American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-04-24
Danbury Spelling.

AS impromptu spelling school was in
augurated in Merril's grocery Saturday
evening. A young man who last winter
aided Mr.. Couch in the management of
the North Center School conducted the
class. The first word he gave out was
Indian.
The first man said: ain in, din
Indin."
The teacher shook his head "Well, 1
declare, l thot had it," said the speller
with keen disappointment; but he picked
up when the second man started and
eyed him with considerable anxiety.
| The next man, with desperate earnest
ness said: "I-n in, de de, indie, u-n, I'm
-Indeun."
Then he sighed and gazed anxiously at
the teacher while an old party at the
end of the bench, who was watching the
efforts with derislve amusement, turned
| the quid in his mouth and said:
"You amt within rod ont; but go
| on; let's some more try"
The teacher told the second speller
that he also had failed, whereupon he
sighed again
Then the third man took hold. He
| squared himself upon his seat and hold
ing up one finger licked off the letters
with becoming solemnity, as follows:
Z" In in, d-d-d-a da, INDIA, in in-Indain.
The old party on the end of the bench
who had been lettering on the precipice
of laugh while this effort was being put
| forth snickered right out in loud guf-
faw at it's conclusion.
| "Well, that's spell for you, must
say" And then he laughed again. The
speller said nothing, but he grew very
red in the face when his failure was an
nounced, and cast baleful glance to
the old party whose turn had come, and
who said:
"And now I'll tackle that little word"
and he smiled all over his face, while
his eyes twinkled with merri ment, and,
looking sideways from one to the other,
he rapidly spelled
| His smile deepened into broad grin
as he watched the fhagrin flush to the
countenances of the other spoilers, who
had been misled all the time on a wrong
pronunciation of the word. He was
grinning with all his might when the
teacher said:
"You amt got the right word"
"Wh-ah-ot?" and Re bore down on the
brazen- faced youth look calculated to
freeze him to the bone.
"Indian is the word. There is no such
word as Ingin," said the teacher.
"Oh, there isn't, hey,'' (sarcastically;;ll
You know, of course. You know all
about it. You pimply--"
" But, my dear sir, E"
You needn't apologize to me-" shout
ed the old party, stamping the floor with
his cane. :" who be you, anyway, put
ting on your airs about me? could
twist your scrawny neck of of you in
two minutes, you white-livered puppy,
you"
But, my dear sir, let me Elk"
at isn't Injin, is it?" ground out the
old chap between his teeth. " It's some
thin else, suppose. o yes! you know,
of course And nice one you are with
your dedication. Why don't your roth,
err send back them apples she borrowed
"a month ago." and he looked arou al the
store with triumphant glare of sar-
casm.
" But just hear me"
Hear you'll Who are you, anyway!
What's your father? Whens he drawed
a sober breath, | should like to know
| An where's your smart brother, Benz In
prism somewhere, I'll be bound. Oh,
know yer hull family like book. And
n wuss lot than they are can't be found
in this neighborhood, and you just put
that i'll your pipe and smoke it, you eyre
| gious ass. Talk to me about speliin',
and the old man stamped his cane again,
and stalked passionately out of the store.
The lesson was then postponed. -Daa-
bury Neoos.
| The coal area of the United States is
scctioned off in square miles about rs
follows: Illinois largest of alD, 10 oon
Missouri basin, 26,SS7; Iowa, lsooo'
Kansas, II 900; West Nireinia section
10000; Ohio section, 10000; East Ken
lucky section 1893; Pennsylvania see
ton, II 500; Pennsylvania anthracite,
472; New England basin, 800; Maryland
section. $50; Tennessee, 300: Alabami,
), $50; Indiana, $40; West Kentucky,
$50; Texas. 1900; Michigan basin, g.
700; Nebraska, 5000; Arkansas, 3ol3;
Virginia, 1S5, and North Carolina, BIO
The great bulk of the general coal de
post is the common soft or bituminonS
coal the exception being the semi-bltu,
minous, the anthracite and the camel
coal found largely in the Kanawha coal
fields of West Virginia