father sed tonite after he got home that it sirved old Swane the poliseman and old Mizzery Dirgin the poliseman that throwed me out of the hall that time that father was going to make a speech but dident dass to jest rite. that it was the law that a pedler coodent pedle things without a license and old Swane and old Mizzery Dirgin knowed it and hadent augt to have aloud him to do it and if they had did their duty father woodnt have lost 2 dollers in bying a tin wach without enny wirks in it. father sed he woodent have missed it for 10 dollers and he wood like to know who done it. i sed peraps it was the Terible 3 and he sed if it is peeple had augt to forgive them for what they had did to old Biley and old Bill and old Ike and old Ward and old J. Albert. i wanted to tell him but of coarse my othe woodent alow me to tell. i bet father wood make a awful good member. if he was a member we wood have to call it the Terible 4 and then peraps Beany and Pwet wood have to have there fathers in it and we wood have to call it the Terible 6.

So i gess it is all rite to leeve it as it is, but if we ever get up another one father will have to join. jest imagine ennyone ketching us and triing to lick us when father was round.

i havent stoped laffing yet over it. if enny of the peeple whitch got pluged ever find out who done it they will kill us dead. but they wont never find it out.

well this morning i got up and et my breckfast and done my choars and went over to Beanys and got him and we went up to Pewts and had a meating of the Terible 3 and i told them what father sed and what the pedler done to hime and that the pedler was going to pedle there tonite and that it was our chanct to do good wirk and to maik a naim for ourselfs. so Pewt took us out to where his father had set a lot of hens and there was lots of hens and there was lots of egs that dident hach. sum of them was so lite that you coodent plug them verry far and sum of them whitch were heavy had ded chickings in them. we broke 1 of eech kind to see whitch smelt the wirst and we coodent tell. both smelt so bad that we had to go out of the coop and wait till it aird out. then we pluged 1 of eech kind agenst the fense. the lits one popped the loudest and the chicking one spatered the most. they was 36 left.

Well Beany sed his father was papering sum rooms in Masonick block in the 2th story for General Maston and that he was going to Portsmuth tonite to a masonick meating. so Beany sed he wood get the kee of the office and we wood go up there and lock the door and open the windows easy and not have enny lite birning and we cood see evrybody in the square and nobody cood see us and he gessed mister pedler wood think sumbody had throwed a skunk at him.

well i have forgoten wether i got licked in school today or not. i dont think i did but i aint sure. i dident think of ennything but what we was to do to the pedler and old Francis grabed me and shook me up and give me 2 or 3 bats and stood me on the platform for a hour. so i dident get licked after all. i thougt i wood remember it if i was licked.

well after supper i studded until haff past seven and Cele done all of my xamples if i wood let her read Ratlesnaik Red Head the red Handed after she had read 2 provirbs. so i let her have it and after i had coppied the xamples i hipered over to Beanys. he and Pewt were ready. we devided the egs and filled our pockets with them and then we went down town.

when we got there the pedler was standing in his wagon in the square. and he had a big torchlite and he was hollering and holding up things to sell. they was a crowd of peeple round him men and wimmen and boys and girls. we went down to masonick block and went up stairs. we dident meat ennybody and the stairs were pich dark. we unlocked the door of the office and went in and opened the winders eesy. it was lucky we did becaus Beany run into a table in the dark and broak 2 egs in his pocket. murder how they smelt. we had to stick our heads out of the window to breeth. Beany sed what am i to say to father and mother when they smell me and find i have got roten eg on my close and Pewt sed we fill say we were in the crowd and got hit and nobody will think we pluged ourselfs. i tell you Pewt is awful smart to think up things. that is why he gits so few lickings in school and me and Beany get so menny. so after we had got all the egs out of our pockets and in litle piles ready and cood breeth inside we all got ready. the old pedler had a bottle in his hand and sed now ladies and gentlemen i have here a bottel of my selibrated panyseer compounded by the most destinkwished chemists in Europe and of the purist and most xpensive drugs and warranted to cure headake, earake, backake, bellyake, hartake, rumatism, growing panes, varicose vanes, bunions, corns, ingrowing tonales, scroffuler, siattikeer, lung fevers, scarlet feever, meezles, hooping coff mumps and croop. children cry for it, old maids sy for it, you must have it. waulk up, run up, gump up, tumble up ennyway to get up only fetch your money up and all for 1 doller.

