The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-10-24
THE SPELLING-BEE ATANGBL'i
REPORTED BY TRUTHFUL JAMES.

THE SPELLLNG-BEE ATANGEL'S
AS REPORTED BY TRUTHFUL JAMES.
Waltz in, waltz in. ye little kids, and gathe
round my knee,
And drop them books and first notebooks
and hear yarn from me. ~
Kin not sling fairy tale OF Jinny's fierc'
and wild,
For hold It is unchristian TO deceive a sim
pie child;
But as from school yer driftin' by / tbow
ye'd Ike 20 hear,
OF a "spellin' Bee" at Angels that we or
ganized last year.
Hwarn't made up of gentle kids-of pretty
kids-like Won
But gents ez he'd their regular growth, ant
some enough for two.
There wOz LanKy Jim of Suffers Fork and
Bison 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 names,
But each had man behind it, and-my
name is Truthful j mes.
Thar was Poker Dick from whisky Flat and
Smith Of shooters Bend,
And Brown of Calaveras-which / want nc
better friend.
Three fingered Jack-yes, pretty dears-
three fngers-gOu have five.
Clapp cut on two-it's singular, too, that
bAAiB am I INV dlANts
Twas very wrong, indeed, my dears, and
Clapp was much TO blame;
Likewise was Jack, in after years, for 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 ali sOt kinder sad-like around the
bar rOom stove
Till Smith got up, Dermiskiss like, and this
remark he hove:
=" Thars a new game down in Frisco, that ez
Tar eZ kin 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, "Shakep
And Bob allowed he warn't proud, but he
"must say right thar
That the man who tackled euchre he'd his
education squar."
This brought up Lenny Fairchld,., the
school master, who said, EHt a
He knew the game, and he would give in
structions on that head.
4" For instance, take some simple word" SEE
he, like separate
Now who can spell III" Dog my skin, ef
thar was one in eight.
This set the 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 bar itself the school
master was raised,
And the bar keeper put his glasses down,
and sat and silent gazed.
The first word oat was parallel" and
seven let il be,
Till Joe Waited in his double az" betwixt
the "a" and "e"; ~
For. since he drilled them Mexicans in San
Jacinto fight,
Thar warn't no prouder man got up than
Pistol
Till rhythm" came lie 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'
to survey
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 cue for
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 j saw in BilSOn'S
eve flash,
And Brown of Calaveras was a-twistin' his
mustache,
And when at last Brown slipped on "gneiss"
and Bison took his chair,
lie 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 ana hand, and
with wanderin' eye
The Chair next offered "eider- duck ana
Dick began with 81"
And Bilssn smiled-then Bilson shriekedl
just how the fight begun,
/ never knewed, for Bison dropped and
Dick he moved up one.
Then certain gents arose and said, they'd
business down in camp"
And seq the road WAS rather dark, and ez
the night was damp,
THEY'D" = here got up Three fingered
Jack and locked the door and yelled:
Il No, not one mothers son goes out TIL that
thar word Is spelledn
But while the words were on his lips, ne
groaned and sank in pain,
And sank with Webster on his chest and
Worcester on his brain.
Below the bar lodged Poker Dick and tried
Was huntin' up authorities thet no one else
could see;
And Brown got down behiud the stove al
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 "O' "R"-"or'-and
he was dIagged away.
o, little kids, my pretty kids, down on your
knees and prayl
You've got your dedication in peaceful
sort of way:
And bear in mind thar may be shaIps eZ
sings their spellin' square,
But likewise sings their bowie knives
without 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 tibet
Spellin' Beel
He ceased and passed, that truthful man;
the children went their way
With duwncast heads and downcast hearts
but not to sport or play.
For when Mt eve the lamps were lit, and
supperless to bed
Each child was sent, with tasks undone and
lessons all unsaid,
No man might know the awful woe that
thrilled their youthful frames,
As tney dreamed of Angels Spelling Bee
and thought of Truthful James.
-Bret Harte, IN NoreBs6er Scri5Ber's.