Putnam patriot. [volume], December 18, 1908, Image 3

About Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
u
Sam Wjilefy.
tE" -O
S "W T I> ray dear." said Aunt Su
sun re minisceutly. "I re
j§ meaib-r my school days as
t' u'.gu twat ouly yesterday.
Ami the spelling matches we used ro
gate! There was old Squire Hepner,
whe always took a great Interest in our
ehool. He was a peculiar kind of
■an. Folks would calKhim cranky in
the-e days. I suppose. He was so
puff and sullen that you'd think he'd
anap your head off.
-Education was the old man's hobby
He had no learning himself and used
jo iei! n> how he felt the need of it.
He thought that people could not be
educated unless they could spell clean
from b-a. ba. to incotumuplcability in
the speller.
-Wei',. Squire Hepner had heard that
the Red Haw district folks were mak
ing their boasts that they could out
si* i ours, and it angered him His
daughter Harriet was the best speller
is our school, and they said her father
offered her any cow on his place if
*he d sped the Red Haw school down.
“One Friday afternoon the old squire
fame stamping into the schoolhouse
when our school was having a spelling
match. He was the director of our dis
trict. and the boldest scholar would be
nme and meek w hen he appeared. He
had two little Jet black eyes that seem
td to set' right through you. He could
Bike almost any scholar wiggle in his
•eat by fastening his eyes upon him.
“The squire was the richest mau in
Four Mile, but be never gave any
Boney away, and that made it all the
Bore surprising when. Just before
■rhno! let out that night, he got up and
la his short. Jerky, gruff way said:
“'You're spelt pretty well this after
soon. scholars, and I'm glad of it. for,
to my Ihlnkin'. speliin'a the most Im
portant thing a body can l’arn. In
; fact. It stands to reason you’ve got to
be good spellers 'fore you can be good
* leaders or real good in anything. It's
all well enough to know how to tigger
HMRctly. an' 1 reckon grammar’s well
enough, though 1 never took much
■ Mock in it. Geography an' algebray
an’ history an’ all that is good enough
. la its place, but 'cordin’ to my notion
*P*!!!n' be iIs ’em all.
| *’A■>' now. to encourage you in being
gno] spellers an' to stop the braggln'
ef some districts not far from here.
| Tir. goin’ to make it an object for you
io y your spoiler* like siviv ror tue
•art few woks.
“ In iv weeks from tonight. Bn'
thn! will be Christinas eve, wo ll have
» saeliin' mati h in this house, an' 1
want it oirkilated round that airy
sbonl in this township is free to come
in sp.*n for the prize I'll offer, which
Is $25 In g 11 to the one that sjiells
4«un everybody.
'• Now. take your spellers home with
fan tonight an' do somethin’ else with
km besides a-ehawlu' the corners off.'
And with that tile squire made one of
Ms stiff bows to the teacher and walk
•d out.
■'I tell you, $25 was a large sura of
money in those days, and when it was
known that the prize had been offered
there was more studying of our old
kue linked spellers than there had
ever tieen before. We used to take
them home every night, and our fa
fliers and mothers would give us all the
knrd words, like 'daguerreotype’ aud
Vithisie’ and ‘receipt’ and those with
•Bent letters lu them, and we would
•I'o them over and over again.
The offering of that prize set the
•hole township in n commotion, and
iittie else was thought of or talked
•taut The Red Haw and Jack Oak
tetr i« let It be known that thev
mould t»y for the prize, and they had
•oice good spellers In those schools.
*pe i illy in the Red Haw.
“But none of them had a better rec
id than Harriet Hepuer. and they said
tint in those six weeks she studied her
•peller night and day. Folks who paas
*d the Hepner house at midnight de
rlired that through the windows from
Ik* rung they had seen Harriet sitting
* s stool ap near the flreplace, lean
Mg her bead against the wall, and the
•Wire sitting la his old hickary chair
Milling book la nne hand and a tallow
ti'l> la the other, gtetng out words to
ker. and everybody else la bed. No
vooder tbs girl became thin and
•naked
^“You see, the sqatre fairly bated the
■wl Haw district mad about e vary body
M It The Red Haw and ours bad tor
Mtij been one district, and be opposed
Meir being divided, because be owned
Mad in bo*b. and he knew that If they
***• divided there would be an extra
Mx for a new schooihouse and a aew
fund.
“The squire bad a sister living in the
®*d Haw district, but he had not spo
■en to her for years and would not al
?■** his felk* to iook at or speak to her
^ her children.
