Rehearsed the declamations ev’ry noon;
And in the evening practiced ev’ry play.
So when came on the tenth of February,
We’d all in trim and all a-feeling merry.
The other districts also plotted, planned;
And studied early, late and overtime.
If kerosene had not then been on hand
They’d burned up all the pitchy knots of pine.
And safe to say, they knew the word book well,
And as they plainly showed, knew how to spell.