A geographical class was equally interesting. "How many counties has
Pennsylvania?" sent five persons to their seats before it was answered
correctly. Others succeeded in locating such queer names as
Popocatepetl, Martinique, Ashtabula, Rhodesia, Orkney, Comanche.
A little later the last spelling class was held. It was open to
everybody. The line was already stretched across the schoolroom when
Lyman Mertzheimer, home for a few days of vacation, entered the
schoolhouse.
"Oh, dear," thought Amanda, "what does he want here? I'd rather do
without his fifteen cents! He expects to make a show and win the prize
from every one else."
Lyman, indeed, swaggered down the room and entered the line, bearing
the old air of superiority. "I'll show them how to spell," he thought
as he took his place. Spelling had been his strong forte in the old
days of school, and it was soon evident that he retained his former
ability. The letters of the most confusing words fell from his lips as
though the very pages of the spelling-book were engraved upon his
brain. He held his place until the contest had ruled out all but two
beside himself. Then he looked smilingly at Amanda and reared his head
in new dignity and determination.
"Stelliform, the shape of a star," submitted the teacher. The word fell
to Lyman. He was visibly hesitant. Was it stelli or stella?
Bringing his knowledge of Latin into service, he was inclined to think
it was stella. He began, "S-t-e-l-l--"
He looked uncertainly at one of his friends who was seated in the front
seat. He, also, was a champion speller.
"Oh, if Joe would only help me!" thought the speller.
As if telepathy were possible, Joe raised the forefinger of his left
hand to his eye, looked at Lyman with a meaning glance that told him
what he craved to know.
"Iform," finished Lyman in sure tones.
"Correct."
"That was clever of Joe," thought the cheat as the teacher gave out a
word to one of the three contestants. "I just caught his sign in time.
Nobody noticed it."
But he reckoned without the observant teacher of Crow Hill school.
Amanda, seated in the front of the room and placed so she half faced
the audience and with one little turn of her head could view the
spellers, had seen the cheating process and understood its
significance. The same trick had been attempted by some of her pupils
several times during the monthly spelling tests she held for the
training of her classes.
"The cheat! The big cheat!" she thought, her face flushing with anger.
"How I hope he falls down on the next word he gets!"
However, the punishment he deserved was not meted out to him. Lyman
Mertzheimer outspelled his opponents and stood alone on the platform, a
smiling victor.