The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-04-07
The "SpeIl' at Six.MiIe
NYRUS DRAKE had come over to
L h0l1sa to IL h
BY J. Z. Harbour

TYRUS DRAKE had come over to
u our house to see if 1 would go with
HIM 10 1.-The spell at Six-Mile''
Cyrus was 16 and l was about the
same age.
We lived at this time, which was long
ago, in the west, in rural neighbour
hood. Cyrus and I walked two miles
to school together four months CT the
year. That was all of the ''schooiing''
we could get, because our fathers were
poor men, with large families to sup
port, and we were needed at home
Few boys of our age ever attended any
but the winter term of the school.
The Drake farm adjoined my ia
theirs, and Cyrus and I were bosom
friends. We sat together in the little
old brick schoolhouse in one room, in
which IS or so boys and girls, of from
five to nineteen years Of age, were
crowded together during the winter
term of the school.
The school district next to ours was
called the ''SiX-Mile district" I hard
ly know why it was given this name,
but it may have been because it was
about six miles from the: nearest town
Our social opportunities were ex-
tremely limited. Indeed, there was so
little going on at any time that a
spelling match or singing school at
the schoolhouse partook of the nature
of a social gathering, and was hailed
with delight by the entire district.
1t was seldom that anything more
exciting occurred than a spelling con-
test between the pupils of Six-A1iie and
those of our district. There had. been
a good many of these contests, and
the honors had been about equally d.
vided.
"They're going to have spell over at
Six-Mile," said Cyrus, when he came
over to our house. Give just heard
about it. I guess it's for them to kind
of practice up so they'll have better
chance of winning when when they
come over to try and spell US down
next week. But that's no reason why
We shouldn't go if we want to-
Nor was the fact that we lived four
miles from the Six-Mile schoolhouse
and the night was singing cold any
reason why two sturdy, country-bred
boys should stay away from the SPELL
ing school, although we would have to
walk both ways.
Father said might go, and he added:
II have to go away over to Squire Ha-
gan's tonight on matter of business,
ard I'll try to come by the schoolhouse
at about the time the spell is over with.
and you can ride home with me in the
pung."
SO Cyrus and I set out on foot in the
Light of full moon. The snow lay
smooth and white on the almost level
stretches of prairie. and it was drifted
high in the long lanes through which
we passed. A wind with an edge like
a blade swept up from the north, and
we were glad when we came to the long
stretch of wood on the other side OF
which lay the Six-Mile schoolhouse.
Homemade candles set in the win
dows sent forth CHEEKY light when
we reached the schoolhouse. A num-
Der of sleds and sleighs stood outside
the schoolhouse yard, the blanketed
horses emitting vapor from their nos
trils.
81 think there's good many here, y
said Cyrus.
81 think so, too. judging from the
sleighs and sleds outside. There's 10.
mas Keightly's queer old CUTTER
ooh. you may be sure that. old 10.
mas is here" said Cyrus; "catch hin
missing a spelling bee! Well find him
inside in his old black coat with his
ancient blue-backed spelling book il
his hand watching and listening a:
if the result were matter of life O.
DEATH
Jonas Keightly was one of the lode
sticks of the neighborhood in which
we lived. He was an eccentric old man
who lived entirely alone in small
frame house on the finest farm in tn,
neighborhood. He was reputed to b
very wealthy, although his manner o
life would indicate that he was poo
man.. The four or five rooms of hi
cheap little house were carpetless, an,