Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-02-22
" Spelling Down."
From the TitusviIle Herald.


city, on their way to "spelling match"
in the school-house of a neighboring
district, and the jingling bells and the
merry laughter of the young folks made
us forgotten season that we had passed
the forenoon of life, and we joined the
happy throng in Imagination, and were
back again among the scenes of years
ago, when cares were few and the great
est sorrow of our life was to be COM
PEELED to stay away from spelling or
singing-school to get our boots tapped,
and know that Bill Jones" would go
home with our girl after the exercise of
the evening was ended.
Is there an individual living who
does not at times brush the cobwebs
away from his pictures of the past, and
revert fondly to the scenes Of his
youth If 80, let him be known,
though we do not believe in the I'M
manly 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 SPELL
ing schools-the old fashioned kind,
held in the winter evenings in our own
or neighboring school houses. The lat
ter, however, were looked forward to
with more pleasure, as the usual mono
tony of the occasion was relieved by the
excitement of the meeting q foreign
foe, and the fun of ride under the buff
falo robes to the field of contest.
How big" we used to feel when in a
solemn manner the schoolmaster would
step up on the rostrum, and after eras-
ing all traces of the days arithmetical
exercises upon the black. board, that
our minds might not wander from the
evenings work, sing out in a we'll re-
membered voice, cross between dea
cons and heavy tragedian'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 interven-
ed while the two pedagogues drew cuts
to see who should have the first choice,
preparatory to selecting the chosen two
dozen who were to try and spell each
other down.
If the leader of the "other side" hap
| pened to be rival of ours in the suit
for smiles from the rosy-cheeked girl
| who apparently had no thought for
anything save the apple she was slyly
| eating behind the stove, the excitement
was doubly great, until it was decided
that zoe Just think of it y 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 corner of the
room, where the line of photographed
battle was to be formed Of course the
| first name called was that of our sweet
heart, though Unjust we say it p she was
the poorest speller in the school, and her
formation of words would frighten the
| portrait of old Noah Webster from the
title-page of his first book. But then
she was the handsomest girl in the
school; her cheeks we're as red as q
Baldwin apple, and her curls, which had
been elaborately twisted around a hot
poker, were natural, and besides that,
she had agreed &c 10 home from all the
singing schools month ahead with us
and when we had stone bruise on our
heel in summer, who but she could tie
a rag SO tenderly round the spot! So,
we repeat it, we chose her at once, and
| "AAAO oAAO was eAlpPAuS W AcI place al
our side the other leader, as if to seek
revenge and pay court of Mars instead
of Venus, selected for his first choice
the very best scholar in school, a CIR
who, though homely as Barnum',
What is It," could go through tn,
spelling book like lightning, and wa
as much home among words of sever
syllables as those of two. Then the worl
commenced, and the quota of spellin,
was soon filed, though we much con
fess that our mind became slightly con
fused while holding "our girls" hane
and choosing at the same time, and GU
side was weak, mentally, compared witt
that of Bill Jones.
After order was obtained among tn
scholars, and those who were not in tn
list had brought their angry feeling
under subsection, "Old Jacket Buster,
as we termed our teacher, would pull on
a dog's-eared copy of "Webster's Ele
mentary," whose fly-leaves had lon
since assembled heavenward in the form
OF "spit-balls," and in voice abou
) three keys higher than his ordinar
tone, proceeded to "put OUT the word
; alternately to the two sides. The cor
test waxed warmer, and down went al
the "small fry on the more simpl
words. We were only allowed one tria
and the man who hesitated was irreve
cably lost, until at last only half doze
were left on a side. "Our girl'' ha.
come near going down on the word "Co
fee she always commenced with
"K" but we had set her right in viii
: per, though Bill Jones saw the promp
ing, and would have informed th
teacher had he not at that moment r,
! ceived sumner in the shape {
"phthisic," which occupied his mind /
the exclusion of all else, but which b
}, would have mastered had not wa
}, OF chewed paper struck him at that il
+ slant in the month, and so affected h
: utterance as to lead the master to thin
: he had omitted one "h'' and he S,
|. down swearing, and we had che sat-
q faction of seeing his ears skipped with
/ piece of rubber for his profanity. Thel
$ were now five on the other side and 81
y on ours, when the teacher
u the other school took the floor and '
. saw that there was blood in his e,
Il the monant ha ooi6 xue xxy;l 49, -