The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-01-19

shawls.
II had my first beau that night. His
name was Azraiel Whitehead, and of
all awkward boys he was the awkward
est. think l was the first girl he had
ever asked to accompany him to any
gatherin'. Anyhow, know he fell flat
on mis- back tryin' to help me out of the
sled, and he let me go head-first into
snow-bank.
II remember that his handkerchief
was wet with cinnamon drops, and that
he gave me ahandful of peppermint and
cloves.
Il remember, too, how we all of us
went ND and down hills and through
LONG white lanes, singin' and laughin'
at the top of our voices. We made the
old woods and the valleys ring. Yes,
and the sled upset. too, and we were all
thrown out in q ditch.
Il remember how the edge of the
wagon-boX caught my beau's big feet
under it, and thought I should cry
from modification when he lay there
and actually bawled and shifted 1
was so put out about it that wouldn't
sit by him after we got into the sled, or
speak to him afterwards.
"When we got to the school-house
we found it packed so full that we
could but Just crowd in. Young and
old were there, and some of the visitors
had come as far away as ten miles.
| Most everybody had brought a candle
to stick up on the logs. There we're
four different teachers there, and we'll
known spoilers from all over the t6anlA
ship.
"'Lecta Plumb and I chose up l
got first choice and took Harriet Hep
ner She was pale as death, and
looked nervous and frightened. 'Lecta
took Abimelech Abers, the leadin' spell
Ter from the Red Haw school, and l
took Cindy Patch, the best srellerf from
Jack Oak.
Then we chose everybody in the
room who would spell at all. | think
we had more than fifty on side. We
stood in long rows on both siles of the
house, against the wall, an( much to
my disgust, got my hair full of tallow
from a drippin' candle.
eve were about ready to commence
, spellin', and everybody hal become
quiet, when the people who sat near the
door made way for some ore who had
come late; and in come little Sam
! WaiteIy on his crutch, witbhiS mother
behind him, in q poor, TIN, patched,
i old and faded calico dress, and thin
cotton shawl, with Il fadedold red hood
on her head.
''She hadn't any gloves or mittens,
and | saw hole worn in her shoe as
she put her foot up on the stove-hearth.
"Sam as,then about fifteen years
old, but not as tall as some boys OF
nine years. He was very thinly dressed
for such a sharp night, md they had
! walked fully two miles.
Il felt sorry for them, they looked SC
pitiful in their shabbineis; for every
; body else in the schooLhouse was al
l least warmly dressed, AID agood many
had smart ribbons and hats and
: founced dresses.
cold Squire HepIer was sit
u tin in chair on the teacher
: platform, and I saw a dark frown OF
d his face when Mis- Wabely and San
It came in But | spoke up at once, anC
n TUX Sam on my side. 1t happened t.
I be my turn to choose, and | was bounC
!. the poor fellow should not be sighted
t'f IsW Els he 4, o a9Sla smell nrnnt
and gently push him; and then he hot
y bled down to the end of the line an
stood within q footof his Uncle Hepnel
! Then the spellin' commenced.
blush to tell it, but l actually misse
the very first word given to me, an
that was mermaid | spelled
muir, mer.' [ knew better, but wa
so nervous [ could not collect m
t thoughts. So [ had to take my seat
s and of course l had q little cry all t
e myself.
4 But [ nearly laughed so as to b
. heard all over the room when Azraie
: Whitehead missed goose He spelle,
| it 'guse, and he had told me in conf
| dence that he half expected to get tn
: prize, and had been studyin' his spelle
for weeks
, ''Electa missed 'emanate.' Sh
/ spelled it with an Il instead of an "a.
, ''Cindy Patch missed 'tranquillize.
l think she knew how to spell it, bu
she was excited because seven or eioh
had missed it before her. The Jacl
Oak scholars looked very sober wher
Cindy had to sit down.
'.But you ought to have seen ole
Squire Hepner's eyes twinkle and hi,
grim face look grimmer when Anime
lech Abers, the best Red Haw scholar
missed 'phytochimy,' and Harriet
spelled it without hesitation. 'Bime.
lech got confused, and thought the last
letter was 'e instead of ~
The Red How people did look NOR.
titled, and the Four Mile folks were
highly pleased, and showed it, too; fol-
all the best spoilers were out on both
sides, and only Harriet Hepner and five
or six others were left. Four of them
missed 'micaceous, and Harriet was
Just going to spell it, when Mis- Waite
ly, in scared, timid voice that could
just be heard, said:
"If you please, teacher, Sammy
hasn't spelled yet
Sammy stood down at the end of
the line and they had overlooked him.
But the teacher replied
$50 indeed! | thought he was down
long ago.
81 thought he said it sneeringly. and
he gave Sammy the word in q tone that
said plainly: You can't spell it, any
way
"But what did Sammy do but spell it
correctly, without the slightest hesita-