In This Issue:
COMMENTS
NEWS
BOOK REVIEW
YOUR THOUGHTS
ADVENTURE STORY: THE CAVE DWELLERS
ADVENTURE STORY: THE GALLANT MYSTERY

COMMENTS

I Before E except after C? No Way!

Guest column by Academic Associates founder Cliff Ponder

Students have had to learn that old spelling rule for over a hundred years. But its wrong! Words like ceiling, receive and conceit fit the rule, but words like ancient, glacier, and science don’t.

There are only eight root words in the entire English language spelled C-E-I, vs. eighteen spelled C-I-E. More than twice as many words are spelled with C-I-E and with C-E-I.

And that I Before E part as a general spelling rule is only right about two-thirds of the time. If you rely on that rule, you’ll misspell one out of every three words that contain E-I or I-E.

There is a third part of that old rule, however, which is one-hundred percent correct. It says, “Or When Sounded Like A, As In Vein Or Weigh.” E-I can copy the sound of long A, as in vain or weigh, but I-E can’t.

The eight C-E-I words are: ceiling, conceit, conceive, deceit, deceive, perceive, receipt, and receive.

The eighteen C-I-E words are: ancient, boccie, coefficient, concierge, conscience, deficient, efficient, fancier, financier, glacier, omniscience, prescience, prima facie, proficient, science, sufficient, society, specie.

NEWS

BOOK REVIEW

An excellent book for reading as a family or reading to children is C.S. Lewis' classic: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe. Your children may have seen one of the movies based on this book, but nothing compares with reading it for yourself. It takes place in the land of Narnia where animals can talk and mythical beings exist. It captured the hearts of children and adults from its first publication. In my teen years I read through the entire series about once a year and never got tired of it. But be careful, I remember reading a story of parents who read this book to their four year-old and later found him with a small hatchet trying to cut his way through the back of a wardrobe into Narnia!

Adult Reading

The Teacher Who Couldn't Read is a fascinating true story of a man who became a High School coach and teacher and later a successful businessman without being able to read a word! I don't mean he struggled with reading, he could not read his high school diploma. When a letter came to tell him about his application for being a High School teacher [after graduating from collage] he could not tell if he was accepted or declined until someone else read the letter to him. It a story an highly intelligent child who missed out on this vital skill and how he coped. It shows the bitterness of feeling isolated and the ultimate triumph of a middle-aged man determined to master this skill. For those of you who live in Prince George, we have a copy in our library that you may borrow or you may wish to pick up your own copy.

YOUR THOUGHTS

Yours in life building,
Glenn and Diane Davis
Learn To Read Prince George and the World

THE CAVE DWELLERS

It was late in the evening at San Diego, in the autumn of the year 1832; there was no moon, but the stars shone so brightly in the clear, dry atmosphere that it was easy to distinguish objects at some little distance. A young fellow, in the dress of a sailor, was making his way through the narrow streets that bordered the port, when he heard a sudden shout, followed by fierce exclamations and Mexican oaths. Without pausing to consider whether it was prudent to interfere, he grasped tightly a cudgel he had that day cut, and ran to the spot where it was evident that a conflict was going on. It was but some forty yards away, and as he approached he made out four figures who were dodging round a doorway and were evidently attacking someone standing there. The inequality of the combat was sufficient to appeal to the sailor’s sympathies. The sand that lay thick in the street had deadened his footsteps, and his presence was unmarked till his stick descended with a sharp crack on the uplifted wrist of one of the assailants, eliciting a yell of pain, while the knife the man held flew across the street.

One of the man’s companions turned upon the newcomer, but the sailor’s arm was already raised, and the cudgel lighted with such force on the man’s head that he fell stunned to the ground. This unexpected assault caused the other two fellows to pause and look around, and in an instant the defender of the doorway bounded forward and buried his knife in one of their bodies, while the other at once fled, followed by the man whose wrist had been broken by the sailor’s first blow.

“Carambo, senor!” the Mexican said. “You have rendered me a service indeed, and I tender you a thousand thanks. I could not have held out much longer, for I had been more than once wounded before you arrived.”

“You are heartily welcome, senor. It was but a slight business - two blows with my stick and the matter was done,”

“You are not a countryman of mine, senor.” the other said, for the sailor spoke with a strong accent; “you are a stranger, and, as I can see now, a sailor.”

“That is so. I am an American.”

“Is that so?” the other said, speaking this time in English. “As you can see, I know about as much of your tongue as you do of mine. I thought you must be a stranger even before I observed your dress, for street frays are not uncommon in this town, whereas in other ports there are scores of men ready for any villany, and few of my people would care to interfere in a fray in which they have no interest. But do not let us stay here. It is best to get out of this quarter.”

