National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-06
oRFHoaRAPHY,
Mrs. Hieks' spslling-natch-Nore Fun Than
Could be Found at an 0ld-faShiOnsd Quilt.

Mrs. Hioks' Spelling nstoh-Nore Fun Than
Could be Pound at an 0ld-faShiOnsd Quilt
ing.
ming at Mrs. Hicks, on Tenth street. All OF Mrs.
Hicks boarders were present, and Q delegation
from Mrs. Browns, over the way.
Mr.. Josiah Peck was pedagogue. Mr.. Peck is
small man, who observes the world from behind;
very red nose which, from continued polishing
and rubbing with handkerchief for the last
forty years. has come to shine as brightly aS the
bald spot Oh the back Of his head. -
The gentlemen present were mostly clerks, Whe
the day, and in the evening 70 about telling how
rich one Of their uneles was supposed to be. The
most noticeable OF these was young gentleman
sympathy Of all by his apparent loss OF control
over the facial muscles, which kept jerking and
mixing up his features In q hopeless manner. To
lugEed about an enormous club OF cane, which
he grasped tightly in the middle when walking,
slight ides Of The HSrcuiesn ViEor or bis arm
He wears his pants strapped over his boots, for
what purpose has never been seen; whether he Is
afraid that his pants might shr7el up or that his
boots might tunable on, or whether he has . dim
suspicion that hts limbs are in danger Of becom-
ing disjointed at the knees and dropping out
probably will never be known. Add to this o
stand-up collar and Q necktie with large yellow
spots, and you have l. Smith Hawkins, esq.
There were several old married couples who
pretended to understand the Jokes, and smiled in
. weary sort or way at Mr.. Peck's whImsiealities
There was one middle-aged man, In shabby coat,
Whe had been destined by Providence to correct
the errors that the Lord had made in the creation
of the world, and who kindly offered q complete
history OF every WORD that was spelled, and 70
its derivation, until the assembly came to regard
him as q perfect oracle, and little Mrs. Brown,
who has great trouble with her cooking arrange
ments, slipped up to him when she found chance
and timidly asked how much lard he would put in
dried-apple Die One couple from Browns, .
L. ka1
engaged, which seemed probable to those who saw
how tenderly he looked down upon her as he sat
on ths arm of the sofa, and how he. gradually
worked his arm around the back Of the sofa, as
that was as near as proprietY would allow him to
bring 1t to her waist.
There was young boy, with soapy hair and
in every Ody's way, who found an eXhaustless
supply Of amusement in slipping up behind per-
sons chair and hitting him sharp blow on the
spinal column, or giving his ear q wrench, and
then coming out and clapping his hands and
taking short littte jumps up and down to express
was playful, while the poor untortunates would
smile, and say that he was cunning boy, while
inwardly they wondered why people persisted in
taking children with them when they went out
calling.
Mr.. Peck, the pedagogue, sitting on piano
MIR. Hawkins, who pronounced it "velothipede,"
and said he bad never studied French and re-
fused to spell 1t. Then Mr.. Peck dealt out words
right and left looking over the top of his book at
HIS victims, and occasionally raising his eyebrows
by way of encouragement.
Mr.. Peck is considered to be a very funny man
by his immediate acquaintance, and following
the example Of all the pedagogues at previous
bees, be opened the sluice- gates of his wit, and
soon got every one to feeling perfectly satisfied
with himself and with the world. His friends
thought that he was giving them rare fun when
he asked slender Miss Williams to spell "bean-
pole" and when he asked the young gentleman
who was reported to be engaged to spell "mar.
rage" they took It fer the soul of humor, but
when he turned Immediately 70 the young lady,
and with q knowing wink and a very vigorous
rubbing Of the nose, asked her to spell "cradle,"
the young man Hawkins was carried away with
q series of inaudible chuckllngs, and had to go
out into the hall with q friend, while the young
lady blushed very red, and locked hard at q bun
ion bursting out Of Mr.. Peck's shoe, and the
young man tried to look uncoDcerned, and to re-
move his arm unobserved from behind the sofa.
1t is needless to say that the evening passed of
pleasantly, and that Mr.. Pecks wit was fully ap-
Preciated: Mrs. Hicks, in Mt OF generosity, had
the girl bring up basket OF apples and Mr..
johnson enticed the little soapy-haired boy out
into the hall, who after 9 few minutes whispered
conversation, put on his things and went out, and
oranges.
1t was decided to give up the contest, az there
was no dictionary in the house, and those who
missed Invariably appealed. The party broke up
the street to their home. The young man who
was reported to be engaged put on the young
lady Is shawl in the Vestibule, and when no one
during which she kept exclaiming "Oh, don't"
and threatening to tell his mother but she didn't
appear to have suffered mucn injury when the
rest of the party came out and found ner wiping
her mouth and casting reproachful glances at the
young man.
Finally, the contestants were all in bed, dream
ing Of wrestling with words with as many ioInts
in Them there are in the tail of the megathe-
rum, and winning whole handfuls OF dictionaries,
and having their names put In large type at the
head Of a column in the newspaper.