The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-02-21
GREAT SPELLING BEE

~ nllus held" said the Chronic Loaf.
q" rs he stretched his legs along the
counter aud rested his back comforta.
bly, against pile of CalicooS, tibet they
amt no scch thing rs roarinborin allus.
know some saiS they Is electric lights.
but when ! seen thct big un last night
said 10 my missuS. an hul' I'm right,
thct ct was nothin' but tn iron furnaces
over tn mo'ntain. Fer, s'posc. cz til
Teacher sais they Is lights up ct III
North pole. does you uus believe we
coul.. see 'cm all thct distance? Well,
uow!"
He gazrd imprcssiycly about the store
at the close of this discourse. The Mil.
lcr the Shoemaker and the G.. \. x.
Man were disposed to agree with him,
but the School Teacher was sarcastic.
"lf you had ever studied physical gc.
ography," he said. you would know
that the aurora borcalis Is not light
made upon terra firma. but peculiar
magnetic condition of the atmosphere
for which there is no apparent account.
ing lie looked toward the Chronic
LoaiCr. And the maucr In which you
pronounce II Is exceedingly ludicrouS.
Ii Is not Il roarinborin always. 1t Is
spelled -o-r.a-b.o-r-c-a-l.i.s."
The Tinsmith, who was seated upon
n nan keg, rubbing his hands in the
warm rays of the stove. chucklcd softly.
The Chronic Loafer noticed him and
felt convinced that the correction of his
own grammar had caused the others
mirth.
whats you uns so tclilcd about
-now!" he asked gruilly.
g was jest thinkin'," the Tinsmith
re' ii. his "crutcnanca "sr.e-.io'.
-..,utaI expression, "of the time my ole
fricn' Quincy Muthersbaugh spelled
down John Unison. who tot up to Hap
ny Grove school. He done ct on th"t
very word. My, but thct there was
bee"
Now. fore you git GrindIn' way
scnce you've got on Spcllln'-l want ter
tell good un OH"
Let him tell Us about Quincy Muth.
erSbaugh" the School Teacher inter.
posed, dccisiycly. Your good un can
keep"
Compelled to silence, the Chronic
Loafcr rolled over on his back and gaz.
ed dcjcctcdly into the dim rcccsscs Of
the ceiling, while the TiuSmith began:
Some folks is nat'ral spoilers, Jest
as others is nat'ral musicians. Ag'ln.
cts jest rs hard ter make good spcllcr
by cdication as ct Is ter make good
bass horn blower. Fer fcllcr thct
hain't thct Unborn idcc of how many
letters Is needed ter make a word II
never spell no better than tn man thct
haint Il nat'ral sense Of how much
winds needed fer Il note II play bass
horn"
II cannot wholly agree with you"
interrupted the School Teacher. Give
a child first words of one syllable. then
two; then drill them In words ending in
ton until"
I'VE won't discuss thct, Teacher. fer
ct don't effect our case. John Jlnisop
was Il nat'ral spcllcr You never seen
IN like. Give him word of six OF
seven syllablcs an he'd spell 1T out like
ct was on blackboard right before
him. When he was 20 he he'd sucllrd
down all the scholars In Happy Grove,
an Il won bout six bees. Then he
went to tn Pikcstown Normal school.
out in the western part of PcnuSylyany.
When he come back you never kuowrl
III beat lie he'd stcdicd I.atlng an
algcbray, but | guess he must spent
considerable time a-bruShu' uD his
spellin', fer there was only one fcllcr
bout these parts who could keep him
fer any time Mt all lie was my flicn'
Quincy Muthcrsbaugh. You uns knows
Quincy. lie tot two winters up ct l[ls.
llikoquillls school, an went west after
he mawred. He was a powerful good
fcller- stlll-an' Il fine teacher an spell.
'er-but John Unison he'd III advantage
of Il normal school edlcation, an
know'd II, fer you uns never seen N
like of tn way he kcrrlcd on when he
was teachln' ter Happy Grove.
Tibet was III winter we he'd so mucA
snow. II he'd driftcd In III roads. 80
we drove through III nel's, If you uns
remember, What with church soshblcs
an singin' school an spellln' bees they
was heap sight goin' ON.
mot week passed but me an Quln.
cy Muthcrsbaugh went some'ercs, au'
fore | know'd ct both him an John
Unison was kcepin' comp'ny with Han.
nah siders. She was jest as pretty as
peach, plump an rosy, with III slick.
est nntral hair an teeth you ever seen
She was powerful fond of edication. 50
when them two teachers was after her
she Jest couldn't make up her min. she
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