Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-05-22
SPELLING INDIAN"

An lmprOmptu SpelInS ScHOol Wuh
inaugurated in Merrills grocery one Sat
urday evening. A young man, who,
last winter, aided Mr. Couch in the
management Of the North Centre school,
conducting the class. The first word
he gave out was Indian.
The first man said elm, in, din,
din--Indin."
The teacher shook his head. Well
1 declare I thot I had it," said the
speller, with keen disappointment; but
he picked up when the second man
started, and eyed him with considera-
BILE anxiety.
The next man, with desperate earn
estness, said, In, in, de, de, u-n,-
Indeun."
Then he sighed and gazed anxiously
at the teacher, while the old party at
the end of the bench, who was watching
the efforts with derisive amusement,
turned the quid in his mouth, end said
"You amt in a rod ont; but go on ;
let's su more try"
The teacher told the second speller
that he also had failed, whereupon he
sighed again.
The third man took hold. He squared
himself upon his seat, and holding up
one finger ticked off the letters with be-
coming solemnity, as follows: In, in,
d-d-d-a, do, in, in,-Indain."
The old party on the end of the
bench, who had been teetering on the
precipice of laugh while this effort
was being put forth, snickered right
out into loud guffaw at its conclusion.
. Well, that's spell for you, mus
say" And he laughed again. The
speller said nothing, but he grew red
in the face when his failure was an
nounced, and cast baneful glance at
TIE old party. whose .urn had now
come, and who said:
You people should keep away from
Ohio, you should And now I'll
tackle that little word" and he smiled
all oyer his face, and his eyes twinkled
with merriment, and looking sideways
from one door to the other, he rapidly
spelled
"I-n, in, gin, lngin."
His smile deepened into broad grin
as he watched the chagrin flush to the
countenance OF the other spoilers, who
had been misled all the time on wrong
pronunciation of the word. He was
grinning with oil his might when the
teacher said:
" You amt got the right word"
Wh-a-otW and he bore down on
the brazen-faced young man look cal
culated to freeze him to the bone.
Indian is the word. There is no
such word as Ingin, said the teacher.
80, there isn't (sarcasticallylp You
know, of course. You know all about
it you pimply-"
=" But my dear sir, T."
"You needn't apologize to me"
shouted s1o .t the e.; old party stamping sSnap The
anyway, putting on your airs about me
] could twist your scrawny neck off of
you in two minutes, you white-livered
But my dear sir, lot me ex-''
"It isn't Ingin, is it," ground out
the old chap between his teeth. "It's
something else, I suppose. o, yes
you know of course. And q nice one
you with your eddication. Why don't
your mother send back them apples she
borrowed month ago ?" and he looked
around the torewith a triumphant glare
of sarcasm
"But just hear me-"
Hear you'll Who are you, anyway ?
What's your father; when's he drawed
sober breath, I'd like to know? And
where's your smart brother Benz In
prison somewhere, TIL be bound. O,
] know your hull family like book.
And q wuss lot than they are can't be
found in the neighborhood, and just
put that in your pipe and smoke it, you
egregious ass. Talk to me about
spellin;" and the old man, stamping
his cane again, stalked passionately out
OF the store. ..sa
The lesson was then nosfnnnad