Winter Fun

had required time to travel over it; and Mrs. Farnham had vetoed Pen's proposal to sit up. When they all reached the br

was going to tell you all abo

spellers," began Port; but there was a very se

ut then, to think of

aimed Pen, "where

. "Didn't she ride home with Vosh Stebbin

as much in earnest over the results of the match as if she w

hrow cold water on their hope of victory. He reminded them of the disastrous manne

y good teacher, too,

of us have been putting in on ou

too. I shouldn't wonder if Vos

oing to have fair play this time. Their teacher isn't

id there won't be any prize

e!" exclaimed Pen,-"a

tionar

ll the words spelled are

ind of

words as people use, but they can be

de more'n it will the o

us had to sit down on short wo

wn?" as

Corry. "It's awful to sit down on a mistake, with a whole

ld say

er breakfast, busy over the long rows of words in some spelling

but they always look different whe

s homestead it was

r, "you was a dreadful

thing I could see. There's a good many names to thi

it 'em rig

ss I

e some other kind of spellin'-b

kind o' seems to me I know so many

h. You won't, will ye, not with Susie

pretty sober expres

wouldn't

came in them to interrupt in any way the steadily

over and over, until at last there was noth

er supper, and they were hurrying on their overcoats, "se

ss, sure's you live. Now, Por

that moment, and Mrs. Stebbin

me. I'll swop with Susie. I wa

osh. "I've been teach

sleigh, for the farmhouse was left

issed hearing for themselves how Penelope and Coriolanus, a

the two sets of passengers reached Cobbleville at about the same time. Eight miles of excellent

Cobblevil

than Benton. I don't be

hey knew it,-a very great trial; for the tall-steepled, white-painted meeting-house in the middle of the village-green was hardly large enough to hold the crowd which was now pouring into it. The peopl

around them. Up on the platform, behind the pulpit-desk, were several very dign

Corry. "He won't let 'em put out any wor

moment Elder Evans arose, and came fo

visitors among their young people, and the committee

ll right," said Corry. "The

ther final arrangements

and girls who had not learned to stand still. The pews and the galleries,

aisle, in a line that reached from the platform to the door. The other aisle

rry; "but they'll thin out fast

n wherever a seat could be found; but, as fast as words were spelled rightly, their happy victors were entitled to march to the heads of their lines, and so these were kept c

w it is,"

and the last one up

give out the words, and Elder Evans had modestly insisted that

off, though!" excla

he play

h, I s'pose. But then he pronoun

s and Pen found themselves quite a little d

isn't that a big dictionary!

very heavy voice, that was heard all over the house; but Po

man's mouth, with a sort of vocal kick to hurry it; and there were ch

o the curly-headed youngster at

-i

e an example, an

y, "puttin' a bad cent

Hypoc

enton aisle spelled it correctly, and Elder

onstant stream of boys and girls walking up the aisles, and of others coming

at word ju

ept for unlucky spellers; but a seat in on

nning out fast. Think of a girl and two bo

ition;' and I'd never seen it anywher

her felt a ton or so lighter when they were able to

had thrown as hard a word as he cou

thought Vosh. "Guess he never

hen came across to Susie. She was conscious of a great deal of red in her face; but she

of young people in the aisles wer

ntinual roar of laughter over the exam

ond round, before Elder Keyser blurted out

er

l, b-

l do. E

'l of

t. B

, b-e-

Wrong.

blushing damsel sorrowfully slipp

t. B

b-u-r-r

Down.

of Surgeon Moore. I'

opposite spelled "burial" correctly,

could show barely twenty, and the B

"They've lost some of their best sp

o him next upon a word the soun

, s-t-

Down.

disguised vexation. "Example: 'The

orter this time; and the Cobbleville

, s-t

Down.

f laughter, while Porter Hudson took the hint Corry's "exam

sent down somebody in disgrace, while the exc

s many left standing as they have. Ke

hat I'm a

you know what it is, even

er dare

uld,

er trial came. Vosh saw the puzzled, troubled e

ery,' or 'mastery,' or 'monastery,' or was it 'me

len

ed Susie, while the whole meeting-house

d a very pretty young lady of Cobbleville was so far disco

ry, m

Down.

h! nothin

xt Elder Keyser was almost spitefully slow a

d been watching the course of events with no small degree of

hem, and about his

fter to-night! He'd better go in for a donation. Half the b

Barely six on a side,

bad, too. She spelled 'bunch,' when what old Keyser said was 'bench.' It's a

aunt Judith a moment l

hing harder than 'melon' since she bega

. Farnham, "what

that long-necked Cobbleville boy said 'bartery,

t last much

ins, "if my Vosh ain't all al

think of her spelling 'elopem

the tongue, and, when asked f

uld have been three against him, if a bright boy had not forgotten how many "l's" there sho

word went across the house to be spelled as "porr

Stebbins,-"that there

rtest girls in all Co

as smart

dumpy" spelled a word correctly, her conduct was approved by Cobbleville in a rousing round of applause. All that Vosh's friends coul

nature of Susie Hudson's blunder, and she ras

Down.

-a long, confused hes

loudly cheering the unlucky "e" which the triump

enton ch

l but shouted his happy mother. "

to Port, "she'll never stop tal

words she'd need t

man seemed to take a special pleasure in delivering so very large a book to "a young member of his own flock," as he expressed it.

er, and the crowd of old and yo

whether it was their duty to snowball Elder Keyser or the Be

he dictionary carefully away in th

hen. Our side beat, and th