Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 203 
had a variety of tools, and a lathe for turning chair posts. This 
gave my brother an opportunity of learning the use of tools when 
very young. He lost no time, but as soon as he could handle 
tools he was always making something in the shop, and seemed © 
not to like working on the farm. Ona time, afier the death of 
our mother, when our father had been absent from home two or 
three days, on his return, he inquired of the housekeeper, what 
the boys had been doing? She told him what B. and J. had 
been about. But what has Eli been doing, said he. She replied, 
he had been making a fiddle. ‘Ah! (added he despondingly) 
Ifear Eli will have to take his portion in fiddles.? He was at 
this time about twelve years old. His sister adds, that this fiddle 
was finished throughout, like a common violin, and made tolera- 
bly good masic. It was examined by many persons, and all pro- 
nounced it to be a remarkable piece of work for such a boy to per- 
form. From this time he was’ employed to repair violins, and had 
iany nice jobs, which were always excuted to the entire satisfaction, 
and often to the astonishment, of his customers. His father’s watch 
being the greatest piece of mechanism that had yet presented itself 
to his observation, he was extremely desirous of examining its interior 
‘onstruction, but was not permitted to doso. One Sunday morning, 
observing that his father was going to meeting, and would leave at 
home the wonderful little machine, he immediately feigned illness as 
? apology for not going to church. As soon as the family were out 
of sight, he flew to the*toom where the watch hung, and taking’it 
“Wn, he was so delighted with its motions, that he took it all in pieces 
before he thought of the consequences of his rash deed; for his 
her Wasa stern parent, and punishment would have been the reward 
of his idle curiosity, had the mischief been detected. He, however, 
Put the work all so neatly together, that his father never discovered. 
lis tudacity until he himself told him, many years afterwards.” 
itney lost his mother at an early age, and when he was thirteen 
ears old, his father married a second time. His step mother, among 
T articles of furniture, had a handsome set of table knives, that 
€ valued very highly ; which our young mechanic observing, said 
her, I could make as good ones if I had tools, and I could make 
“essary tools if I had a few common tools to make them with,’ 
; ere mother thought he was deriding her, and was much displeas- 
7 Nt it so happened, not long afterwards, that one of the knives 
St broken, and he made one exactly like it in every respect, except 
the n 
