The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-11-06
The Spelling Bee at Angels.
REroRTED by rRurHruL JAMES.


hear yarn from me.
/ kin not sling fairy tale Of Jinny's fierce and
wild,
For hold it unchristian to deceive simple
child;
Bnt as from school yer driftin' by thowt ye'd
like to hear
OF "spellin' Bee Mt Angels that we organ
lied last year.
1t warnt made up Of gentle kds--of pretty
kids-like you,
But gents ez he'd their regular growth, and
some enough for two.
There woz Lanky Jim of Suffers Fork and
Bllson of Lagrange,
And Pistol Bob, who wore that day knife
by way OF change.
You start, you little kids, you think these are
not pretty namep,
But each had man behind it, and-my name
is Truthful James.
Thar was Poker Dick from Whisky Flat and
Smith of Shooters Bend,
And Brown of Calsveras-which 1 want no
better friend.
Three-hngered Jack-y yes, pretty dears-three
fngers-you have five.
ClIpp cut of two-it's. sing'lar too, that Clapp
amt now alive.
Twas very wrong, indeed, my dears, and
Clapp was much to blame
Likewise was Jack, in after years, for shootin
OF that same.
The nights were kinder lengthenin out, the
rains had jest begun,
When all the camp came up to Petes to have
their usual fun;
But we all sot kinder sad-like around the bar
room stove
Till Smith got up, permisskiss-like and this
remark he hove:
'Thar's new game down in Frisco, tlfet eE
far ez l can see
Beats euchre, poker and van toon they calls
the 'spellin' Bee'"
Then Brown OF Calaveras simply hitched his
chair and spake:
Poker ia good enough for me-" and Lanky
Jim sez, "Shake ("
Aud Bob allowed he warn't proud, but he
"must say right thar
That the man who tackled euchre he'd his edu-
cation SPAR"
This brought up Lsnny Fairctild, the school
master, who said,
He knew the game and he would give instruc-
tions on that head.
" For instance, take some simple word" sez
he, " like separate,
Now who oan spell :" Dog my skin, of thar
was one in eight
This set they boys all wild at once. The chairs
was put in row,
And AZ tha haad vaa To Nv Tim - A.
foot was Joe,
And high upon the ~ itself the school-mas-
ter was raised,
Aud the bar-keep put his glasses down, and
sat and silent gazed.
The first word out was "parallel," and seven
let it be,
TIL ice waltzed in HIS double 81 betwixt the
"a" and "e";
For, since he drilled them Me1icans in San
Jacinto's fight,
Tdar warn't no prouder man got up than Pistol
Joe that night
Till "rhythm camel He tried to SMILE
then said, they had him there"
And Lanky Jim, with one long stride got up
and took his chair
On little kids my pretty kids, twas touching
to survey
Those bearded men, with weppings on, like
school boys at their play.
They'd laugh with glee, and shout to see each
other lead the van,
And Bob sat up as monitor with cue for a
rattan,
Till the chair gave " incinerate," and Brown
said he'd be durDad
II any such blamed word as that in school was
ever learned.
When "phthisis came they all sprang up
and vowed the man who rung
Another blamed Greek word on them be taken
out and hung.
AS they sat down again saw in Bilson's eye
fash,
And Brown of Calaveras was a-twisting his
mustache,
Aud when at last Brown slipped on "gneiss
and Bilson took his chair,
He dropped some casual words about some
folks who dyed their hair.
And then the Chair grew very white, and the
Chair said he'd adjourn,
But Poker Dick remarked that he would wait
and get his turn
Then with a tremblin voice and hand, and
with wanderin eye,
The Chairnex ogered "eder duck, and Dick
began with "I",
And Bilson smiled - then Bilson shrieked
just how the fight begun
never knowed, for Bilson dropped and Dick
he moved up one
Then certain gents arose and said " they'd bus
mess down in camp"
And " ez the road was rather dark and ez the
night was damp,
They'd"--here got up Three-hngered Jack