Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-03-14
ardscrabble Debating Club at

Smyrna
Howbeit, the officers of the Hard
scrabble Debating club and Spelling
School society got together the next
week after tn Cooks Corners meeting
and talked over the events of that
night, all agreeing that with the de-
bate on the ''leeky butter and timber
ger cheese" propositiony the spelling
school and the dance it was the best
yet held.
! There seemed, however, to be a
ranking in the breast of Sally Ann
Pettibone and Tom Crane because of
the victory of the Cooley district
by the spelling down Of the Kiddville
and Chadwick schools, and they were
just aching for another chance at
contest with that school.
But Jimmy McFadden for some rea-
son or other sort, o. sided in with the
Cooley school. He said they certainly
had many good spoilers in that local
ity who had been well-trained by their
teacher, Nancy Stocking, and he
thought it best to drop the matter
and not tackle them again. Mr.. Nc
Fadden, it will be remembered, whose
home was in Orleans, got acquainted
with Nancy at the Corners spelling
school and danced with her in the hall.
She lived in the neighborhood of the
White Swan school district in Oak
| field and had been hired to teach the
winter school in the Cooley district.
Jimmy took quite a liking to Miss
Stocking and invited her to go to
dance with him tobe held at the tavern
in Smyrna, to which she readily con-
scented.
The officers of the club decided to
hold the next spelling school in
Smyrna with a free-for-all spell-down
among the districts in the region
round about.
And it came to pass that 'on the
night set for the meeting at the
schoolhouse in Smyrna that the dance
at the tavern was also TO be held and
great preparations we're being made
for that event.
There was an immense crowd in the
schoolhouse when Gusta Gladstone,
the president of the club, tapped for
order. Many had come to take in the
dance, but had concluded to go to the
schoolhouse and when the exercises
closed to join the dance afterwards.
Gusta said the meeting would be
opened with music by the Smyrna
Dulcimer Quartette, which would give
a number of selections in music and
song. The quartette was composed
of Phillip Bradish, Melinda Peters,
Horace Quillan and Sarah Jane Haw-
kins. Melinda played the old-style
melodeon, Sarah Jane the dulcimer,
and Horace and Phil accompanied
with triangle and bones. Phil and NHor-
ace were BACKED up for the occasion
and wore red neckties, while the girls
had on lowered blue chambray, gor-
ed nthe back with white hair in POM
pador puffs tied with yellow ribbons.
The effect was marvellous and when
they played the grand old tune "Way
Down Upon the Swanee River" and
the "Mocking Bird" with variations,
the hand-clapping, pounding on seats
and stamping Of feet was positively
strenuous. But the climax Of en-
thusiasm was reached when Melinda
and Sarah Jane sang II want to be
an angel and with the angels stand,
crown upon my forehead and harp
within my hand,v accompanied, one
standing on each side, by Horace and
Phil with the bones and triangle. So
great was the applause that they re-
sponded to an encore and sung Where
Is My Wandering Boy Tonight" with
such impressive emphasis that there
was not dry eye in the schoolhouse.
Horace gave defamation on "Goats
and the Goatee," which was received
Sith relish by his hearers and in the
applause several yelled "Whiskersl
Whiskers!. The quartette then re-
tired behind the curtains.
The next on the program Gusta said
was a report by Nancy Stocking CIV
ing her decision in regard to the de-
bate at Cooks Corners on "Leeky
Butter and Limberger Cheese" Miss
Stocking took the floor and said she
was sorry the matter had been refer
red to her as there were those better
qualified than she, and that both sides
Of the question were so full of
strong" points that i would be al.