Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-11-28
A Spelling Match.

The fire light made fantastic shad-
ows in old Farmer Do5son's kitchen;
1t hickered up and down on the huge
brown rafters, and on the great dress
er where the quaint willow ware dish
es were arranged, and where Mrs.
DobSon's wonderful wealth of tin ware
was arrayed in shining ranks. A great
far-cornered, shadow haunted kitch-
en- of the oldfashioned type, one of
the generous, provident, open heart
ed kind that is passing away with the
woods it helped to devour.
We have more economical arrange
ments coming in fashion, even in the
old country houses, now, but there
are none so full of evening witchery,
SO care beguiling and heartsome as
the old wood fire.
What elfish pranks it played that
night! How it Redeemed old Farmer
Dobson's smoking cap, and shone on
his good wife's spectacles, and tinted
Jobs high cheek bones and sleek
black hair, as he sat in the off corner
bending obtusely over his book, ut
terly absorbed, as a man might be
who had so little time to explore the
mysteries of Webster, and was to
take part in the spelling match to-
night.
Job was Farmer Dobson's farm hand
"a tall, strong, patient fellow, who
had'been so quietly the butt of us all
this winter that we we had got to US
ing him like big mastiff, who might
be dangerous, but under ordinary cir
cGmstances could be safely leased and
tOrmented to the top of our bent. A
mist gathered in nay eyes as looked
across the great kitchen to where he
sat unconscious, Flooding away at his
task [ thought Of our glib and east
Is acquired learning, and Of poor Jobs
hard struggle for life, and [ pitied
Job.
Yes, pitied him; but yet, neverthe-
less, as 1 saw him STOPPING SO pro-
foundly by the light of that witching
FIRE, needless of the shadow and the
shine of the room, an imp of mischief
perhaps one of the pranksome elves
gesticulating in the chimney corner
got possession of me. I arose softly
and gliding over to where he sat
sprinkled the absorbed student with
shower of au-de-Cologne, and put
ting the vial quickly into my pocket,
walked demurely back to my seat.
u, To
his face as he returned to his book,
were comical. That Cologne was Abb
jah Plummer's present, and / should
not have wasted it perhaps, and per-
haps Job didn't like Cologne. He
shut the book presently, and sat with
his shoulder stopped and his head
dropping, looking into the fire.
Well, as l have said, we were to
have a spelling match that night, not
our first one by any means; but the
old folks had put their heads togeth-
or 30 give us prize this time, beau
tiful set of gold and blue poets, six
dainty little volumes that stood gleam-
ing in the ireight on the round ia
bic, in the place of honor along with
the great gilt-edged family Bible.
The young people dropped in one
by one, shaking off the snow as they
came in, for there had been a light
snowfall that evening, which made
US all the merrier. By-and-by the
great kitchen was filed up, the can
dies were lit, Farmer Dobson laid
aside his pipe, the school master
Strengthened his neck tie, and grab
bed the big Webster before him, and
we all became properly impressed with
the Importance of the occasion, al
though there was a general nudging
of elbows and d sly grimace as big,
shy Job joined the class. But Job was
used to our merry making, and took
no notice of it.
Round and round went the spelling
big words and little words, words
with treacherous els and as lying in
wait in unexpected places, and words
with as and words with odd his and
all the deceitful dictionary dreadful
ness that lies in wait to trip up the
Unwary.
And one after another our cham
pions were spelled down, and Job act
ually stood his ground against half
dozen we'll schooled fellows. All his
face was kindled with eagerness, and
the dull and plodding look habitual to
him had disappeared. The spelling
was waking him up. But there sat