Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-20


Mr.. Ashe. With that he consulted hi.
roll, and gave out the first word, "hippo
potamus," and the strife commenced.
'Twere vain to tell what steeds gave DER
As swept the fight
over the photographed plain; how an
elderly youth of some sixty summers.
with preconceived theory as to the word
Indian, ;" which he rendered thus: "T-n-
JUN" was the first victim, and tiny
girl of six the second; how aneurism''
slew its thousands, phlebotomy' It's
tens of thousands; how May Martin fell
victim to "caries," and Augustus Brown
was borne off protesting that sappella-
ton" had but one in it. Traps and pit
falls abounded. Slowly the ranks thinned ;
the vanquished, findingwhat comfort they
could in numbers, lined the wings, ap-
plaudlng and jeering their late comrades.
At last Mary Alger was left the only girl,
opposed to three boys, of whom Ray was
one. Five minutes, tent seemed as
though neither of the four would ever
miss. The excitement became intense.
lille g-g-i-b-le," spelled Mr.. John
Beach
Wrong" said Mr.. Ashe; and John,
creshallen, creaked his way off the stage.
Each of the three competitors now left was
| sure of a prize. The question was which
prize?
Mr.. Ashe had exhausted his roll and
produced from his pocket a deadly little
volume, full Of what sportsman would
call "croppers." Aha! Owen Bryerly
tripped up. The word benzoin" proved
too much for him. Only Ray and Mary
were left. The audience held its breath
as first one and then the other triumphant
| ly surmounted words which sounded fatal
| ly difficult to less instructed ears
1t is at such crises as these that manly
nerves win the day. Out of the corner of
his eye Ray saw the flush rise and deepen
on Mary's cheeks and her fingers clasp
| and pinch each other. She was getting
| tiustereG; in another moment she would
blunder. Suddenly a generous impulse
| took possession of him. She cared so
very much for this plaster thing! Why
not for once give in and be content to
come out second? 1t all passed through
his mind in a flash and his resolution was
| taken.
Pentateuch," gave out Mr.. Ashe.
To the unbounded establishment of the
audience Ray Pelham rose and spelled the
word thus: "P-e-n-t-a-y-t-u-k-e."
There was rear of laughter, in which
every one Joined except the bewildered
Mary Her wonderment lasted but mo-
ment, chased by triumph and pleasure.
Mr.. Ashe placed the Union Refugees"
in her arms; the boys and girls crowded
round her
I'm real glad, Mary" said Ray,
heartily.
Z" Are you, Ray? That's good of you,''
she said. Her cheeks were flushed with
excitement, her eyes sparkled becoming
| ly. Several old ladies went home de-
| claring that really, now, Mary Alger
was most a handsome girl She looked
| as pretty as a pink with them figgers in
her arms. 1t was a pity she was so dull
and stuck-up, for she wasn't so bad-look-
ing, after ALL" Ray was of their opinion,
only he didn't agree with them as to the
I" stuck-up."
That evening of the spelllng-match
dated a change in Mary's life She did
not know how it was, but people seemed
kinder and life easier and the world
| pleasanter from that time on. Were the
boys and girls really more friendly? Did
the sun shine more than it used to
Were lessons easier and was her own shy
! stiffness more manageable? Or was it
| that Ray, with his frank face and good
natured ways, seemed to turn up at her
side everywhere, doing things for her, ex-
planning, cheering, bringing her, as it
were, en- rapport with herselfand with other
people? do not know; Mary could not
have explained; but Something must have
been at the bottom of this altered world
with its pleasant chain of sequences; and
certain Il is that in the course of a few
months she and Ray grew to be great
| friends
No more spelling matches were held in
! Duxbury, but the memory Of this famous
evening did not die, and Ray had to bear
| frequent references to his blunder. Bows
who envied or did not like him, or who
were temporarily disafected with some
thing said or done, were apt to soothe
their souls by dragging the word Pen
taytuke" into the conversation Ray
bore these small shafts philosophically
his friends felt them more keenly.
Z" How did you come to make that
plaguy mistaken" Indignantly demanded
Harry Plat one day, dragging him off
under cover of the woods which bordered
the ten acre lot they were moving. ct
rifles me like anything. There's that lit
tie whippy-snappy Jack Pomeroy always
atyou with Pentaytuke' in his teeth. How
did it happen, Ray? You're the best spell
er Of us all"
Easy enough to make mistake re-
piled Ray, whipping MULLEN from its
stalk with blow of his scythe
g Pshaw! not mistake like that. WHY,