jest as he sed that Pewt let ding with a chicking eg as hard as he cood. it wood have took old mister pedler square in the head but jest then he leened down to take a doller and it went over his head and took old Mizzery Dirgin who was standing facing towerds us rite square in the mouth and spatered all over him. i bet he gumped 9 feet in the air and then begun to hoop and gag and rushed for the horse troth and put his head in and soused it round and the peeple all begun to laff and holler and old Mizzery gumped up all driping and arested Mike Prescot for being drunk and begun to drag him off and Mike held back and fit and old Swane grabed him to help old Mizzery and we let ding as fast as we cood and old Swane got one rite between the sholders and one rite in the back of his head that popped like a pistol and he let go of Mike and rushed for the troth and put his head in and while the old pedler was laffing his head off he got 2 chicking egs 1 in his shert bosum and one rite square in the eye and i never heard sutch swaring and hooping and gaging in my life and and sheriff Odlin who was standing on the curbstone got one in his stovepipe hat and of coarse he had to arest sumone and he took Bill Hartnitt and waulked him off and as soon as the old pedler got enuf of the eg out of his ey so he cood see and breeth he grabed the ranes and liked his horse round the corner. peeple were rushing round and triing to get out of the way and sum were hollering murder what a stink and sum were hollering hell what a stink and sum were laffing their heads off and bending over and slaping their gnees and leening agenst trees and holding their sides and sum were swaring and getting the polisemen to arest inosent peeple whitch hadent done nothing and one man with a streek of yellow down his back where he had got a popper was offering 500 dollers for the man whitch wood tell him who throwed them rotten egs. i see father there talking with old Swane and old Mizzery and shaking his head. father dident get hit but Pewts father did. he got a popper in the coat tale and he was mad. he wood have been madder if he had gnew it was his eg.

of coarse we hit a good many peeple that we dident meen to hit. they shoodent have been in the way and they coodent blaim ennybody but themselfs. but i supose they wood about kill us if they gnew who done it. peeple is prety unreesonable sumtimes. but we drove the old pedler away and saved a grate del of money for the peeple and we pluged old Swane and old Mizzery Dirgin and evrybody was glad of that. of coarse when a feller gets a roten eg in the ey or in the middle of his vest when he has got his best close on he dont feel xacly plesant towerds ennybody. after tonite i gess evrybody will ware their old close when they go out to hear a pedler pedle.

well while the peeple was hollering and swaring and holding their nose and being arested for being drunk by old Swane and old Mizzery and Sheriff Odlin and being draged into the lockup me and Beany and Pewt shet the winders of the office and we come down stairs and went home. when we got to my house we all went in. mother and Aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele was setting up. well when he went in and begun to talk mother and Aunt Sarah begun to maik awful faces and Keene and Cele sed phew what a awful smell and mother sed Keene open the windows quick and sumone birn a rag. what in the wirld have you stepped in boys, go out and scrape your feet on the scraper and wipe them on the mat. you had augt to be moar cairful where you step and Beany he sed it aint that misses Shute i got hit with a roten eg when sumone roten eged the pedled and mother sed i dont want to be unpolite Elbrige, Elbrige is Beany you know, but i think you had better stand in teh doorway while you xplain. so Beany stood there and we were telling about it while Keene leened out of the window and hollered phew and mother and Aunt Sarah held their nose when father come in and the minit he come in he sed Geerusalem the golden naim ever dear to me will that smell folow me all the days of my life till i dwell in the house of the lord forever, and mother sed George i realy wish you woodent talk so befoar the children and father sed all rite Joey, he calls mother Joey you know, i wont, but it is verry triiing to a man of my partickuler disposision to return to the buzum of his familiy to find the intire homested smeling like a combineasion of a glu factory, a fertilizer factory and a ded horse whitch has been left 3 weaks in a hot July sun. and mother sed for heavens saik George dont say enny more. it is bad enuf without thinking of sutch dredful things. and father sed i wont Joey only you shood not have interrupted me and tirned me from my religious medditasions. i was doing prety well. then Aunt Sarah sed if you aint moar choise in your langage you never will dwell in the house of the Lord but sumwhere elce, and father sed tell me sumthing new and dont scair me to deth Sarah. but how in the wirld did that smell get here, and me and Beany and Pewt all hollered Beany got a eg in the side and father sed i shood think he did and the best thing Beany can do is to go home and chainge his close. it is neerly 10 oh clock and we have got to go to bed sumtime tonite.

