That boy sat down; but the young lady opposite spelled "burial" correctly, even if she pronounced 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 pronunciation."
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?"