The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-02-13
drop then. Everybody was half
crazy with excitement.

drop then. Everybody was hall
crazy with excitement.
"Old Squire Hepner did rot move
a muscle. He had the money, five
gold fve-dollar pieces, in a fancy
purse, and was to give them himself
to the winner.
at seems to me that that poor
crippled boy got help from on high
that night. | never saw anything
like it At first he was so shy that
his voice almost trembled but when
he and his cousin he had never spoke
to, stood up there alone, and his
fierce old uncle glarsd SO contempt
uously at him, the little fellow rails
ed himself to his full height, and
from that moment never finch
ed.
His large eyes glistened, and he
threw back his head and looking
boldly at his uncle and spelled his
words in loud clear tone that fair
ly took peoples breaths a.
way.
His mother had quietly slipped
through the crowd and had taken
a seat behind him; and those that
sat near her said she got one of his
hands in hers and held it, while the
tears streamed down her face.
The two spelled against each
other for a full half hour and all
the time poor Harriet was as white
as sheet, and / could see that she
was tremblin' from head to
foot
cat last the teacher gave the word
'tyrannously." Harriet spelled the
first syllable, then stopped and stam-
mered, looked imploringly at her
father, and then trembling went on
and spelled it with one n
How did you spell it Harriet ?
Did YOU have only
Squire Hepner had been looking
on spelling, book, too. Now he
turned sharply around to the master
and in his hardest, coolest voice,
said:
She missed it, sir. Pass it to the
next"
Sam spelled it without hesitating
an instant.
"You could have heard pin drop
in that room. 1t was still as death
Harriet dropped into l.cr seat and
buried her face in her hand. Squire
Hepner's face never changed, With
out word he rose, reached out his
long arm, beckoned for Sam to come
to him, and then dropped into the
lads outstretched hand the purse.
Turning and facing the breathless
people, he said:
Il want you all to know that |
think this has been a fare and square
match, and my nephe,c deserves the
prize"
Without further words he took |
his hat and marched out of the |
house"
We'll, the Red Haw people act
ually carried Sam home on their |
with Mis- Waited close /
behind cryin' as if her heart would |
break with JOY and nervousness.
But she had on a long, warm shawl |
that | saw Mis- Squire Hepner throw
over her as she stepped out of the |
door.
One of my sisters went home
with the Hepners that night, and she |
said that Harriet cried all the way
nome, and was in mortal terror at
he thought of meetin' her father.
She stopped on the doorstep a long
while. and when she did finally step
nto the room, tremblin' and fairly
her father, who was sittin'
With his head between his hands be-
ore the fire, got up and walked over
o her and actually kissed her there
,eiore them all. Then he went off
o bed without a word.
But what followed was better
till. The next day the Squire took
lis big sled, put in lots of hay and
lankets, and drove off like Nimshi
imself to his sisters. No one even
new what happened there, but it
nded in Mis- Waitely and all
be children going home with the
squire.
He declared that it was an hon
r to know a boy that could spell {
Ike Sam. They say he had that 9
oy spell the dictionary halfthrough
nat day, and fairly hugged him
hen he spelled correctly the longest
ord in it.
The Squire was the strongest {
ian on the subject of spellin' that c
yer | heard of. Nothin' but Sans t
nowin' how to spell so well ever t
1ftened his heart towards his sister
nd her children. And nothin'
leased him more than to have Sam
nd Harriet spell against each other ,
II hours at a stretch"
Z