so Pewet and Beany went home and father set down and mother shet the winders and father told us about it and how meny got hit and what they sed and we all nearly dide laffing as we always do when father tells stories, and father sed Gim Ellison got hit in the middle of his vest and went home holding his nose up in the air so high that he run bang into a tree and broak his speckticles, and old Bradbiry Purington, Pewts father went home holding his coat tale up like a woman holds up her trane. he sed that old Mag Mackflannery got hit and went rite down to old Bill Morrils house and maid so mutch fuss that Bill promised her a new dress if she wood shet up and go home. he sed Bill sed he will never run for selickman again. it keeps him in hot water all the time. he sed Bill sed if he hadent agreed to by her a new dress she wood have drove him into a loonitick assilem.

father he sed it was wirth 25 dollers of enny mans money to see old Swane and old Dirgin get it and they hadent enny rite to arest Mike and Bill and Gimmy Josy whitch wasent doing nothing but standing round, and wasent drunk enuf to be arested, and he sed he and Amos Tuck went in and baled them all out and that was why he was lait. father sed he wished moar egs had hit the polisemen and he wished he gnew the fellers whitch throwed the egs he wood give them 5 dollars.

gosh i wanted to tell him but my othe forbid but i wish we cood get that 5 dolers. father sed if the Terible 3 done it they hadent augt to be blaimed for ennything they had done to old Biley and the others. then he told me and Keene and Cele to go to bed and we done it. while i was wrighting i remembered what father sed about baling out old Mike and Gimmy Josy and Bill Hartnitt and i hollered down stairs and sed father how did you go to wirk to bale out them fellers. and father sed i used a stomack pump of coarse. how did you supose i done it, with a dipper. now you go to bed. so i went back and shet my door.

i tell you father knows how to do things. he pumped all the rumm out of them fellers and when they are tride in coart tomorrow and old Swane and old Mizzery sware that they was drunk the jug will tell them they is dam liers and a disgraice to the perfession. i wish i cood go to coart and hear the jug say that but i supose i have got to go to school. tomorrow i will wright the report for Pewt to copy becaus i can spel so mutch beter than Pewt.

October 28, 186—-brite and fair. gosh the funniest thing happened to Pewt and to Beany. when Pewt got home his father was there and auful mad because he had got a poper on the coat tale becaus he was going to a temprunce meating tonite and was going to set on the platform and Pewts mother sed it wood be a weak befoar he cood ware that coat again becaus she wood have to boil it in 2 waters and rince it in and 3 and then dry it and ion it. so Pewts father coodent set on the platform at the temprunce meating and he was mad enuf to lick his grate granfather.

if Pewt had gnew enuf to keep still he wood have been all rite but he wanted to be funy and he sed that is a funy way to boil egs and old man Purinton grabed him and lambasted him with his ratan can till you cood have heard Pewt holler down town. it was tuf on Pewt but he dident get a lot of lickings he ougt to have got and i gess he cant complane.

and Beany had tuf luck two for when he went into the house they maid him go out and take off his jaket and his father licked him for spoling his close and maiking sutch a smell until Beany hollered as loud as Pewt. for onct in my life i had sum good luck for i got up the hoal thing and they got licked for it. i supose it aint rite for 1 of the Terible 3 to laff when the other 2 gets licked but i cant help it.

tonite we dident do nothing but put up another sine on old Ikes house it sed.

bewair Isak the hour of retrobusion is at hand. the Terible 3

i xpect to hear sumthing from Ike tomorrow.

