Year: 1872

Didn't we used to feel "big" g"at SPELL
ing school, whom, in solemn manner,
the schoolmaster stepped upon the ros-
trunl, and erasing all traces Of the days
arithmctical exercises upon the black
board, sung out in voice, a cross be-
tween deacon's and q heavy tragedi-
ans, our name, coupled with some
member Of tho opposition side, as the
two upon whom fell the honor of choos-
ing sides.


How high we lifted our cowhide
boots as we stepped off to the corner
of the room, where the line of ortho-
graphical battle was to be formed! Of
course the first name called was that of
our sweetheart, though (must we say
itD she was the poorest speller in the
school, and her formation of words
would frighten the portrait of old Noah
Webster from the title-page of the first
book. She was tho handsomest young
girl in the school; her cheeks were as
rcd as a Baldwin apple, and her curls,
which had been elaborately twisted
around hot poker, were natural, and
besides that, she had agreed to 90 home
from all the singing schools for month
ahead, with us. So we chose her at
once, and while she was tripping to her
place at our side, the other leader, as
/ if to seek revenge and pay court to
Mars instead of Venus, selected for his
first choice the very best scholar in
school--a girl who, though homely as
Barnum's What is it?" could 90
through the spelling book like lightning,
and was as much at home among words
of seven syllable as those of two. The
work began, and the quota of spelling
was soon filed, though we must CON
fess that our mind became slightly con-
fused while holding " our girls" hand
and choosing at the same time, and our
side was week, mentally, compared
with that of Bill Jones.


After order was obtained among the
scholars, cold Jacket Duster," our
teacher, would pull out dog's-cared
copy of Wcbster's Elementary"
whose tly-leaves had long since ascend
el heaycnward in the form of = spit
balls" and in voice three keys higher
than his ordinary tone, proceeded to
"pu5 out the words alternately to the
two sides. The contest waxed warmer,
and down went all the " small fry on
tho simpler words. At last only half a
dozen were left on side. "Our girl
had come near going down on the word
Coffee (she always commence it
with X y but we set her right in whis-
per, though Bill Jones saw the prompt
ing" and would have informed the
teacher had he not at that moment re-
ceived sumner in the shape of
phthiSic," which occupied his mind
to the exclusion of all else, but which
he would have mastered had not wad
OF chewed papers struck him at that
instan: in the mouth, and so affected
his uttcrance as to lead the master to
think that he had omitted one h"
and he sat down swearing. and we had
the satisfaction of seeing his ears boxed
with piece of rubber for his profanity.
There were now five on the other side
and six on ours, when the teacher of
the other school took the floor, and we
saw that there was blood in his eye the
moment he said, "We will now proceed
to spell Bible proper names"


This exercise soon thinned our ranks. |
-Four of the enemy and one of our
forces went down at one shot, on Ne
buchadnezzar." "Our girl" let go of
our hand and wilted on Pharaoh
before we could inform her whether it
commenced with + or p, and finally we
keeled over on the simple word Isaac,
and the champion was q small boy of
ten years, who was named after the son
of Abraham, and the only word which |
he could spell was that with which he
had won that day.


But the sorrows and troubles of our
youthful days never lasted long, and
we soon forgot our defeat, in the hap
piness of having tho rosy-cheeked girl
all to oursclf in the back end of the
sleigh, and three buffalo robes that we
had stolen to conceal our faces and
render unintelligible the whispered
words of sympathy and affection that
we poured in under the kiss-me-
quick" hood that covered her curls.
Two mittens held our four hands, and
the few strong peppermint drops that
we had been boarding up for this occa-
sion were dull and tasteless compared
to the condensed extract of sweetness
that we daringly snatched from her lips
when crossing the bridge on our way
home. She said she had b" forgotten
there were so many bridges on that
road," while we-well, gentle reader,
you cannot have forgotten how the old
thing worked in those days before the
WAN o. Picayune.





1 There was an exhibition In Paris
not long since of magnificent piano,
sent as wedding gift to the future EN-
press of China, 1t is completely COW