A Forest Hearth. Charles Major
people.
There was but one incident in the spelling-bee that touched our friends, and I shall pass briefly over that part of the entertainment preceding it. The class, ranging in years from those who lisped in youth to those who lisped in age, stood in line against the wall, and Wetmore, spelling-book in hand, stood in front of them to "give out" the words. It was not considered fair to give out a word not in the spelling-book until the spelling and "syllabling" of sentences was commenced. All words were syllabled, but to spell and syllable a sentence was not an easy task, and by the time sentences were reached the class usually had dwindled down to three or four of the best spellers. Of course, one who missed a word left the class. Our friends—Billy Little, Dic, Rita, and Sukey Yates—were in the contest.
The first word given out was metropolitan, and it fell to Douglas of the Hill. He began: "M-e-t—there's your met; r-o—there's your ro; there's your metro; p-o-l—there's your pol; there's your ro-pol; there's your met-ro-pol; i—there's your i; there's your pol-i; there's your ro-pol-i; there's your met-ro-pol-i; t-e-n—there's your—" "t-a-n," cried the girl next to him, who happened to be Sukey Yates, and Douglas stepped down and out.
A score or more of words were then spelled without an error, until Constantinople fell to the lot of an elderly man who stood by Rita. He began: "C-o-n—there's your Con; s-t-a-n—there's your stan; there's your Con-stan; t-i—there's your ti; there's your stan-ti; there's your Con-stan-ti; n-o—there's your no; there's your ti-no; there's your stan-ti-no; there's your Con-stan-ti-no; p-e-l—there's your pell; there's your no—"—"p-l-e—there's your pell" (so pronounced); "there's your Con-stan-ti-no-ple," chimed Rita, and her elderly neighbor took a chair. Others of the class dropped out, leaving only our four acquaintances—Dic, Billy, Sukey, and Rita. Dic went out on "a" in place of "i" in collectible, Sukey turning him down. Rita had hoped he would win the contest and had determined, should it narrow down to herself and him, to miss intentionally, if need be. After Dic had taken a chair, judgment fell to and upon Sukey. She began "j-u-d-g-e—there's your judge;" whereupon Billy Little said, "Sink the e," and Sukey sank, leaving Billy Little and Rita standing against the wall, as if they were about to be married. Billy, of course, was only awaiting a good opportunity to fail in order that the laurels of victory might rest upon Rita's brow.
"We will now spell and syllable a few sentences," said Wetmore. "Mr. Little, I give you the sentence, 'An abominable bumblebee with his tail cut off.'"
It must be remembered that in spelling these words and sentences each syllable was pronounced separately and roundly. B-o-m was a full grown, sonorous bom. B-u-m was a rolling bum, and b-l-e was pronounced bell with a strong, full, ringing, liquid sound. The following italics show the emphasis. Billy slowly repeated the sentence and began:—
"A-n—there's your an; a—there's your a; there's your an-a; b-o-m—there's your bom; there's your a-bom; there's your an-a-bom; i—there's your i; there's your bom-i; there's your a-bom-i; there's your an-a-bom-i; n-a—there's your na; there's your i-na; there's your bom-i-na; there's your a-bom-i-na; there's your an-a-bom-i-na; b-l-e—there's your bell; there's your na-bell; there's your i-na-bell; there's your bom-i-na-bell; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell; b-u-m—there's your bum; there's your bell-bum; there's your na-bell-bum; there's your i-na-bell-bum; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell-bum; b-l-e—there's your bell; there's your bum-bell; there's your bell-bum-bell; there's your na-bell-bum-bell; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell; b-e-e—there's your bee; there's your bell-bee; there's your bum-bell-bee; there's your bell-bum-bell-bee; there's your na-bell-bum-bell-bee; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee; there's your an-a-bom-i-nabell-bum-bell-bee; w-i-t-h—h-i-s—there's your with-his; there's your bee-with-his; there's your bell-bee-with-his; there's your bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his; t-a-l-e—there's your—" But Rita chimed in at once: "T-a-i-l—there's your tail; there's your with-his-tail; there's your bee-with-his-tail; there's your bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail; c-u-t—there's your cut; there's your tail-cut; there's your with-his-tail-cut; there's your bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his -tail-cut; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum -bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; there's your an-a-bom -i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut; o-f-f—there's your off; there's your cut-off; there's your tail-cut-off; there's your with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your bee-with -his-tail-cut-off; there's your bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with-his-tail-cut-off; there's your an-a-bom-i-na-bell-bum-bell-bee-with his-tail-cut-off," and Rita took her seat, filled with triumph, save for the one regret that Dic had not won.
Many of the old folks, including Billy Little, departed when the bee closed, and a general clamor went up for the kissing games to begin.
Rita declined to take part in the kissing games, and sat against the wall with several other young ladies who had no partners. To Dic she gave the candid reason that she did not want to play, and he was glad.
Doug Hill, who, in common with every other young man on the premises, ardently desired Rita's presence in the game, said:—
"Oh, come in, Rita. Don't be so stuck up. It won't hurt you to be kissed." Doug was a bold, devil-may-care youth, who spoke his mind freely upon all occasions. He was of enormous size, and gloried in the fact that he was the neighborhood bully and very, very "tough." Doug would have you know that Doug would drink; Doug would gamble; Doug would fight. He tried to create the impression that he was very bad indeed, and succeeded. He would go to town Saturdays, "fill up," as he called getting drunk, and would ride furiously miles out of his way going home that he might pass the houses of his many lady-loves, and show them by yells and oaths what a rollicking blade he was. The reputation thus acquired won him many a smile; for, deplore the fact as we may, there's a drop of savage blood still alive in the feminine heart that does not despise depravity in man as it really should.
"Come into the game," cried Doug, taking Rita by the arm, and dragging her toward the centre of the room.
"I don't want to play," cried the girl. "Please let loose of my arms; you hurt me," but Doug continued to drag her toward the ring of players