The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-03-06

There were. clashin9 croquet balls
Dull and deaf the Chiffonier is,
And he sleeps the whole day long;
But the old piano wearies
For the laughter and the song.
I am battered, am dusty,
And my silk Is dark with mold;
Tarnshed now, TINT shone like gold!
From my numb and voiceless Keys.
Just as quickly as they , p1eas Snna.u
THE GREAT Spelling Be.
Il allus held" said the Chronic Loafer,
as he stretched his legs along the count
er and rested his back comfortably
against Il pile of calicoes, tibet they amt
no Sech things as Roarinborin Allus.
l know some sails they is electric lights.
but when seen tibet big pn last night I
said to int iiiissiis, an hUi I'm right,
tibet ct was nothin' but tn iron furnaces
over til mo ntain. Fer, s'pose, " tn
Teacher sails, they is lights up It tn
North pole; does you unS. believe we
could see EN- all tibet distahce? Well,
now!'
He gazed impressively about the store
ut the close of this discourse. The Mill
err, the Shoemaker and the q. \. Il.
Man were disposed to agree with him.
but the School Teacher was sarcastic.
IF YOU had ever studied physical
geography he said, ''yo would know
that the Aurora Borealis is not Il light
made upon terra frma, but a peculiar
magnetic condition of the atmosphere
for which there is no apparent account
ing. He looked toward the Chronic
Loafer. And the manner IN which you
pronounce it is exceedingly ludicrous
1t is not Il Roarinborin ALWAYS. It is
spelled Aurora B-o-r-e-a-l-i-s''
The Tinsmitl, who was seated upon a
nail key, rubbing his hands in the warm
rays of the stove, chuckled softly. The
Chronic Loafer noticed him and felt con-
WINGED that the correction of his own
grammar had caused the others mirth
| whats you uns so ticked about
now:' he asked, grutf1y.
II WaS jest thinkin'," the Tinsmith
rrElitd. his countcnance assuming its
natural expression. ''nf the time my ole.
| fricn' Quincy Muthersbaugh spelled
down John Unison, who tot up to Hap
Ply Grove school. He done ct on tibet
| VERY: word My, but thet there was q
bcc.'
sellcc you've got on spellin-I want ter
| tell good i'm OH
- Let him tell us about Quincy Muth-
rrshaugh. the School Teacher inter
posed: 'lecisivcly. ''Your good un can
! keep
Compelled to silence. the Chronic Loaf
or rolled over on his back and gazed
ceiling. while the T1nsmth began:
some folks is atrial sJrllers jest as
! others is nat'ral musicians. Ag'in, cts
| Jest as hard ter make Il good speller by
e'1Iratlon rs ct is ter make Il good bass
horn player Fer q Teller tibet han't
| tibet inh"rn idcc Of how many letters
is needed! ter make Il word I'll never spell
| nat raj sense of how much winds needed
tor 4 note II play Il bass horn
Il cannot wholly agree with YOU" in
ttrrnptcd the School Teacher. Give a
| child first words of one syllable, then
| two: then drill them in words ending
| in ton until"
We won't discuss tibet, Teacher, fer
was nat'ral speller. You never seen
tn like Give him a word Of six or sey-
rn syliables an he'd spell ct out like
1T was on blackboard right before him
When he, was 20 he had spelled down
all the scholars in Happy Grove, an d
| won bout six bees. Then he went to
tn Pikestown normal school, out in the
western part of Pennsylyany. When he
come back YOU never know'd tn beat.
! ne he'd stedied Lating an Algebray,
| but l guess he must scent considerable.
time hrushin' up his spelin'. fer there
was only one Teller bout these parts
| who could keep with him fer any time
at all. lie was my frcn' Quincy Muth-
ersbargh. You uns knows Quincy. He
| WlnfNrS of Il irh ;11.,,,
school, an went West after he NAV
rled. He was a powerful good Teller
| still, an a fine teacher an sDellpr but
John .Jimison he'd tn advantage of a
normal school edication, an know'd it.
1er YOU uns never seen tn like of til
| way he kerried on when he was teachiu
ter Happy Grove.
! Ibet was tn winter we had so much
snow. 1t he'd drifted in tn roads, so
we drove through tn fiel's, eff YOU ms
remember. What with church soshbles,
an s'ngin' school an spellin' bees they
was a heap sight goin' on.
Not a week passed but me an Quin-
cy Muthersbaugh went some eres, an
fore knowd ct both him an John Jimi-
son was keepin' comp'ny with Hannah
elders. She was jest as pretty as a
peach. plump an rosy, with tn slickest
atrial hair an teeth you ever seen. She
was powerful fond of edcation, so when
them two teachers was after her she jest
! couldn't make up her min. She favored
both. But ct seemed ter me like Quin-
~, was her favoryte without her know
in, it. He'd go see her an set down
an never say nothin' much: but she
| kinder thot him pleasant company. He
was goOd-lookin', an sure an no fool
;jimison was amusn' toler'ble in his
school cdjcation: an kinder dazzled her.
Fit allus .'peared ter me, still, as if he
was a bit conceity, but then he took
with tn girls.
| Hannah elders didn't know which of
| them two ter choose. Eft seems she
figured on ct all fall an well inter tn
winter. She begin ter get thin an lose
all her color. an both them fellers was
| near wild with anXiousness, an contin-
they done?'
ETH take long time fer 'em ter do
much tn way you tells it," the Chronic
| Loafer grumbled.
not needing the interruption, that she'd
take the best edicated. Thet tickled
Unison. who bowed round ter all his
| friends how he was goin' ter send 'em
| invites ter his weddin'. Quincy, he jest
grit his teeth an said he was ready.
Tie n;o vas gen nj, he put et like tn male
months fer his lady They agreed ter
! hev it out on tn quiet at tn big spcllin'
| between their schools tn follyin' week.
] thot Quincy was gone. He jest went
| ter work, though, an fer sev'ral days be-
fore tn bee seen nothin' of him. He
was stedyin' tn spellin' book.
| '"rhe night come. an sech crowd us
they was ct tn Happy Grove school,
They was sleighin', an fer quarter of
Il mile in front of tn buildin' they was
nothin' but horses hitched ter tn fences.
| TIL schoolroom was all decorated with
| green's an lighted with lie lamps fer
| tn occasion, an was jest packed. All
| tn seats was filled with girls, an tn
| men was lined four deep long TIL walls
| an banked up on top of one mother at
tn back. On one side of tn platform.
ssettin' on Il bench long under tn black
| board. was tn sixteen best scholars of
tn Happy Grove school, led be John
Unison. He was smilin' an conferdcnt,
an gain longin' at Hannah elders,
| who was OH one of tn front seats an
| 'pearcd rather nervous. He was all
logged oI1t in n now priOpn A1hcrt ono