October 29, 186—-today neither Pewt nor Beany cood go out of the yard xcept to go to school. they boath sed they wood be willing to stay in the yard the hoal day if they cood stay away from school but they thougt it was tuf to have to go to school and run the risk of being licked and then stay in the yard when the other fellers was having a good time.

but i done the best i cood to help them out. after school this morning i got a croud of fellers to go up to Pewts. they was Pop Clark and Hunny Donovan and Ham Welsh and Skinny Bruce and Jack and Gim Melvin and we staid there until Pewts father drove us out and after school this afternoon i got the saim croud to go over to Beanys so he woodent be loansum and we staid there till Beanys father drove us out. Beanys father told my father that it was more punishment for his family when he kep Beany in the yard than it was to Beany becaus evry time he kept Beany in the yard all his frends come in and rased particklar hell.

tonite old Ike sent for father and wanted to know if he wood come up and stay with him until nine oh clock when he was going to have a poliseman stay all nite to perteck him from the Terrible 3. father he sent him word that he wood be up after supper. he had to go down town a few minits and he sent me up to tell him and to say that he had better stay in and keep the doors locked. he told me to tell him he wood give 3 gnocks but not to open the doer for enyone elce.

Aunt Sarah sed George do you really think they is enny dainger. and father sed not a bit. sumone is having fun with Ike and Aunt Sarah sed why do you want to scare him to deth and father sed sister mine our gentle cussin Isak has had far two easy a life and it is a good thing to instil into his mind the idea that moths and rust do corrup and theeves braik throug and steel. then aunt Sarah tride not to laff and sed i think it is a shaim to wurry so good a man as he is and father sed.

sister thou wast mild and luvly gentle as the summer breaz.

but it is hard to convinse you that desperrit cases need desperrit remmedies. now this is a desperrit case. verry desperrit. supose the Terible 3 shood kidnap Ike and hold him for ransum. who wood give 5 cents for Ike? who wood give ten, have i enny offers. maik it 7 1/2 cents. no offers maik it six. do i have enny offers. no by saint bride of Bothwel no let the portculis fall. and i wood have to go throug life uncheered by the companonship of Ike.

then aunt Sarah sed George do be sensible for onct in your life. jest onct. are you going to scare that poor man to deth or not? and father he sed far from it sweet sister. i shall be kindness itself. is it kindness in the docter when he conceles the faital naiture of a diseeze from a diing man and alows him to go whooping into the vast beyond without a chanct to repent. is that kindnes sister? ecco answers not by a dam site sister. it aint kindnes. it wood have been kindnes to tell him the gig was up and give him a chanct to maik his will and pay a few notes and by sum paper with black eges and 40 or 50 yards of craip for a fale for his wife.

so it will be my duty, sister, in spite of your prairs and teers, not to concele from Isak the seerius nature of the thret maid by the Terible 3. have you ever reelized how my boyhood was blited by the thrashings it received becaus i was a bit rude to my gentle cussen Ike. and do you reelize how many hundred times he was held up to me as a moddle and how i was erged sumtimes prairfuly by mother and moar often strapfuly by father to emulait his vertus. and do you think, sweet but earring sister that i will alow sutch a opertunity of asureing him of my pertecksion and simpathy to pass.

o the demon and his bride and the grate grate owl by all his curage tride in the popes sanbowl

i gess not, Sarah mine. i shall go up and convinse Isak that the wicked stand in slepery plaices and that the way of the transgresor is hard. Isak has called upon his cussen for pertecksion. wood you have me fale him, speek woman.

then aunt Sarah began to laff and sed there is no use in talking to you when you are fealing like that and i shall not say enny moar and she went off. i gnew there wood be sum fun for they always is when father talks like that and so i asted father if i cood go up to Ikes with him. he sed i cood go but i must let him do the talking and not say a word unless i was asted to. so i sed i wood be cairful and we went up. it was not quite dark and when we got up there father gnocked 3 gnocks and we heard sumone say who is there, and father sed it is me George and then Ike unlocked 3 or 4 locks and opened it about 5 inchs and it was held by a chane. then he peeped out and sed is it you George. who have you got with you and father sed this is my boy Harry. then he sed to me this is cussen Isak and i sed how do you do cussen Isak and he sed how do you do and i sed i spoke to you one day and you dident know me and so i told father if he ever got a chanct to interduce me.

