Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-04-28
Written for the Spirit of the Age.
The Spell.

evening Chas. P. Marsh, Esq, pro-
bounced the words and Rev. Mr..
Hicks, lRev. Mr.. Hewett, and Hon.
O. p. Chandler acted as Umpires.-
A goodly number participated, and
the contest was quite spirited. Ed.
Bailey, an enterprising young man,
determined to have prize, went for
the primer, and got it awarded to him
on the first round but Miss Carrie
Chapman, having her eye on that
primer too, "called FOUL and on ex-
animation it was adjudged that Bailey
had made q mistake and spelled his
word correctly. He thereupon gave
up his primer to the fair Carrie, and
again took his place in the class, to
find he had not only lost the coveted
prize, but had made q grand mistake
in his guardian" Mrs. Aikens, an
old lady of seventy years, saw all her
competitors but four 60 down, and only
succumbed when confronted with the
unusual word "schorlite." One healthy
speller, wanted to take his chestnut
with only one t, and when he couldn't,
said he didn't understand the word
Correct Mr.. Middleton. Young man
when you want to smoke with your
friend Munger, it will do to ask him
for his "clay," ''sweet brier,' 'laurel
root" and even fragrant Havana,
but never whisper ''meerschaum' in
Eds ear, unless you are willing to
come to grief. If any young lady
is looking with tender and longing
eyes on Will Campbell's life boat, she
must remember he is sure to be wreck
ed in the first 'maelstrom' he comes to.
Robert Southgate, a graduate Of the
U. V. NJ, ventured to end his phthisic
with az. 1t was an "unhealthy risk
but he didn't deny it, and paid the
forft promptly, as all good insurance
men do. Our French, County Clerk,
with great care, parted his hair in the
middle, and attempted to climb su-
mach but his record, heretofore pure
and stainless, this time showed "su-
mach" and Geo. B. wasn't happy
Miss Lucy Chapman was given seat
for spelling trochee with one G, which
to ordinary mortals, suggests old togy
ism among the judges. Ifthese faith
ers in law, and gospel, under the in.
huence of the bright eyes, and happy
faces, by which they were surround
ed. wandered away into the realms of
poesy, in search of ''trochee," they
must expect to abide the wrath Of the
far, but injured Lucy, and to be
haunted by the ghosts Of all the
Browns, hereafter, when a genuine
"troche' is used to repair their orator
ical Threats, A plucky editor, grasp
ed his STANDARD" and wrestled man.
fully with Sibyl. He ought to have
known better, the witch cast her spell,
the Standard went down, and Luther
o., retired, amid the cheers of the
audience, looking decidedly-Greene.
The genial McMaster, who through
countless Ages, has poured grape and
canister, solid shot and hot against all
forms of vice, whose sharp shooting
is well known and appreciated, and
whose courage has ever been un.
questioned, feeling little nervous
on the occasion, failed to steady his
in his "caisson," and he went down.
Perkins Of the Post, probably suspect
ing something besides post would
be necessary for him to lean on, in an
intellectual encounter, wisely avoided
the arena, armed himself with pencil,
hugely enjoying the discontinue of
his editorial brothers, quietly took
notes from behind a post, in the opt"
Querry-Isn't "Pottawattamie" synon-
ymous with pluck ? Charles r,
Montague, a man of books, came near
getting all his conceit kicked out Of
him by an innocent "heif; fer. The
word ''fnesse" took him down.
The first prize was awarded to Chas.
NJ. Marsh, son of Charles p, but
it was soon discovered that Miss
Mary Pinks, his best staying com.
petitor, a bright, and faithful type
setter in the Standard office, had been
retired on word, the pronunciation
Of which, was much more questionable
than the spelling, whereupon the
Judges decided the first prize-a
beautiful boquet-should, in fairness,
be presented by young Marsh to the
pretty Pinks. Correct, again. t
And now the writer of this re-
port wants a primer too, for the type