The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-06-21
SPELLI.R'G SCHOOLS,
BY b. r. TAYLOR.

have you forgotten them When
from all the regions round about they
are gathered into the old log school
house, with its huge fire. place which
yawned like the main entrance to Aver
nus, How the sleighbells, big in the
middle of the string, and growing small
by degrees and beautifully less toward
the broad, brass buckles, chimed in every
direction, long before night-the gath
ering of the clans. There comes one
school, " the Master give him cap
ital NJ, for he is entitled to it-Master
and all bundled into one huge red
double.sleigh, strewn with an abundance
of straw, and tucked up, like a Christ
mas pie, with half dozen buffalo robes.
There are half dozen cutters, each
with its young man and maiden, they
two and no more and then again pair
Of jumpers, mounting a great outlandish
bin, heaped up, pressed down, running
over, with a collection of small speci-
mems of humanity. picked up en- route
from dozen homes, and all as merry as
kittens in basket of wool. And the
bright eyes and ripe red lips that one
caught glimpse of, beneath those pink.
lined, quilted hoods, and the silvery
laugh that escaped from the mufflers
and fur tippets they wore then-who
does not remember? Who can ever
forget them?
The school house, destined to be the
arena ofthe conflict, has been swept and
garuished; boughs of evergreens adorn
the smoke stained and battered walls.
The pallets OF chewed,,' paper have all
been swept from the ceiling, and two
pals of water have been brought from
the spring, and set on a bench in the
entry, with the immemorial tin cup
wise provision indeed, for warm work
is that spelling.
The big boys have famed and replen.
ished the fire till the old chimney fairly
jars with the roaring flames, and the
sparks fly out at the top like furnace,
the oriAamme of the battle.
The two "Masters" are there, the
two schools are there, and such hum,
and such moving to and fro! Will
they swarm!
The ferule comes down upon the desk
with emphasis. What the roll of the
drum is to armies, that rule is to the
whispering, laughing, young company.
The challengers are ranged on one
side, and the challenged on the other
Back seats, middle seats, all filed.
Some of the fathers, who could, nc
doubt upon occasion,
"Shoulder the crutch,
And show how fields were won,"
occupy the bench of honor near the
teachers desk.
Now for the preliminaries; the best
speller on each side chooses. "Susar
Brown" Out comes round, eyed little
creature, blushing like peony. WHO'D
have thought it! Such a little thing
and chosen 6rst!" "Moses Jones'" Out
comes Moses, with a shock of red hair
shockingly harvested, surmounting hi,
broad brow. The girls laugh at him
but what he don't know in the Elemen
tary, is not worth knowing.
"Jane Murray" Out trips Jane
futtering like a bride, takes her place
next the caller. She is a pretty girl
but sorry speller. Don't you hear the
whispers around the room? Why
that's Johns sweetheart. John is the
leader and battle lest with Jane by hi:
SIDE would be sWeeter than victory
won without her.
And so they go on, "calling the
names," until five or six champion,
stand forth to do battle, and the contest
is fairly begun.
Down they go, one after the other, as
words of three sylables are followed
by those of four, and those again by
words of similar pronunciation and di.
vers Specification, until only Susan and
Moses remain
The spelling book has been exhaus.
ted, yet there they stand. Dictionarie.
are turned over, memories are ransack,
ed for
"WOrds Oflearned length and thunder
ing seund,"
| until nv and hu MoSas oo,,,., Il. I.l