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I learned calligraphy and Spencerian script so it was as if an 18th-century maiden was writing to them from her parlor on a rainy day.

Janelle won the state bee in March by correctly spelling “Spencerian,” referring to a handwriting style that became popular in the U.S. in the 19th century.

Cursive in all its flowing permutations — the opal-shaped calligraphy of Spencerian, the simplified and precise Palmer Method; the spare D’Nealian, distinguished by its saucy “monkey tails”; the stolid and reliable Zaner-Bloser — was once a staple of American elementary education.

And the 14-page handwritten document went on, in exquisite Spencerian script, to create what experts say are the crucial foundations of the modern game of “base ball.”

Each letter of the alphabet, every numeral and symbol, announces its kinship to the other in a flourishing script called Spencerian.