The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1866-10-16


yawasd hEe ne main entrance q Ayar.
nus Hcv the sle,ghhells hig IN ,hu
middle oi The gtring. snd grnWpg snail
by degrees and boauhlnAy lasa. hyesa
buckles chlmed u every ditsciioG, long
before hstsTe uigh, the gathering II
the clans There COMES oae sehool,
the MAstT give hin q eaplsal n. fgr
he Is entitled toii Master and AZ band.
led ID ono huge tod sleigh. stFewu NTH
az abundance q straw. and tucked pp
hke a Christmas pie, with ha8 dozen
buffalo robes
There are half s dozen cutters each
with its young man and maiden. they
two aud no more, and thea aFaln palr
of jumpers, mounting q great ouilAnnlsh
locking bin. heaped up, pressed down,
running over with a collection u snail
specimens Of humanity, picked up on
the route from dozen homes. and all
"a merry as kittens in basket oi wool
And the bright eyes, ripe red lips that
one caught o glimpse a, beneath those
pink lined, quilted hooda and the all
very laugh that escaped the rnutneraand
fur tippets they wore than--svho doss
not reGDemberf Who can esaseierget
dhem9
The school house, dogtineasto be tho
arena Of the conflict, has been swept
and Rarnishod boughR Of oYorgrecne
adorn the smoked, stained and battered
walls The pellets Of ohewed paper
have been all swept from the ceiling. and
two pals OF water have boon brought
from a spring, and set on q boich IN the
entry, with the immemorial tin cup q
wise provision, indeed, for warm work
is that spelling.
The big boys have famed and replen-
ished the fire, till the old chimney fair
jars with the roaring flames, and the
sparks fly out at the the top like fur
mace, the orihamme Of the battle
The two Masters" are there, the two
schools are there, and such hum, and
such moving 10 and frol VIII they
swarm
The ferule comes down upon the desk
with emphasis. What the roll Of a drum
is to armies, that rule is 10 this whis.
pering, laughing young company.
The challongers are ranged on one
side, and the challenged on the other.
Back seats, middle seats, low seats, all
filed. Some Of the fathers and grand
fathers, who could, no doubt, upon oe-
casion,
"Shoulder The cFutoh
And show how fields were won"
occupy the bench OF honor near tho
teachers desk.
Now for the preiminaries the best
speller on each side chooses. Susan
Brown" Out comes round-eyed lit
tie creature, blushing Like o poony.-.-
Who'd have thought Il Such little
thing and chosen frstl "Moses Jones
Out comes Moses, with shock Of red
hair, shookingly harvested, surmount-
ing his broad brow. The girls laugh at
him, but what he don't know in the El-
ementary, is not worth knowing
"Jane Murray" Out trips Jane hut-
tering like q bride, takes her place next
the caller. SHE'S n pretty gin, but II
sorry speller. Don'tyou hear the whis-
pers around the room2 Why, that's
Johns sweetheart. John is the leader,
and battle lost with Jane by his side
would be sweeter than a victory won
without her.
And SO they go on, calling names"
until five or six champions stand forth
to do battle and the contest is fairly be
gun.
Down they go, one after the other, as
words of three syllables are followed by
those OF four, and those again by words
similar pronunciation and divers signi-
6cation until only Susan and Moses re-
main.
The spehing-book has been exhausted.
vet there they stand. Dictionaries are
turned over memories are ranaacked for
"words Of learned length and laundering sound"
until, by and by, Moses comes down like
tree and Susan futters there still, like
leaf aloft, that the frost and the fall
have forgotten.
Polysyllables follow polysyllables, and
by and by, Susan hesitates, Just breath
or two, and twenty tongues are working
their way through the labyrinth Of letr
tors in twinkling. Little Susan sinks
into the chink left for her in the crowd
ed seat, and there ia lull in the battle.
Then they all stand in solid phalanx by
schools, and they struggle TO spell each
other down. And down they go Ike
leaves in winter, and the victory is de-
clared for our side, and tho school u
dismissed.
Then comes the hurrying and bund-
ling, the whispering and glancing, and
pairing of, and tumblingin in. There are
hearts that futter, not hearts that ache !;
"mittens' that were and are not worn
and fond hopes that are not realizsd.-
There is linghng, among the bells at
the door, one after another the sleighs
dash up, receive their nesting freight
and are gone.
"0ur master covers the FIRE and snuffs
the candles don't you remember how
he used TO pinch the smoking wick with
his forefnger and thumb, and then thrust
each hapless luIninary, head first, into
the socket aud we wait for him.
The bells ring family in the woods,
over the hill, in the valley they are
gone. The school-house IL dark and
tenantless, and We are alone with the