SPELLING BEE

If you were ever in a spelling bee, I'll bet you remember the word you "went down on"! I know that I do.

I was at a Home Interiors party and the hostess introduced the Demonstrator as Rosemary Drummond. Rosemary thanked her cousin who was the hostess and then she said she was so happy that her mother Hazel Caplinger was there and she introduced her. My mind immediately stirred: "Rosemary, Rosemary, ROSEMARY CAPLINGER!" Yes, it had to be the SAME Rosemary Caplinger who "spelled me down" in the Spelling Bee when I was thirteen!

I could not concentrate on the party, because all I could think of was that this was THE Rosemary Caplinger who had defeated me!

I ordered something and handed my sheet to Rosemary to figure the amount. I waited until everyone had finished and then I said, "Spell JARDINIERE!" She asked, incredulously, "What?" I said, "I believe you won the Spelling Bee by being able to spell JARDINIERE!" She said, "I don't remember!" How could it be that she didn't remember my humiliation? She laughed and said, "But I DO remember the word that I went down on!" Of course she would remember THAT word!

I said, "J-A-R-D-I-N-I-E-R-E, jardiniere", just the way it's supposed to be done in spelling bees! Mrs. Caplinger spoke up and said, "Her son's a good speller too." Insult to injury!

My brother Les and I love to watch the National Spelling Bee but he calls the contestants "Twitchy Little Freaks"; I tell him that I was also a "Twitchy Little Freak" at one time!