Sharp County record., 1878-11-14
THE SPELLING-BEE AT ANGRL'S
AsREpoRtEp BY TRUTHFUL JAMES.


For hold it is unchristian to deceive a sim
pie child;
But as from school yer driftin' by l thowt
ye'd like to hear,
OF Il "Spellin'- Bee" at Angels that we Or
ganized last year.
Ii Warn't made up OF gentle Klus-ol prctty
kids-like you,
But gents eZ he'd their reg lar growth, anu
some enough for two.
There woz Lanky jim of Suffers Fork and
Bilson of Lagrange,
And "Pistol Bob" who wore that uay
knife by way of change.
You start, you little kids, you thlhk Vhese
are nOtpretty names,
But each had a man behind IL, and-ny
name is Truthful ames.
Thar was Poker Dick from Whisky Flat and
Smith of shooters Bend,
And Brown of Calayeras-whlch want no
better friend. A.,
Three. fingered Jack-yes, pretty dears-
three tingers-yOu have five.
Clam cut off two-its singular, too, that
Ulapp amt now alive.
Twas very wrong, indeed, my uears, anu
Clapp was much to blame;
Likewise was Jack, in after years, ,tor shoot-
in of that same.
The nights was kinder lengthenin' out, the
rains had jest begun,
When all the camp came up to Pete's 10
have their usual fun;
But we all sot kinder sad-like around the
barre stove
Till smith got up, permiskiss like, and this
remark he hove:
' Thar's a new game down in Frisco, that ez
far ez | kin see,
Beats euchre, poker and Van-toon, they
calls the 'Spellin- Bee.'"
Then Brown, of Calaveras, simply hitched
his chair and spake
u Poker is good enough for me-" and Lanky
Jim seZ, "Shake!'
And Bob allowed he warnt proud, but ne
"must say right thar
That the man who tackled euchre he'd his
education squar."
This brought up Lenny Fairchild, the
school MASTER who said,
He knew the game, and he would give IN
structiOns on that head.
'' For instance, take some simple word," sez
he, "like SEPARATE
Now who can spell it?' Dog my skin, ct
thar was one in eight.
This set the boys all wild at once The
chairs was put in row,
And at the bead was Lanky Jim and at the
foot was Joe,
And high upon the bar itself the school
master was raised
And the bar keeper put his glasses down,
and sat and silent gazed.
The first word out was parallel" and
seven let it be,
Till Joe waltzed in his double opp betwiKt
the "a" and "e";
For, since he drilled them Mexicans in San
Jacinto fight,
Thar Warnt no prOuder man got up Chan
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
o little kids my pretty kids, twas touchin'
These 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 a cue for a
rattan,
Till the Chair gave out "incinerate," and
Brown said he'd be burned
If 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 L saw IN Busohs
eye a flash,
And Brown of Calaveras was a-twistin' his
mustache, .
and Bison took his chair,
He dropped some casual words about some
y az folllsswao 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 q tremblin' voice and hand, and
with a wanderin' eye
The Chair next offered "eider- duck" and
Dick began with 81"
And Bils0n smiled-then Bilson shrieked
just how the fight begun,
| never knewed, for Bilson dropped ana
Dick he moved up one.
Then certain gents arose and said, They'd
business down in camp"
And "ez the road was rather dark, and ez
the night was damp,
They'd" - here got up Three tngered
Jack and locked the door and yelled:
No, not one mothers son goes out till that
thar word is spelled"
But while the words were on his lips, he
groaned and sank in pain,
And sank with Webster on his chest ana
Worcester on his brain.
Below the bar lodged Poker Dick and tried
to look eZ he
Was huntin' up authorities thet no one else
could see;
And Brown got down behiud the stove al
lowin' lie twas cold,"
Till it upset and down his legs the cinders
freely rolled.
And several gents called "Order" till in
his simple way -....
Poor smith began with 80" "R"-"or"-and
he was dragged away.
o, little kids, my pretty kids, down on your
knees and pray!
You've got your eddication in peaceful
sort of way;
And bear in mind thar may be sharps ez
sings their spellin' square,
But likewise sings their bowie knives
without a thought or care
You wants to know the rest, my dears.
Thet's all In me you see
The only gent that lived to tell about thet
Spellin' Beel
He ceased and passed, that truthful man;
the children went their way
With downcast heads and downcast nearts
but not to sport or play.
For when at eve the lamps were lit, ana
supperless to bed
Each child was sent, with tasks undone and
lessons all unsaid,
No man might know the awful woe that