The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-24
BETSY HAMILTOS'S LETTER.
Betsy Continues the Experiences of Hcr
School Days.
.it2nutu Constitution,

.4Anata Constitution.
LAZY FARM, Ala, 1SS4.-After te.
we fingered as 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 Betsy
went back to school or not. Where die
1 leave off reading ?" "Where she wa.
getting her spelling lesson with the bool
bottom upwards" said Fannie, land Pap
was explaining why she got foot" "Yes
that was the place-read on" said Mat
tie; and Cliff continued
On monday Pap he made me go back
to school. I'd druther he'd a whouped
me. But he never riz his han to gimme
lick in his lif, and | found out after.
wards that he had gin old West6eld orders
not to fetch the weight of hickry on
me at the resk of his life; and l know in
reason / must er needed thousand.
He KEEP me skeered up anyhow pintin' it
at me, aud I tried to hide up all my
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 to tothers: "Now,
why can't you all behave like Betsy"
When | got thar that mornin' it was
'books." Quick as I landed over in the
corner we gals all got to whisperin', and
that time he cotch me, and marched Inc
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 he 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 a Friday.
Lowed he wanted it bekase it was my
heart, and Jake LOFTS he begged me for
it. That was the fust time Ky Robertson
had saw it. He writ on a paper and
wadded it up like a ball, and when "old
ingon-head" looked tother way he flung
it over in my lap. I ontwisted it and
read: "Yu air mi swete hart; gin me
that putty and doan gin it to Sam Dave"
Jes then old Westfeld (he's got eyes in
the back of his head) lowed "Fetch
that paper here to me-" / crammed it
in my mouth and chawed it fast as I
could, and looked way out yauder at the
trees. Come here to me this minute" !"
says he. l marched up to him. "Come
uere what am 1 to do with you? Why
didn't you bring me that paper ?" "Here
it is," says I, takin' the little wet wad
out'n my mouth and handin' it at 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, if
be had said Nav l mought have been
skeered, but long as it was Pap / was
satisfied. l went back to my seat and
chawed my swee'gum and made birds on
my slate, and done everything cept git
my lesson and let tothers git thern. That
was turrible day to old man Wes.feld !;
every last chap in school jcs tried they
selves to see how much the ''ld tor
ment and aggervate him. Inc littlest
boys was the tormentinest. Thomas
Jefferson Bonaparte Lofts was the lit
tlest boy in shool, and he didn't want to
whoup him so he made him stand clost
up in the corner with his face to the wall.
He stood thar and snubbed while then
be 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 a great big bess bug and was
holdin' it up high. ooh, got him"
"What do you mean ?" says the old man,
making such fuss. Throw that bug
down this minute" 81 don't wants to
fling him down." says he, nanny she
wants him to k'yore her year ache. OH
yes, Mr.. Bug, I got you. You can't
crawl twixt them logs no more, so you
can't. Mamny's gwine to bust you wide
open and drap your blood in her year.
Oh! yes, Mr.. Bug, l got you;" and he
talked on right while old West6eld 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 she come to
two o's to say double o, and two els to
say double e. Remember when you
come to two OF anything to say double :"
SO she was readin' about cup, up, Lucy,
etc." and when she seed the two ups,
she said, double up, Lucy" and the
whole school doubled up a laughin'.
He KEEP Julie Dickerson in for nussin her
book in her lap. He thrashed fust one
then tother of the boys all that day. 1t
was a "gittin' out loud" school. You
could hear 'em buzzia' q milo fore you
got thar. He got SO bum puzzled be
tried to make Iem hush and study to
tbeyselyes, but they'd forgit theyselves
aud go to sayin' it out loud agin, and
that KEEP him mad all the time. AT din
ner time two little gals liken to er got
into fight over their dinner buckets.
One 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: 81 haint got no
measels no sich thing, thank you it's
the each I've got, thank you" Old
Nick peared to be ia some of the boys.
Two or three of the boys fit and fit tel
they was bloody as beef. Jeff Virgins
was too big a cry baby to fight. He
come snnbbin' and cryin' like be was
kilt. "Mr. West6eld, Nath Hooker be
called me out'n my name. lie called
me bowIegged mud tarripin, so he did,:
and wasn't doin' nothin' tall to him
oo-hoo-hoo- Pm gwine to tell
my Nav, too now, so am," shakin' and
noddin' of his head. And that was the
same day ky Robertson got into sich a
turrible scrape. He struck old West
field a whalin lick on the back of his
head and sent him whirlin' over in the
middle of the floor. You see he didn't
20 to do it. The old TELLER was all
doubled up in his cheer iggerin' out a
sum on the slate for Ky, and ky he was
standin' behind him a facin' tother
scholars, and doublin' up his fist like
he was a gwine to hit old Westiield on
the head, and we'uns was all putty nigh
dyin' a laughin'. lie KEEP on strlkln'
at it, every time gittin' a little bit
closter, and little bit closter. We'uns
IA