It was many minutes before quiet was restored and the "match" could be opened.

Mrs.Cartwill chose Mrs.Farnsworth and her rival selected the husband of the dashing young woman.

Mr.Reddon firmly and significantly announced his determination to sit near the teacher "to preserve order," and not enter the contest of words.
Possibly it was the presence of the strangers that rattled and unnerved the famed spellers of both sides, for it was not long until the lines had dwindled to almost nothing.

Three or four arrogant competitors stood forth and valiantly spelled such words as "Popocatepetl," "Tschaikowsky," "terpsichorean," "Yang-tse-Kiang," "Yseult," and scores of words that could scarcely be pronounced by the teacher herself.

But at last, just as the sleepy watchers began to nod and yawn the hardest, Mrs.Cartwill stood alone and victorious, her single opponent having gone down on the word "sassafras." Anderson Crow had "gone down" early in the match by spelling "kerosene" "kerry-seen." Ed Higgins followed with "ceriseen," and 'Rast Little explosively had it "coal-oil." During the turmoil incident to the dispersing of the gathered hosts Miss Banks made her way to 'Rast Little's side and informed him that the Farnsworths were to take her to Mrs.Holabird's in their big sleigh.
'Rast was floored.