The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-12-04
A POOR SPELL.

The following incident from Miss
Phelps "a Brave Girl" in Wide Awake
is inimitable. Lotto, the heroine, has
Just lost her father, and is trying to get
a position in the district school. She
interviews one of the committee men
with the following result:
"Ken ye spell straight" asked one
committeeman in neighboring village
whittier Lotto, one desperate Saturday,
had gone alone and without recommends
lions in search of a school rumored to
have teacher with the whooping cough.
Browns Ferry was the name of the vii
lage. Brown was the name OF the COM
mittee-man. He did not look like man
who could have written his own name
without screwing his mouth open while
he dotted his is and crossed his t's and
curled his Us If he had any is or It's
or US TO dot Or CROSS or curl.
"Girls air apt to be weak in spellin' and
'rithmetic," said Mr.. Brown loftily. "We
had one apply for the high spelled apol-
ogy with two-no with one p, that was it;
she spelled 'pology with one p, and
couldn't cal'clate interest on Cover ment
bond. We rejected her. They gave the
place to distant connection of my wifes
with a Moo York eddication."
1T knew of boy at famous academy
who was asked after whom the State of
Virginia was named-he ought to have
known, don't you think, sir?" asked Lotto
mildly.
"The State of Virginia?" said Mr..
Brown uneasily. "Why, certainly think
boy ought to know whom Virginia was
named for"
"He said," replied Lotto with vicious
gentleness "that it was named for the
Virgin Mary who was at that time queen
of England"
"Well," said Mr.. Brown after a grave
pause, az admit that was an uncalled for
answer. don't think we should have
required that young mans services at
Browns Ferry"
But across Mr.. Browns big red face
there did not fit the shadow Of smile.
1t is doubtful if to this day he has be-
come fully aware of the depth Of singu-
lsrity in the reply Of the young man at
the famous academy to the question con-
corning the naming of the State of Vir-
ginia.
"Wall," said Mr.. Brown, "our teacher
has got the symptoms. If she whoops
by Tuesday mornin' we shall hev to hev a
supply. We've had thirteen applicants
already, ies' on the chance of that whoop.
Maybe 'twont come to nothin'."
On Wednesday morning, as she was
sitting in her blue room, hopelessly cro-
cheting a royal purple mitten for the pea
green old lady who bought the sky-blue
hood, and had miraculously returned to
the grocery with the news that her den-
tiat'e bill was smaller than she expected,
and il she had pair OF mittens Of the
precise shade Of purple she thought she'd
like to see along O that hood, she didn't
know but she'd take mas Lotto was
thus patiently sitting, Melted within her
web of purple worsted, with crooked fin
gers and sweet, sad face and aching shout
ders, and heavy heart S'reeny came up
stairs with some cookies, and the an
nouncement that a man wanted to see the
doctors daughter in the parlor.
1t was Mr.. Brown. He came to inform
Lotto that the teacher at Browns Ferry
grammar school had been excused to
have the whooping cough, and that he
didn't know but what Lotto might have
the supply till Miss Mizery got WE'LL
"She began to whoop some O. Monday
night" said Mr.. Brown, "and along o. SO
many scholars that you amt sure of, and
takin' in them you know hasn't, the COM
mittes told her she better stay to hum
She was exposed long of her half sister
which is an infant, and Miss Mizery
sleeps with her. Can't say how long
| you'll be wanted. She mought whoop two
weeks, and she mought whoop six months.
I've known 'em whoop year." added
Mr. Brown encouragingly, Though they
were mostly babies. Yer pad known
maybe. if he'd been livin'. Better come
along in my team-sav expense. - an
get yer traps fast as ye know how"
"She may whoop for years, and she
may whoop foreverp cried Lotto, as she
kissed her mother good-by between a
laugh and sob, and courageously de-
parted with Mr.. Brown for Browns Fer
ry.