“Shall we do anything with these fellows? The one I hit can only by stunned, and I should think we ought to turn him in to the authorities.”

The other laughed, “You might wait some time before we found them, and, besides, it would give us a deal of trouble. No; leave them where they lie. The one I struck at least will never get up again. Now, senor, may I ask the name of me preserver? Mine is Juan Sarasta.”

“Mine is William Harland,” the sailor replied.

“We are friends for life, Senor Harland,” the Mexican said, as he held out his hand and gripped that of the sailor warmly. “Where are you staying?”

“I am staying nowhere at present,” the sailor laughed. “I deserted from my ship three days ago, bought a supply of food, and have been some miles up the country. I know that the vessel was to sail to-day, and I came back again and watched her go out just before sunset, and have been sitting on a barrel down at the wharf, wondering what I was going to do, and whether, after all, it would not have been wiser of me to have put up with that brute of a captain until we got down to Valparaiso.”

“We will talk all that matter over later,” the Mexican said. “I am staying with some friends, who will, I am sure, make you welcome when I tell them that you saved my life.”

“I thank you very much,” the sailor said, “but no doubt I shall be able to find some little inn where I can obtain a night’s lodging.”

“Such a thing is not to be thought of, Senor Harland, and I shall feel very much hurt if you do not accept my offer.”

They were now in a wider street, and, passing a wine-shop from which the light streamed out, Harland saw that the Mexican was a young fellow but two or three years older than himself, and his dress showed him to belonging to the upper class. The Mexican’s glance had been as quick as his own, for he said, “Why, you are younger than I am!”

“I am just eighteen.”

“And I twenty. Were you an officer on your ship?”

“No. My father is one of the leading citizens of Boston; he absolutely refused to allow me to follow the sea as a profession, although he is a large ship-owner himself; however, my mind was made up, and as I could not go as an officer, I came as a sailor. This is not my first voyage, for two years ago he let me sail in one of his ships as an apprentice, making sure that it would have the effect of disgusting me with the sea. However, the experiment failed, and to his anger I returned even fonder of it than when I started. He wanted me to go into his office, but I positively refused, and we had a serious quarrel, at the end of which I went down to the river and shipped before the mast. I know now that I have behaved like a fool. The captain was a brute of the worst sort, and the first mate was worse, and between them they made the ship unbearable. I stood it as long as I could, but three days before we got to this port one of the young apprentices, whom they had pretty nearly killed, jumped overboard, and then I made up my mind that as soon as we landed I would bolt and take my chance of getting a berth on board some other ship.”

“But you speak Spanish very fairly, senor.”

“Well, the last ship I was in traded along the western coast, putting in at every little port, so I picked up a good deal of the language, for we were out here nearly six months. The ship I have just left did the same, so I have had nearly a year on this coast and having learned Latin at school, of course it helped me very much. And you, senor, how do you come to speak English?”

“I have been down for the past six months in Valparaiso, staying with a relation who has a house there, and my greatest friends there were some Englishmen of my own age, sons of a merchant. My father had spoken of my paying a visit to your States some day, and therefore I was glad of the opportunity of learning the language. This, senor, is the house of my friends.”

As Harland saw that his companion would take no denial, he followed him into the house. The young Mexican let the way to a pretty room with windows to the ground, opening on to a garden.

“You are late, Senor Juan,” a gentleman said, rising from his seat; but before the young man could reply, a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old cried out: “Madre Maria, he is wounded!”

“It is nothing serious, and I had almost forgotten it till just now it began to smart. I have two, or, I think, three stabs on my left arm; they are not very deep, as I twisted my cloak round it when I was attacked. But it would have been a very serious business had it not been for this gentleman, whom I wish to introduce to you, Don Guzman, as the saviour of my life. He is an American gentleman, the son of a wealthy ship-owner of Boston, but owing to some slight disagreement with his father, he has worked his way out here as a sailor. I ventured to promise that you would extend your hospitality to him.”

Editor’s note: As you can see, this story takes place while California still belonged to Mexico. Don’t miss future issues of Reading Adventure to see what happens to Harland in this dangerous time of history!

THE GALLANT MYSTERY

'The U.A.F. Gallant! What a great name for a starship. I just know we're going to have lots of fun living here. Sandy and I will explore every square centimeter...except for the restricted areas. Then maybe...'

