Year: 1872

oce only ciou0S ana StOrmy weather
in the future.


But we commenced to talk of
spelling schools-the old-fashioned
kind, held in the winter evenings
in our own or neighboring school
houses. The latter, however, were
looked forward to with more pleas
ure, as tho usual monotony Of the
occasion was relieved by the excite
ment of meeting a foreign foe, and
the fun of ride under the buffalo
robes to the field Of contest.


How "big" we used to feel when
in solemn manner the schoolmas-
ter would step ND on the rostrum,
and after erasing all traces of the
days arithmetical exercises upon
the blackboard, that our minds
might not wander from the even
ing's work, sing out in that we'll
remembered voice, a cross between
deacon's and heavy tragedian's,
our name, coupled with some mem
Der of the opposition side, as the
two upon whom fell the honor of
CHOOSING SIDES.


w.. And what terrible suspense inter-
vened while the two pedagogues
drew cuts to see who should have
the first choice, preparatory to
selecting the chosen two dozen who
were to try and spell each other
down.


If the leader OF the "other side"
happened to be rival Of ours in the
suit for smiles from the rosy
checked girl who apparently had
no thought for anything save the
apple she was slyly eating behind
the stove, the excitement was doub-
ly great, until it was decided that
zoe Gust think of itD had drawn the
longest straw, and were entitled to
the first choice among all the bevy
Of young folks that were scattered
around the school room.


How high we lifted our cowhide
boots as we stepped off to the corn
er of the room where the line of
photographed battle was to be
formed! Of course, the first name
called was that Of our sweetheart,
though Unjust we say itD she was
the poorest speller in the school,
and her formation of words would
frighten the portrait Of Noah Web
ster from the title page Of his first
book. But then she was the hand
soonest girl in school; her cheeks
were as red as Baldwin apple, and
her curls which had been elabora-
tely twisted around a hot poker,
were natural, and besides that, she
had agreed to go home from all the
singing schools for a month ahead
with us; and when we had a stone
bruise on our heel in summer who
but she could tie a rag SO tenderly
around the spot? So, we repeat,
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 in
stead of Venus, selected for his
first choice the very best scholar
in school, a girl, who, though
homcly as Barnum's "What Is It,
could go through the spelling book
like lightning, and was as much
at home among words Of sever
syllables as those oftwo. Then the
work commenced, and the quota Of
spelling was soon filled, though We
must confess that our mind became
slightly confused while holding
"our girls" hand and choosing, al
the same time, and our side was
weak, mentally, compared with that
of Bill Jones.


THE BATTLE.


| After order was obtained amone
the scholars, and those who were
not in the lists had brought theil
angry feelings under subjection
"Old Jacket Duster," as we termed
our teacher, would pull out dogs.
cared copy of "Webster's Elemen
tary," whose fly-lcaves had long
since ascended heavenward in the
shape of "spit balls," and in voice
about three keys higher than his
ordinary tone, proceed to "put out
the words alternately to the two
sides. The contest waxed warmer
and down went all the "small fry
on the more simple words. We
were only allowed one trial, and the
man who hesitated was irrevocably
lost, until at last but half dozen
left on our side. "Our" girl had
come near going down ON the word
"coffee" (she always commenced il
with "k",) but we had set her
Alright in a whisper, though Bill
Jones saw the prompting" and
would have informed the teacher
had he not at that moment received
sumner in the shape of "phthis
ic," which occupied his mind to the
exclusion Of all else, but which he
would have mastered had not wad
Of chcwed paper struck him at tha,
instant in the mouth, and so affected
his utterance as to lead the master
to think he had omitted one s'h, >
and he sat down swearing, and VIC
had the satisfaction Of seeing his
ears slapped with a 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
tho moment he said, 1--WE will now
proceed to spell the Bible prope,
Names"


i This exercise soon thinned our
ranks. Rsur Of the enemy and one
of our forces went down at one shot,
on "Ncbuchadncxzar." ''Our girl
let 20 Of our hand and wilted on
"Pharaoh" before we could inform
her whether it commenced with "F'
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 he'd won the day. t