Putnam patriot., 1908-12-18

IllN SE1OOt udys 3S
 II augh twas only yesterday Ind the spelling matches we used to hsrei There was old Squire Hepner. who always took great interest in our sheol. He was peculiar kind of man. Folks would eali> him cranky in fhsse days. I suppose. He was so srur and sulien that you'd think he'd snap your head of.
 -Educafioa was the old mans hobby. He had 10 learning himself and used te tell us how he felt the need of it. He thought that people could not be educated unless they could spell clean from b-a. bd. to bility in the spelier.
 sWeil. Squire Hepner had heard that the Red flaw district folks were mak- ing their boasts that they could out spel ours. and it angered him His daughter Harriet was the best speller fin our school. and they said her father offered her any COW on his place if she'd spell the Red Flaw school down.
 s0ne Friday afternoon the old squire came stamping into the schoolhouse when our school was having spelling match. He was the director of our dis trict. and the boldest scholar would be mute and meek when he appeared. He had two little jet black eyes that seem ei to see right through you. He could make almost any scholar wiggle in his seat by fastening his eyes upon him.
 "The squire was the richest man In Four Mile. but he never gave any money away. and that made 1t all the more surprising when. just before school let out that night. he got up and in bis short, jerky. gruG way said:
 You've spelt pretty well this after noon, scholars. and I'm glad of it. for. to my thinkin', spellin's the most i'm portant thing a body can Farm. In fact 1t stands to reason you've got to readers or real good in anything. It's ell well enough to know how to figger correctly. an l reckon grammar's well enoagb though never took much stock in it Geography an algebray an history an all that is good enough Ia it's place but 'cordin' to my notion spellin' beats 'em all
 An now. 10 encourage you in being good spoilers an. te stop the braggin q some districts not far from here, Tn goin' to make 1t an object for you to study your spoilers like sixty for the nrxt few weeks.
 "fn six weeks from tonight. an that will be Christmas eve we'll have sneilin match in this house, an l want it cirkilated round that airy an spell for the prize I'll offer. which Is se5 in gold to the one that spells down everybody.
 Now. take your spoilers home with You tonight an do somethin' else with em besides a-ehawin the corners of And with that the squire made one of his stiff bows to the teacher and walk cd out
 T tell you. $25 was large sum of money in those days. and when it was known that the prize had been offered there was more studying of our old blue backed spoilers than there had ever been before. We used to take them home every night. and our ia fhers and mothers would give us all the hard words. like 'daguerreotype' and rhthisie' and receipt and those with silent letters in them. and we would spel them over and over again.
 ~The offering of that prize set the whole township in comnotion, and hfiie else was thought of or talked ahout. The Red flaw and Jack Oak distrlcts let It be known that they would try for the prize, and they had soine good spoilers in those schools. specially in the Red Flaw.
 But none of them had a better rec. "a than Harriet Hepner. and they said hat in those six weeks she studied her speiier night and day. Folks who pass td the Hepner house at midnight de Cared that through the windows from the road they had seen Harriet sitting a stool up near the fireplace. lean ms her head against the wall. and the squire sitting h his old hickory chair, epelling book h enc hand and . tallow sip h the other. giving out words to ser. and everybody else h bed. No wonder the girl became thin and eeaked.
 You see, the squire fairly hated the Aeo Flaw district and about everybody It The Red Haw and ours had for aeny been one district and he opposed saesr being divided. because he owned n1d In both. and he knew that if they sefe divided there would be an extra VI for a new schoolhouse and . new echcol fund
 The squire had sister living in the 4eu Flaw district. but he had not spo- zen fo her for years and would not al IVY his folks h look at or speak 10 her V her children.
 Ae poor woman had. in the first face. married against the squire's ~S1es- That angered him Still. he sssske to her when they met. though s-es ai1 not visit back aud forth any
 Nr Waisesy. the sqrire.s brotker-in- Ls, vas the one that first suggested tae dividing of the district end die 1apfe 10 bring t about than any other Lsa. which was natural. for the dis zeef was so biz s1d the sehoolhouse So ~ q that the Waifely children could
 gs to school in the winter time | Lat that didn't make the least clf- .ssenee 10 Squire Hepnar. He was far ssfsasly angry with Waiteiy, and on 1Nn meeting day he and Wairely had