The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-11-13
The Spelling Bee ut Angels.

near yarn 1rOm 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 yed
like to hear
Ola "Spellin' Bee at Angels that we organ
lied last year.
II warn't made up Of gentle kids-of pretty
kids-like you,
But gents ez he'd their reglar growth, and
some enough for two.
There WOE Lanky Jim of Suffers Fork and
Bilson of Lagrange,
And Pistol Bob" who wore that day knife
by way Of change.
You stsrt, you little kids you think these are
not pretty names,
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 Calaveras-which I want no
better friend.
Three-fngered Jack-yes, pretty dears-three
fngers-you have five.
Clipp cut OF two--its Sill, lar too, that C!app
sin't now alive.
Twas very wrong, indeed, my dears, and
Clapp was much to blame;
Likewise was jack in afte, years, for shootin'
" OF that same.
The nights were kinder lengthenin' cut, the
rains had jest begun,
When all the camp came up to Pete's 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, thet ez
far Ell can see,
Beats euchre, poker and van.toon, they calls
the 'spellin' Bee.'"
Then Brown Of Calaveras simply hitched his
chair and spake:
"Poker is good enough for me-" and Lanky
Jim seq, shake"
And Bob allowed he warn't proud, but he
"must say right thar
That the man who tackled euchre he'd his edu-
cation sqar."
This brought up Lenny Fairctild, the school
master, who said,
He knew the game and be would give instruo-
tions on that head.
1s For instance, take some simple word" sez
he, "lke Separate
Now who can 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 at the head was Lanky Jim, and at the
foot was Joe,
And high upon the bsr itself the school-mas-
ter was raised,
And the bar-keep put his glasses down. and
sat and silent gazed.
The first word out was parallel" and seven
let it be,
TIL Joe waltzed in his double 81 "betwixt the
ga" and"e";
For, since he drilled them Me1icans in San
Jacinto's fight,
Thar warnt no prouder man got up than Pistol
Joe that night
Till rhythm" came! he tried to smile,
then said, I" they had him there"
And Lanky Jim, with one long stride got up
- aad took his chair.
Oh little kids! my pretty kids, twas touching
to survey
Those bearded men, with weppings on, like
school boys at theirp 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,
said he'd be burned
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,
And 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 tremblin' voice and hand, and
with wanderin' eye,
The Chairnext ogered "eider duck, and Dick
began with az,
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-fngered 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 and Wor-
cester 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 behind the stove allowin
be 8" was cold,"
TIL it upset and down his legs the cinders
freely rolled,
And several gents called Orderr' till il his
simple way
Poor Smith began with go" "R"-"or"-
and he was dragged away.
Oh, little dds, 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 slings
their spellin' square,
Z But likewise sings their bowie-knives without
thought or care
You wants to know the rest, my dears? That's
all In me you sec
The only gent that lived to tell about thet
Spellin' Beel
He ceased and passed, that truthful man the
children went their Eay