The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-24
BETSY HAMILTON'S LETTER.
Betsy Continues the Experiences OF Her
School Days.
-iNMtd Constitution.

we fingered rs usual around the table
each having some anecdote or inciden
of school days to relate, when Cliff re
membered the unfinished letter. Let
see," said he, whether Cousin Bets,
went back to school or not. Where die
| leave of reading?" Where she wa
getting her spelling lesson with the bool
bottom upwards" said Fannie, land Pap
was explaining why she go: foot" "Yes
that was tho place-read on" said Mat
tic; and Cliff continued
On monday Pap he made me 20 back
to school. I'd druther he'd whouped
me. But he never riz his han to gimme
lick in his lif, aud l found out after.
wards that he had gin old Westfeld order
not to fetch the weight of hickry on
me at the resk of his life; and know in
reason must er needed n thousand
He KEEP me skeered up anyhow pintin i,
at me, and tried TO hide up all nv
devilment from him. I'D git the schol
ars all to giglin', then I'd look as solemn
as old brother Cole or old Arminty Pen.
dergrass at quarterly meetin' and he'd
never suspicion me. Sometimes he'd
pint at me and say 10 tothers: "Now
why can't you all behave like Betsy ?''
When | got thar that mornin' it was
books" 4uck as landed over in the
cefa6r IS gals ali got 10 whisperin', aud
that ;ine he C& .cS me, aud marched ne
out and sot me on the Ounce block. ]
had little thumb paper made out'n blue
and white paper plated like heart. l
watched when me wasn't lookin' and
helt it up so all the school could see it,
and they all let in TO maxim signs for
me to gin it to them. Sam Dave Thomp.
son had axed me for it on q Friday.
Lowed he wanted it bekase it was nv
heart, and Jake Lofts he begged mo for
it. That WAS the fust time Ky Robertson
had saw it. He writ on a paper and
wndded it up like ball, and wien "old
ingon-head" looked tother way he flung
it over in my lap. ontwisted 1t and
read: "fu air mi swete hart; gin me
that putty and doan gin it to Sam Dave"
Jes then old Westfield (he's got eyes in
the back of his head) lowed "Fetch
that paper here to me-" crammed 1t
III my mouth and chawed it fast as /
could, -.ni looked way out yauder at the
trees. Come here to me this minute"
says he. l marched up to him. "Coms
here what am TO do with your Why
didn't you bring ME that paper 2" "Here
it is," says /, takin' the little wet wad
outn my mouth and handin' it mt him,
He was plum out done, and lowed he was
a gwine to make Pap frail me good for
the way I'D been gwine on. Now, II
he had said Nav mought have been
skecred, but long as it was Pap | was
satisfied. l went back to my seat and
chawed my swee'gun and made birds on
my slate, and done everything cep: git
my lesson and let tothcrs git thern. That
was turrible day to old man Wes.field ;
every last chap in school jes tried they.
selves to see how much they could tor.
mcnt and aggervate him. The littlest
boys was tho tormontinest. Thomas
Jefferson Bonaparte Lofts was the lit.
tlest boy in shool, and he didn't want to
whoup him 80 he made hin. stand clost
up in the corner with his face to the wall,
lie stood thar and snubbed while then
he jerked off splinters and gouged out
the chinkin from betwixt the logs and
spit through the cracks. He pulled off a
piece of bark and hollered out loud, "Oh
! got you; oh, got YOU" and he had
ketched q great big bess bug and was
holdin' it up high. "Oh, got him."
What do you mean 2" says the old man,
making such fuss. Throw that bug
down this minute" 81 don't wants to
fling him down." says no, "mammy she
wants him to k'yore her year ache. Oh
YES, Mr.. Bug, got you. Ycu can't
crawl twixt them logs no more, so YOU
can't. Mammy's gwine to bust you wide
open and drap your blood in her year.
Oh! yes, Mr.. Bug, got you :" and he
talked on right while old Westfield was
tellin' him to hush up his mouth. Then
he called up little Malissy Lofts with
her fust reader. She had to spell her
words. He told her when sho come to
two o's to say double o, and two e's to
say double Q. Remember when you
cone to twa OF anything to say double y
SO she was readin' about "Up, up, Lucy,
etc" and when she seed the two ups,
she said, double up, Lucy" and the
whole school doubled up q laughin'.
He KEEP Julie Gickersoa in for nussin her
book in her lap. Hc :hrashed fust one
then totn.r OF tho boys all that day. II
was a "gitti2' out loud" school. You
could hear 'em d huzzia' mile fore you
got thar. He got SO bum puzzled be
tried to make 'em hush and study to
theyselves, but they'd forgit theyselves
and go to sayin' it out loud agin, and
that KEEP him mad all the time. At din
ner time two little gals liken to or got
into fight over their dinner buckets.
Ono of en- lowed "Don't put your ham
in my dinner bucket, for you've got the
measles" She got awful mad and in.
suited like, and lowed: ~ haint got nc
measels no sich a thing. thank you It's
the each I've got, thank you" Old
Nick peared to be 10 some Of the boys
Two or three of the boys fit and fit lei
they was bloody as beef. Jeff Wiggins
was too big cry baby to fight. He
come snuhbin' and cryin' like he wa,
kilt. "Mr. Westfield, Nath Hooker he
called me out'n my name. lie called
me a bowlegged mud tarripin, so he did
and wasn't doin' nothin' tall to hin
-oo-hoo-hoo-and Pm gwine to tel
my Nav. too now, 80 am," shakin' anG
noddin' Of his head. And that was the
same day Ky Robertson got into sich {
| turrible scrape. He struck old West
field whalin' lick on the back of BIZ
head and sent him whirlin' over in thu
middle of the floor. You see he didn'
60 10 do it. The old feller was al
doubled up in his cheer figgerin' out {
sum OH the slate for ky, and ky he wa,
standin' behind him a facin' tothe
scholars, and doublin' up his fist lik'
he WAS gwine to hit old Westfield OF
the head, aud we'uns was all putty nigt
dyin' a laughin'. He KEEP on q strikin
at it, every time gittin' a little bi
closter, and little bit closter. We'unl
was all whisperin' and laughin' filter
to choke, when Julie Dickerson (she'
allsra gigglin' Quit snickered out ant
stuck her head down on tho bench Il
play as it wasn't her: and list then til,