No. 49

As she stood in Washington's crowded U.S. Department of Commerce Auditorium, 13-year-old Sandra Sloss of St. Joseph's School, Granite City, Ill. smoothed down her cotton dress, adjusted the numeral placard (No. 49) that hung around her neck, and decided that she didn't have a chance. The other 61 finalists, who had beaten out the 5,000,000 original contestants in the annual Scripps-Howard spelling bee, were obviously going to be too good. Nevertheless, as the warmup period began at 8:50 a.m., Sandra determined to do her best. She took one last look at her parents in the audience, then firmly turned her attention to the business at hand.

The first words that rolled off the tongue of Pronouncer Benson S. Alleman (accurate . . . alliance . . . ambitious) should have been easy. But to Sandra's great surprise, one girl spelled dessert with an "i." After that, 100 words passed without a slip. Then one twelve-year-old spelled solicit with an "s" instead of "c." After that, the heads began to roll faster.

By noon the spellers were facing tougher words--esoteric, exorcism, codicil, etc.

One boy fell over orchidaceous ("Nero Wolfe was an orchidaceous hound," prompted Pronouncer Alleman), and a girl collapsed over the almost impossible chiastolite. On word No. 501, Sandra faced a crisis. Is vicinage spelled ige or age? Taking a deep breath, Sandra chose the "a," and survived.

As the afternoon wore on, quietus got an "o," badinage became batonage, and a youngster blurted g-y-r-o-c . . . for gyroscopic and with a despairing cry ("I missed it!") sat down. By 5 p.m. only three contestants were left. Quincunx,'' shot the pronouncer at Naomi Klein of the Yeshiva of Flatbush school (Brooklyn, N.Y.)--and then there were only two.

At that point, the rules of the game changed: a contestant had to spell not only the word her opponent missed, but another one as well. Sandra's opponent, Jean Copeland of the Prescott (Ariz.) Junior High School, knocked off solecism and encomium, while Sandra got mnemonic. Then Sandra spelled cedilla with an "s," and it was only because Jean flubbed papyraceous that Sandra was saved. By word No. 534, Spelling-Bee Director Charles Schneider was wondering whether he would have to declare a draw.

Jean tossed off quidnunc; Sandra got verisimilitudinous. Jean got boucle, and Sandra managed baccalaureate. Then Jean spelled cumaphyte with a "cumo," but Sandra missed with a "cume." Finally, the big break came. Jean spelled abbacy "abbosy," and Sandra got it right. The payoff word: crustaceology. C-R-U-S-T-A-C, said Sandra (pause), E-(pause), OLOGY. "The winner!" cried Pronouncer Alleman--and after the usual flurry of congratulations, a stunned but happy Sandra withdrew with her family for a big dish of L-E-M-O-N-M-E-R-I-N-G-U-E-P-I-E.

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