The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-07-02
The Time was q DRAWN Nigh TO-
the Examination, and Them IS
Had ChiIIun at School was
Nightly Consumed About
How They was a CWine
to Show OF.

The time was a Drawn nlgh lor the
examination, aud them as had chlllun al
school was mighty cGnsarned about how
they was a gwIne TO show Oft. la case
they all wanted thern TO do the best.
Mr. Westfeld had gin it out hat at the
resk of ketchin' the hickry they must NJ
fail to fetch up other examination compost
tions and speeches BY next Friday. reich
a composition, says he, ii 1t amt but
three lines, and | don want all OF you
to write on birds, and lowers, and spring,
and such as that.
Friday e~venin' was alters a big time at
old Ingon Heads" school. The neigh
bors ~inginnerly gethered IN to hear the
chillun say ther pieces, and at slch
times the chillun alters tried to show OH
some would set with Their under jaws
drapt and gaze like they never had saw
nobody afore. The Freshourses lngln,
Derly showed off that way. Some would
cut up All the devilment that was IN EN-
list to torment old West6eld, another
way of showing of, and tothers would
trv TO see which could study the loudest
| 70 play ike they was the smartest, and 1t
sounded shorter this way: "B a ba k-r
ker. baker, shee a sha d-y dy, shady, a
Ia DIV dy, lady; ) times 5 is %, and 5
times 4 is-lemme see, , tunes . Is -
z a. ION the f~ingcrs) ) times 8 Is 80.
| She-fed-the-old-he hen hen, she fed the old
hen. Ann-can-spin-ti AK lax, Ann can
spin fax. H,o r-s-e horse b a-c-k back,
horseback. The world Is round Ike a
- Sleep, baby, sleep our cottage vale
i-- If ever | see on push or tree +;
Mother, may sew to day. There walr a
sound of rev | like to see a little dog,
and -'Twinkle, twinkle - :.
There wasn't but one thing to stop an
this. Old ''Ingon Heads hlckry would
come down heavy on his desk, and he'd
holler out, silence"
Some Of the little fellows tried hard to
have Their pieces ready, and was proud
alters to cit out in the floor and sing EN-
out-yes, sing EN-, and they all ketch the
same tune to everything from ''the boy
stood ON the burning deck" to mot a
drum was heard" and twinkle, twinkle,
little star" and it's curis how them tunes
has chung to them pieces ever sense. But
some chilluu is too don't keer and no &C
count and lazy to try to larn, and they
iruther take the whippin' as to git the
speech. That Friday a crowd gethered
In. :,
Ladies and Gentle-men," said old
" estfeld, IL haint seed nairy word none
Of 'em has writ and | never picked out
no s. eeches for zone of 'em. Git out
thar Thomas Jefferson Bonaparte LOFTS,
as YOU air the %littlest, and has got the
biggest name you can say your'n tust.
Il haint got %nDne," says Tom JEFF
Beney.
He had been a settin' thar plattin'
pinestraws. Il don't know no speech
Cit out and say n ~anyhow-say
something"
II CANT | don't know no speech"
Old 'Ingon Head" showed him the
kickry, and he riz and dragged his bare
feet after him.
II don'tknow no spec ee eech,' says
he, cryin' and rubin his dirty fists in
his eyes. 'I-iust Observation-Disclosures
no-spee-ee- eech.o hoo but he knowed
what the hickry meant, SO he tuck his
stand, shrugged his shoulders and snub'
bel ont, Il thess knows part er one.'
"Well, go on; say what you know
pointing the hickory at him Their
lettin' his arms fall heavy at his side ht
ierked out his words:
THE lark-was-up to-meet-;he sun
"Mr. Westfcld," hollered out Bu(
Doolittle, a boy twice't as big. ''Tha
ar is my speech. | got it lust hit
nine and he knows it, d~og-gone him, b,
knows it's my very speech, what um beer
a gittiu' ever sense last Chucsday, so i
is. that's not fair nuther, SO it haint
and he knows it's not fair, SO he do. Ill
learnt it from me-
And | knows it as good as he do
- u II 81 49, 1890 H.
more'n it's mine. so it amt" (All trace
of tears gone And he ratified it Of
without ketchin' OF his breath. "a spiri
of rivalry works woDders.)
Then Ma lane Virgins rz to read he
composition. Hold on says tn
teacher, them Of you that thinks you'v
got the best composition and had orte
have the prize stand up"
All riz but two or three.
set down. Read on, Ma Jane" an
Ma Jane read
q BIRDS,
G,Nl -. = $780,. 80 II 7