Tue
•Nee,
gjNtaa
l(*>vr
kb,-. a
r-»r woman bad. In
tairrieU against the
Tt
to
the first
squire's
nt angered him. Still, he
t when they met. though
not visit back aud forth any
Vainly. the squire's trother-ln
a the one that first suggested
■ ling of the district and did
bring ;t about than any other
hlch was natural, for the dis
s so big and tbo schooihouse so
off that the Waitely children could
1 i - to school in tho winter time
Tat that didn't make the least dlf
*tce to Sqair* Hepner. He was fu
Usir aas~v with Waitely. and on
**> Bfftlaf dajr b# tod Wtiteij bid
N*. i
feet w
hr off
IrBANK KLSwtct
co«vni»T,i»ot Br a imp
0=
X3
some dreadful words.
“Of course Mrs Wattely sided with
her husband, and from that day the
squire turned from his own kin. lie
never spoke to them again, not even
after Mr Waltely died The poor man
got caught under a falling tree amt
was killed, leaving his widow with
four children and nothing but a shabby
roof over their heads and three or four
acres of scrubby land.
"She had a fearfully hard time sup
porting herself and the children, but
the squire never helped her And. to
make matters worse, her oldest child,
little Sam. was a cripple, humpbacked
and lame in one leg. so that be had
to walk with a crutch. Of course he
wasn't any help to his mother on the
place, but she was trying to educate
HE STOOD WITHIN A FOOT OF HIS UNCLE HEPNEE.
him. knowing that he never could ao i
any physical work.
••Well, the spelling bee excitement
became more and more intense as the
time drew near, and when Christmas
eve at last came the old Four Mile
schoolhouse was a sight to see,
"The night was one of the coldest l
ever remptuber. The stars shone like
bright lamps in the sky The sleighing
was good and the air sharp enough to
stir the blood and, if possible, still more
to stimulate the boys and girls. A lot
of the boys bad borrowed a pair ef
sled runners and put a big wagon on
them. Then plenty of straw was put
in the box, and about twenty of us
boys and girls piled in. with lots of
quilts and buffalo robes and warm
shawls.
"I had my first beau that night. His
name was Azraiel Whitphead. and of
all awkward boys he was the awk ‘
wardest. 1 think 1 was the first girl he i
had ever asked to go with him. Any j
how. I know he fell fiat on his back ,
trying to h“!p me out of the sled, and
he let me go bead first into a snow
bank.
“T remember that his handkerchief
was wet with cinnamon drops and that
he gave me a handful of peppermint
and cloves. I remember, too. how we
■II of os went up and down hill sing
lug and laughing at the top of our
voices. We made the old woods sod
the ealleym risg. Yes. and the aled up^
set. too, and we were all thrown Into a
ditch. The edge of the wagon bow
caught my boau'a big feet under tt. and
I thought I should cry from morttkea
tioa when ho lay there and si-tnally
bawled and snlOod. I was on pat out
about It that I wouldn’t sM hr him
after wa got lata the aled or spank to
him afterward _
“Whoa wo touched the aebonihaase
are foaad It racked oe fall that wo
coaid bat Just crowd la Moat eeor7*
body had brought a candle to e*eh ap
on the logs and some serifs ef ever
gnaw and berries to mahe the room
look Chrtatmaay. There were four dif
ferent teachers and wall known spell
an from all over the township
“Lecta Plumb and I chaos op * I
got first choice and took Harriot Hep
ner. She was pale as death and looked
nervous and frightened. Leeta took
Ablmeiech A ben. the leading speller
from the Red Haw school, and I took
Cindy Patch, the best speller from Jack
Oak.
"Then we chose everybody in the
room who con.d spell at all. I think we
had more than fifty on a aide We
stood In or g rows on both sides of the
house against the wail. and. nju< h to
ciy disgust, 1 got nay hair full of tal
low from a d'ipping ctiidl*.
-\Ve were about ready to commence
spelling and everybody had become
quiet when the people who aat near
the door made way for some one who
had come late, and in came little Sam
Waltely on his crutch, with his mother
behind him in a poor. thin, patched old
faded calico dress and a thin cotton
shawl, with a faded <**d red hood on
Harriet Hepncr.
o^-- ■ - .-c
her head. I could see a hole worn In
her shoe as she put her foot up on the
stove hearth.
"Sam was then about fifteen rears
old. but not as tall as souie boys of
nine He was very thinly dressed for
such a sharp night, and they had wait
ed fully two miles
“I felt sorry for them and spoke np
at onoe and took Sara on my side It
happened tn be my turn to choose,
and 1 was bound tlie poor fellow
should not be slighted, whether he
could spell or not.
