longago
time are still related and recalled by the survivors of our
family. A few years ago Brother Joseph collected a few of
these stories in a little book called "Tales of the Tribe of
Benjamin," which we feel deserve a place in these annals.
While fiction was not looked upon then with the favor it
receives now, when the new book entitled "Uncle Tom's
Cabin" appeared it did reach our circle. I believe it was the
first long story ever read in our house, and so eager were we
all to hear this great story of Harriet Beecher Stowe that
father read it aloud to us.
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