Scott jerked his head around. His mother was looking through the serving window of the kitchen into the dining room where Scott and Sandy sat working at the table. She had an excellent view from there.

"Don't daydream when you're supposed to be doing your school work."

Glancing down at his Math workbook, Scott saw he had only done two questions in the last half hour and one of them was wrong. He had written 49 square inches instead of 49 squared. From across the polished, wooden table his thirteen year-old sister snickered.

"Sorry, mom." he replied in what he hoped sounded like a subdued voice.

"I know this is exciting," she said with a twinkle in her eyes,"but your school work still has to be done. As soon as you finish your day's goals, you may go out and look around."

For the next hour it was all Math and Science. Boring stuff compared with exploring one of the largest starships to ever sail the outer reaches of the galaxy, but what must be done, must be done.

The Langlish family had just moved onto the Gallant starship after Mr. Langlish had finally gotten permission to open his furniture store on the gigantic starship. Even though large sections of the Gallant were empty [they always were except in times of war] the starship still carried over 100,000 people. Most of the people were military personnel and their families. A few, like Mr. Langlish, were civilians who had seen the opportunity of not only selling to the people who lived on the starship, but also to the people on the remote planets that the Gallant visited and protected.

Mr. Langlish had bought an apartment on Level 45. He and Mrs. Langlish had been there several times getting it ready but late last night was the first time Scott and Sandy had seen it. It was a medium sized apartment with 3 bedrooms, a bathroom with a tub you could almost swim in, a family room, a study, a dining room, a living room, a store room, and the kitchen. "Finished!" declared Sandy closing her books with satisfaction. She went into the kitchen. Moments later Scott was at her side. He rubbed his hand through her shoulder-length, light-brown hair. "So am I."

The musical notes of the door bell interrupted them. Mrs. Langlish walked between Scott and Sandy separating them on her way to the door. She pressed the Door Release button and the door slid noiselessly into the wall on the right side. In the light blue hallway stood 3 people. The first one was a tall, slender woman with short, black hair. She looked to be about forty. In her hands was a tray with a towel covering the top of it. On her left was a teenage girl. She had her mother's dark hair, only longer, and dazzling green eyes. The other person was a boy of thirteen. His hair was a dark brown, like Scott's, and freckles were dotted over his grinning face. "Hello. I'm Mrs. Lewis." said the woman with a friendly smile.

"I'm Mrs. Langlish."

"We're your neighbours across the hall. Janna's just baked some of her special chocolate-chip cookies and we thought you might like to try them."

Complete introductions were made. The girl's name turned out to be Janna and the boy's name was Dick. Soon they were all seated in the comfortable family room chairs and couch except for Mrs. Langlish. She went into the kitchen to start making a pot of tain, then returned to ask the young people if they would prefer milk, rejer juice, or lemonade.

“...chocolate-chip cookies.” finished Dick.

The others agreed except for Janna who politely asked if she could have a cup of tain with the adults. Scott secretly wished he could have a cup of tain as well to impress Janna, but he knew his mother might not allow it so he decided not to risk asking.

Mrs. Langlish returned with the drinks on a small tray. Sandy passed the milk around as Mrs. Langlish poured the tain into three cups. Soon Mrs, Langlish and Mrs. Lewis were chatting like old friends. Where Scott, Sandy, and Dick were concerned, the cookies and drinks simply seemed to disappear. Janna nibbled on a cookie and sipped her tain with a contemptuous eye on Dick, who had just gulped down the last of his milk and was helping himself to his fifth cookie.

"But mom..." began Dick. He caught a glint in her eyes and said no more. It is amazing how much a mother’s eye can communicate!

"We'll show you around." offered Janna as she set her empty cup gently on the low table.

"They've got some neat places." added Dick.

"You can eat out if you like." said Mrs. Langlish as they went to put their glasses in the kitchen sink,"Do you two have your cards?"

"Yes, mom." replied Scott and Sandy in unison.

"Good. Be sure to be back by 6, because Sgt. Walters is coming to talk with us about life here on the Gallant."

"We will."

When they were standing in the outside hall Janna asked,"What would you like to do first?"

"What is there to do?" asked Scott looking around and trying to remember all the things they had read about the Gallant.

The hallway seemed to stretch away in both directions almost into infinity. Every 48 meters it was intersected by another hallway. All the main hallways in the Gallant were 4.5 meters wide. The walls were painted in light, friendly colours. Each section was a different color. On the doors were printed in neat, black letters the apartment number and the family name of the people who lived there.

Don’t miss the next newsletter as Scott and Sandy begin to explore the Gallent...but trouble is right around the corner!