"He had half a mind not to try. but
I saw his mother rea h out her hand
and gently push him. and then he hob
bled down to the end of the line and
stood w,thin a foot of his I'nele Hep
ner.
“Thru the spelling commenced. •
blush to tell it. but 1 actually missed
the vcr> first word given me. and that
was 'mermaid.' I spelled It 'mur
Bier’ I knew better, but I was so
nervous I could not collect my
thoughts. So I had to take tuy scat.
|nd of course I hud a little cry all to
myself.
‘ Hut I nearly laughed so as to be
seard nil over the room when Azraiel
Whitehead missed 'goose ' He spelled
ft ‘gusc.’ and he had told me id confi
dence that he half expected to get tbo
prize aud had been studying hla speller
for w eeks.
"Electa nils "d 'emanate.’ She
spelled U with an T instead of an ‘a.’
‘■• indy Pntch tnis-isl •trauquilixe.’ I
think sh< 'f w b- - v to spell it, but she
was ex- ited be 3use seven or eight
had mi -d It la-fore her. The Jack
Oak s o.iiors I-.- 1 -I very sol-er when
Cindy had to “it <!■>' n.
"1 t y..f to hare «een old
Squire Hepinr's . es twinkle and his
grim face I » U grimmer when Abime
taeh Alers. the l-ext Uetl Haw scholar,
misseq 'phyt-s liiniy' aud Harriet sjtell
etl It without hesitation. Isituelech
g*»t Confustsl and thought the last let
ter was *e' instead of y.’
“The Itetl Haw i-eopie did look morti
fied. and the Four Mile folks were
highly pleased and showed it. too. for
all the I test sellers were out on both
sides, and only Harriet Hepner and
five or six others were left Four of
them missed micaceous.' a ad Harriet
was Jest going to spell It when Mis’
Wattely. In a scared, timid volca that
could Just he beard, as id
“ ‘If you pleas*, teacher, baay
hasn't spelled yet.'
‘Hammy steed dewa at the ead ad
the Use. aad they bad overtook ad him.
Bat the teacher replied:
- -Oh. Indeed! I thought ha was dene
teog ago.’
“I thought he eeld ft saeertaflly. aad
he gave Sammy the word fa a taaa
that aaid plainly, 'Too can't apaU It
anyway.’
"Bat what did Sammy do hot spall
It correctly without the slightest hesi
tation
• Then the ethers wbe were standing
Biased dromedary.' and that left Har
riet and Sammy alone I tell yon, you
might have beard a pin drop then Ev
erybody waa half crazy with excite
meat.
“Old Squire Hepaer did not move a
muscle He had the money, five gold
five dollar pic es, and a fancy purse
and waa to s‘r« them himself to the
winner
**lt 6eeic**'i to me that Ctxnt poor
cri'fied tajy got help from on high
tha; uigat. I t-erer saw anything like
it. At lirst he was SO *hy that hia
robe almost trembled, but when be
and the -cii'ln !* had never spokes
U- stood up there atone an-i bis tierce
old un-ie g-ared »» c«ntc: ipi-tously st
him the lit lie fei. -w ra.-e-l hito* if to
his full height and from that moment
never Blacked.
"ilia large eyes glistened, and he
thr- • litis. Uas host! aihl 1»->k*d b.4dly
«t hix t>T; avd spr'led the words la
■ * • «' that f r!v t.v»» peo
p!(* * hep.' tl .IT .IT.
“HI* u other bad qulet-jr sib ped
tfcrocch the .fjTTd ami lakea her seat
beltiid him. ad lb -e sat near
-he ■ i • of tu- '* in •
• ltd held tl. while the trap* sires Sard
<1 tjn tv, r fa ■
“I’bp tvro against earb r*her
• for a fun half hoar. >;) 1 it ts» ■ w
r~“>r Harriot was a» wb. ,• « a , t,
and 1 rouid so*> that she •>« {•>■
biteg frota bead to f.v.t
“At last the tewcher irsee thr w*d
tynuituHtslv' Harrto- »*. • - • -
syllable. tfcon iM »t»tn r—"
looked ftnp’orinsly at her father .* • ’
then tremblingly went on ai>d *j»
It with one •&.*
“‘How did yon spoil It HirrW'
Did tog have only-—
“Squire llepner had been lord. • g on
a spelling h-s-k too. N. * t.e r .. ■
sharp;,* round to the tr.v* er a ,1 in
his hardest. r«West eoiee sa..i
•' She missed tt. sir P*-a tt to thr
next.’
