The words were now given out with something like rapidity; and there was a constant stream of boys and girls walking up the aisles, and of others coming in the opposite directions. Every one of the latter seemed to be muttering,--
"I knew that word just as well!"
It was well that the front pews had been kept for unlucky spellers; but a seat in one of them was hardly looked upon as a prize.
"Port," said Corry gleefully, "they"re thinning out fast. Think of a girl and two boys going down on such a word as "rotation"!"
"Was that it? I thought he said "rundition;" and I"d never seen it anywhere. He"ll stumble me, sure"s you live."
It was nearly their turn; and they one after the other felt a ton or so lighter when they were able to march to the front, instead of going to find seats.
Before that, however, Elder Keyser had thrown as hard a word as he could find at the head of Vosh Stebbins.
"Glad he had to say it slow," thought Vosh. "Guess he never tried it before. I can do it."
He was safe for the time, and the next Cobbleville boy went down on an easy word that then came across to Susie. She was conscious of a great deal of red in her face; but she spelled it clearly and correctly, and that sent her to the head, and next to Vosh again.
Twice more around, and the lines of young people in the aisles were not nearly so long as at first.
There had been, moreover, an almost continual roar of laughter over the examples of use given by the unfortunates.
Hardly were Port and Corry safe on the second round, before Elder Keyser blurted out to the next boy a word that sounded like--
"Ber"l."
"Bar"l, b-a-r-r"--
"That"ll do. Example?"
"A bar"l of flour."
"Next. Ber"l."
"Ber"l, b-e-r-y-l."
"Down. Wrong. Example?"
"Beryl, a precious stone;" and the blushing damsel sorrowfully slipped aside into one of the front pews.
"Next. Ber"l."
"Berril, b-u-r-r-i-a-l."
"Wrong. Down. Example?"
"Berril, the berril of Surgeon Moore. I"ve heerd "em sing it."
That boy sat down; but the young lady opposite spelled "burial"
correctly, even if she p.r.o.nounced it "burriel."
Once more round; and now Cobbleville could show barely twenty, and the Benton district hardly a baker"s dozen.
"We"re getting "em," chuckled Corry. "They"ve lost some of their best spellers on old Keyser"s p.r.o.nunciation."
Alas for Corry! His turn came to him next upon a word the sound of which he was sure he caught.
"Stood, s-t-oo-d."
"Wrong. Down. Example?"
"Stewed, then!" roared Corry in undisguised vexation. "Example: "The boy stewed on the burning deck.""
"Next." The word sounded a little shorter this time; and the Cobbleville champion, whose turn it was, began,--
"Stud, s-t-u-d."
"Wrong. Down. Example?"
"One of my shirt-studs;" and down he went in a great roar of laughter, while Porter Hudson took the hint Corry"s "example" had given him, and went to the head again on "stewed."
The rounds went by rapidly now; and each one sent down somebody in disgrace, while the excitement of the audience was visibly increasing.
"Susie," whispered Vosh, "we"ve got as many left standing as they have.
Keyser"s killing "em off fast, though."
"That"s what I"m afraid of."
"Don"t spell a word till you know what it is, even if you have to ask him."
"I"d never dare do that."
"I would, then."
She was just above him, and in another moment her trial came. Vosh saw the puzzled, troubled expression on her face, and he came to the rescue.
"Elder Keyser," he sang out, "was that word "mystery," or "mastery," or "monastery," or was it "mercy"? There"s a difference in the spelling of "em."
"Silence!"
"Silence, s-i-l-e-n-c-e," gravely spelled Susie, while the whole meeting-house rang with the applause that greeted her.
"Next. Spell "misery,"" sharply exclaimed Elder Keyser; and a very pretty young lady of Cobbleville was so far disconcerted by the suddenness of it, that she actually began,--
"Misery, m-i-z"--
"Wrong. Down. Example?"
"Misery--ah! nothing to eat."