Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-03-29
DoIv.,.,-0LD Ty.vns
HBVIpED.

! 'P'''o" W stay away from spelling or
singing school TO get our boots tapped, and
know that "Bll Jones" would 20 home
with our girl after the exercises of the eve-
ming were ended.
| Is there an individual living who does
not at times brush the cobwebs away from
his picture of the past, and revert fondly TO
the scenes of his youth? II 80 let him bo
| known, though we do not believe in the
unmanly feeling that prompts one to look
back for all his pleasures and see only
clouds and stormy weather in the future.
But we commenced TO talk of snolljno
schools-the old fashioned kind, held in
the winter evenings in our own or neigh
boring school houses. The latter however
were looked forward TO with more pleas
ure, as the usual monotony of the OCCASION
was relieved by the excitement of meeting
foreign foe, and the fun of the ride under
the buffalo robes to the field of contest.
How "big'' we used to feel when in
solemn manner the schoolmaster would
step up on the rostrnm. and after erasinp
all traces of the days arithmetca exercis.
es upon the blackboard, that our minds
might not wander from the evening work,
cross between a deacon's and a heavy traC-
edian's, our name, coupled with some
member OF the opposition side, as the two
| upon whom fell the honor of choosing sides.
And what terrible suspense irtervened
while the two pedagogues drew cuts 10 see
who would have the first choice, prepara-
| tory 10 selecting the chosen two dozen wi
were TO try and spell each other down.
If the leader of the 'other side happen
ed to be rival Of ours in the suit for smiles
from the rosy checked girl who apparently
bad no thought for anything save Il apple
she was slyly eating behind the stove, the
excitement was doubly great, until it was
decided that IRE 0ust think OF itD had
drawn the longest straw, and were entitled
to the first choice among all the bevy of
| young folks that were scattered around the
school room.
How high.we lifted our cowhide boots as
we stepped off to the c"rner of the room
where the line of photographed battle was
to be formed OF course, the first name
called was that OF our sweetheart, though
| Unjust we say t?) she was the poorest SPELL
err in the school, and her formation of
words would Brighten the portrait of Noah
Webster from the title page of his first
| book. Blu then s he was the handsomest
| girl in school her cheeks were as red as
a Baldwin apple, and her curs, which had
been deliberately twisted around hot po-
ker, were natural, and besides that, she a
greed to 90 home from all the singing
schools for a month ahead with u.s. and
when we had stone bruise on cur heel in
summer who but she could tie q rag so ten
derby around the spot? So, we repeat, we
| chose her at once, and while she was trip
| ping to her place at our side the other lead
err rs if TO seek revenge and pay court to
Mars instead Of Venus. selected for his
-!rst choice the very best scholar in school,
a girl, who though homely as Blrnum's
"What Is It," could go through the spell
| ing book like lightning, and was as much
at home among words of seven syllabes as
those of two. Then the work commenced,
and the quota Of spelling was soon filled,
| though we must confess that our mind be
came slightly confused while holding sour
| girls" hand and choosing at the same
time. and our side was weak, mentally,
compared with tina. of Bill Jones.
| After order was obtained among the
| scholars, and those who were not in the
| list had brought their angry feelings un-
der subsection, "Old Jacket Duster," as
we termed our teacher, would pull out a
dogs cared copy of "Webster's Elemental
ry," whose fly leaves had long since as
cended heavenward in the shape of "spit
balls" and in a voice about three KEYS
higher than his ordinary Tone proceeded
to 'put out" the wo, ds alternately to the
two sides. The contest waxed warmer
| and down went all the "small fry" on the
simple words. We were only allowed one
trial, and the man who hestated was ire
vocably lost, until at last but half dozen
were left on our side. "Our" girl had
come near going down on the word coffee
(she always commenced it with "k'O but
we had set her Alright in whisper, though
B!ll Jones saw the prompting" and
would have informed the teacher, had he
not at that moment recei' ed a sumner in
the shape of "phthisic," which occupied
his mind to the exclusion of all else, but
which he would have mastered had not a
wad of chewed paper struck him at that in
slant in the mouth, and so affected his ut
terance as to lead the master to think he
had omitted one 'h" and he sat down swear
ing, and we had the satisfaction of seeing
his ears slapped with piece Of rubber for
his proximity. There were now five on the
other side. and six on ours, when the teach
or of the school took the floor and we saw
that there was blood in his eye the moment
he said, eve will now proceed to spell the
Bible proper names.
This exercise soon thinned our ranks.
Four Of the enemy and one of our forces
went down at one shot, on "Nebuchadnez-
Ear" "Our girl let go of our hand and
willed on Pharaoh" before we could in
form her whether it commenced with +'F'
or "P,' and finally we keeed over on the
simple word Isaac, and the champion was
SINAI boy Of ten years who wa named
after the son of Abraham, and the only
W I'd which he could spell was the ono
with which he won the day.
But the sorrows and troubles of our
youthful days never lasted long, and we
had soon forgotten our defeat in the hapni-
ness OF having the rosy-cheeked girl ali TO
ourself in the back end Of the sleigh. and
with the buffalo robes we had stolen 10 con-
ceal our faces, aud render unntelligible
me whispered words Of sympathy and af-
lection that we pour d in under The kiss
me quick" hood that covered her curls
Two nlttens held cur four hands, and the
few strong peppermint drops that we had
been boarding M for this occasion were
dull and tasleless compared TO the eondens-
ell extract Of sweetness that we darnply
sDalched from her lips when crossing the
bridge ON our way home. She said she had
forgotten that there were SO many bridges
In