"Ssm spelled » without he«'t*tln« att
Instant.
■ on conld have heard « pin drop In
that room It was stilt a* death liar
riel dropped Into her t-eat ami burial
her face In her ha ml* >. ire llepner'a
face iifvrr change « irhont a wont
ha rose. reached out h!* oug arm beck
oned to Sam to come to him and then
dropped Into the lad's outstretched
hand the purse Turning and faring
the breathless people, ha s« |
" T want you all to know that I think
this baa tieeu a fair and square match
and my nephew deserve* tbe prtre ‘
“Without further wonts he took hb1
hat and marched out of the house
“Well, the Red Haw people actually
carried Sam home on tbelr shoulders,
wlih Mis' Waltely close behind crying
as If her h -art would break with Joy
and nervousness. But she had on a
I long. warm, plaid ahawl that 1 saw
Mis' Squire Hepner throw over her as
ahe stepped out of the door
“One of my sisters went home with
the Hepners that night, and she said
Harriet cried ail the war home and
was In mortal terror at the thought of
meeting her father She stooped on the
doorstep a long while, and when she
did finally step into the room, trer.i
bilng and fairly mourning, her father,
who was sitting with his bead between
his hands before the fire, got up and
walked over to her and actually kissed
her there before them all Then he
went off to l»ed without a word
“But what followed was better trtll!
Christmas day the squire took bta big
sled, put In lota of hay and blankets
and drove off like Mmshl himself to
his sister's. No one ever knew what
happened there, but It ended In Mis'
Waltely and all the children going
boma with the squire And a big
Christmas day they bad. folks said
“The squire declared It was an honor
to know a boy who could spell like
Bam They say be had that boy spell
the dictionary half through that win
her and nearly bngeed him when he
spelled correctly the longest word In It
"The squire was the strangest man
on the subject of siwlliug that 1 ever
beard of. Nothing but Sum's knowing
bo- to swell so well ever softened his
heart toward bis sister and her ohll
dren. And nothing pleased him more
thun to have S:in and Harriet tptll
against ca-h other for hours at a
at-etch."
Work Wtikm Hi Kitovs
KMart flit. H>» I>aa* lirMI
**r*»e» tor fM|>lf Hlw Wart la
rmm.
Mi»l Putnam people work es ery day
I in some *ltai»ed. unnatural pMtitw~
i >endin* *"> n»lan!iy over ■ JrA-ilit
! "tiOB jo 11n* *xm« or nn—itnim;
;*ta,ih..i» housework; lifting, reaching j
| wr (wHitif, or trying the hack in a hun
dred and ant other »ao Ail ihew
; Inwl l» wear, weaken and lit'
II --*» the tudntjr until they fall lehlml
! id llwi »mt of filtering the pcwaoti*
I 'wwa the Umf Stan * K d ev Pills
I sale *wh ktfom, fait new •(rength iu
i (ed inrk» Potaen t-ures pro.e it.
M’». Aliarrt iutiKjirtir. *o* aeiitb
; street. PuUitBi, < »inn , .*ay»; My
; husband was inrrhM for a ong Untf
; with kidney ntiiipluut He had .;trli I
Will? |> at ft* in by* lark that he could J
hardly set around He war iImi
bothered by ditty sprits and a toe fre
•r tent action of the kidney aecrtti
han't Kidney I “ill* procured at lirw
er ' drug slot* alwolutriy curnt him
and he has ne\er faileti to rees.mmend
iheni time when an op|>ortunity has
occurred. He has teen practically free
: from kidney complain! during the past
severnl years and he sites Ivan s Kid
ney Pills the credit."
For sale by all dealers. Price «n
cents. Foster-Mllburn fo., HitTalo,
New York, sole ascot for the I'nlled
States.
Itcmemlier the name—lVian's—and
ake no other.
Attention !
THE BEST
Caudf. Ire ( ream and Fruits
Wholesale and (Mail
Confer! loner) and lee Cream
Try Our Home Made Chocolate#. Hon*
bom*. The beet and the price
Our lea Cream m guaranteed under tin
pure food la a.
Price 30c ,xr
or One Dollar per gallon.
We keep In our stock a full line of frcab
tUiunMi of all also*. Try ua once and
you will be salisfled.
George Paris,
TjI. 4 m
Our teams deliter good* In Put
nam or any of surrounding town*.
oajiTon xaT.
a_.w- —I to kittf Yn Him Main BNE«
CASTOR IA
For Infanta and Children.
Die Kind fou Have Always Bough!
t Boars the
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Dortt
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The_ _i
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