The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-17
BETSY HAMI.T0N'S LETTER.
BETSY Tells VI Her Sc!,"nl Days.
.fHhdl 11ns:itpri"a.

DEAR Col,IN: Ome coil winter nigh
long time ago, we'uns WAS all seltin
round the fire roasln' sweet taters to ea
longer >immon beer and Pap he lowed
says he, Nav" "What," say. she
"F.f i, takes the last bottom dollar -ay.
he, I'm gwinc to gin Betsy 4 little book
larnin'.' "'Taint no Use" says she
You'd better lay out your money to
vitlles and clothes. i:ddica;ion is tn,
ruination Of some folks. Let EN- git 8
little Smatlcrn of books, and they hahn,
littcn for nolhin else on the face Of tho
yeth. You sc got that gal spilled to 'lcatI
now lie WAS sortcr tight that night
and Nav she. alters mad wien he's =
,lnkin'. .Ii>l then the dogs barkcl ard
somebody holIcrcd aud aNcd t" stay all
night and it WAS the ncw teacher. Mr.
Wr>llicId, Il hunlin' up scholars lie
bargained longer Pap Ia do some carIcn.
tiers work for him, and agreed To wait on
him for t'olhcr part 81 lils ray, and 81 on
Monday Pap hc,ont IL all three to school
me ard buddy and sister FIurrdy Ten.
nysy. Pap he went around the ,c"ir-
ment and hope him make up hi, ,chon!.
Some wanted lin ar'! some didn't.
iun'i have to make Il teacher and hand
him down from the skies to suit every.
body in this settlement: and then some
would find fault Of him. Some lowed he
Was two highfalu!iu and mought put big
notions in the chi!luns heads. Pap told
en- he'd better put big notions as none
at all for some OF the youngsters WAS n
CROWN up monstrous empty headed.
Old Miss Ereshours lowed She allcrs got
along mighty well without books herself,
and her chillun could do the same they
wasn't no bciter'n she was.
Well, she WAS right, they WASH Il bit
better and wasn't likely to be. Old man
LOTUS lowed he'd send Jake and git him
to larn him how to iigger a little, 50 as to
keep folks from chcaln him; but fur
rs lIis gals was cuu,arncd it would he jes
- lhrowin' money away for nothin'
Gals didn't need no schoulin no!low. lie
'lowe, he never had no schcnlIn in his
raiSin and he didn sce but he got along
about as well As your high larnt geog phy
and grammarnary, grammarnlclc sort ;
he had sense enough to count all the
money he could make, and that was as
fur rs he seed any Use in. Did Forman
lowed he wanted Maindy to 50 tel she
got stiifIick to teach, So she could
make the money back. Old Wesliield
was n big, fat, rcd-.aced, baId-hcaded,
old Iri,hman good hearted bat turribe
higI,-trmpercd. The scholars WAS
skccrrd Of him as death He'd jerk you
up in minute, boys and gals too, and
wear Il hickry out OF You.
It WAS Friday cTcnIn' and we gals had
been on the branch and 90; us Il big
chaw Of swcc'gum, and was jcs chawin'
hard as our avs could work, when he
Knocked on the door with his switch tpr
'bouks, and We flew in the house. Julie
Dickcr>on hainl satisfied lesson she's got
$umpcn in her mouth. Size eats chalk
and safe pencils, and drinks ink, and
her books alters looks like the rats had
had en- Yhar shes nibblcd oil the cor
ncrs. She rc,chcd over and begged us
for our .wcegum. please gimme a
chaw, SAYS she. "N[ine's sticky" says
|. wait tel get the stretch berries in
mine, and I'll gin you half Of it," says
Cindy Robertson. Lend me yourn,
Ursuly Ann; III gin it right back to
you at recess, says she. Il lent it to
Becky Jane; you can chaw it awhile
when she gifts done chawin' of it" says
she. And wc'uns Was all Il whisperin'
and in Il powerful gigglement. ! didn't
know marry word of my biz spellin' lesson.
The boys WAS Il ilingn' paper balls at us
and lookin t'othcr way like they
hadn't done nothin'. y mouse run across
the floor, and the whole school got to
gigylin'. Old Wesltield ,lumpcd his foot
and told us to hush and git our lessons
Ky Robertson he made Il doll out'n his
pocket han kcrcher and danced it on his
book and we gals snickcred out loud !;
then he said The iust one laughed ag;n
lie lowed To make EN- stand on one iuut
His heal, AS bald ~ the pan Of your
hand. AMI y, sick is y peeled ingon. and
we gals named him "ingon-hcad,' but
he never would cr knowc'i i. il it hadn't
Il been for Julie Dickcr>ou. ] 1rawcd
his pictur on my slate and passed it
around. Thing, is heap tunnicr in
time 0 books when you know you can
laugh. We all had our heads together
whisperiu' and most chokcd to laugh out.
Julie she hcIt in long as she could, and
then she Snckered and snnrtcd out. He
called her out in the middle of the floor
20 stand on one foot tel she could tell
what she was Il laughin' ut. She didn't
want to tell, so she stood, and stood tel
she couldn't keep tother foot up no
longer, aud then she up aud lowed: "Mr.
Wcsllield.." well, what is it - Betsy
Hamilton said" ard then she stopped
and looked at me and grinned, and let
her foot down. "Wcll, what did she say,
and what were you iaughin' at? Take
up your foot You might AS we'll tell,
for I'll make YOU stand there on one foot
all dag till you do tell, says old West:
field. Julie talks through her nose and
whine, her word, ont long. Betsy
lIamil-tGn. She "Well, what did
Betsy Hamilton do?' Betsy Hamilton
she lowed" still lookin' at me like
sue WIS shPcltl W XII WI hS' W S'''
out with t--what did Betsy Hamilton
say ~ The gals all begun to look skeercd, +,
and | lodged behind my speliin-book
to hide my face from Ky Robertson, for
vas sure she was q gwine To tell what |
said about Iky's years, sot ont on his
head like lie w:ls a tlappin' of em To fly J;
and / knowcd in reason he'd never want
To speak to me no more if she told that.
"uut with it /; out with it. can't wait
any longer. What did Betsy Hamilton
>;.s ~ why, Betsy Hamilton lowed
As how lowed as llnw-a, how your
head looked like a-a-a ingon, and
down come her tothcr foot on the floor,
and size tucked her head and >nickcred,
and tothcr- all laughed too; aud some
ot the boys ie> yelled. My face !nrned
rcd a. billed beet. anil my ,pc!'in book
WAS bottom up'asd-. ! riz from behind
i; and 'inw,! Il d;In'i. Come Lrre
To me this minute says h.. and tell
rle what you said. Come here, .c,I
van = rivrrr1 my face, with nv ,prliin :