the Ike sed i am a little neer sited and i sed i see you are cussen Isak and then father nugged me with his elbo and i dident say enything moar.

then father sed you havent heard enything moar of the kidnapers and Ike he give a sort of gump and sed do you think cussen George that they is kidnapers and father sed i have thought so from sum things i have heard. and old Ike sed what have you heard and father sed well Isak i dont want to friten you but you had augt to know this. jist then Ikes wife Mary come in. we call her Mary Isak becaus they is so mutch alike and never goes enywhere and jest sets and rocks in rocking chairs and looks at each other.

when she come in father got up and shook hands with Mary Isak and interduced me and she asted him if he thougt they was verry daingerous men and father laffed and sed no cussen Mary there isent the leest dainger in the wirld. it is only sum smart fellers that wants to have a little fun with sum of our best cittisens and they isent the leest need of wurrying. so you go to bed and i will set up and talk with Isak until the poliseman comes up.

so Mary Isak went up stairs and Isak begun to perk up quite a lots until father sed as i was saying Isak when cussen Mary come in, i have read the papers cairfuly and there has been quite a number of cases cimmiler to this. 1 in Milton masschusetts and 1 in Lewiston maine and 2 in new york State. in eech case warnings was hung up like these and in each case a verry ritch and promminent cittisen was kidnaped and held for ransum. the man in Milton had to pay 35 hundred dollars and the man in Lewiston paid i think 48 hundred dollars they wanted 5 thousand dollars but all he cood rase was 48 hundred and the 2 in New York had to pay 9 thousand apeace. but you know prises is higher in New York. probly you woodent have to pay moar than 5 thousand.

well all this time old Ike had been setting ferst in one chair and then in another chair and puling his wiskers and when father sed this he gave a grone and sed aint there no pertection under the law? and father sed the matter is being vestigated and persecution will folow enny falce step that the villins make. the trubble is they are verry hard to ketch

then Ike sed isent there sum way out of it and father sed i have been thinking Isak why dont you and J. Albert Clark and Biley Tilton and the other fellers whitch has been warned make up a purce like you and sum of the fellers done when they was afrade of being draffed in the civil war to hire substitoots. then if the scoundrils get one of you the others will help pay his ransum. well Ike he thought that mite be a good idea and he sed he wood see sum of them tomorrow if the Terible 3 dident get him befoar morning. then father sed dont wurry a bit Isak while i am here they will have to get you over my ded body and Ike sed thank you George you were always a kind frend and father sed yes Isak we was frends but not xactly Damin and Pithius.

well bimeby the poliseman come up and it was old Filander Kize and he was smoaking a old black pipe that smelled wirse than one of our poppers that we pluged at the pedler and old Ike sed have you got to smoak that mister Kize and old Filander sed yes it is the only thing that will keep me awake and so Ike sed well i supose i shall have to stand it. so me and father come away after shaking hands with old Ike and father told him to go to bed and to get a good nites rest and not to wurry and then we come away and we cood hear him locking all the locks and bolting all the bolts and puting up the chane so the Terible 3 coodent kidnap him.

when we was going home father began to laff and sed i supose i was a meen cus to wurry cussen Isak like that but all my life he has been held up to me as a moddle and if i thougt you wood tirn out like him i shood feal like throwing you over the brige in a bag with rocks in it. think of living a life without fun. gosh he mite have been a useful cittizen if he hadent been so cussed good. how ever i will go up tomorow and chirk him up a little.

when we got home mother and Sarah was setting up and darning stockings and Sarah sed well George did you wurry the poar man out of his wits and father sed piece woman i treeted him with the uttmost kindness and was a grate cumfort to him. of coarse i was cairful not to under estimait the dainger for feer that Ike mite be bold to rashniss and xpose himself needlessly to dainger. it wasent verry hard to perswuade him to stay in the house for a weak or 2. indeed i think i wood have had to fite hard to get him out. but when i left him i asured him taht if wirst come to wirst he cood probly be able to pay his ransum if it wasent moar than 20 thousand dollers. i thougt he was going to faint ded away then and i told him with me and Melander Kize and old Swane and Mizzery Dugin and old Brown willing ot sackrifise our lifes for him he needent wurry.

then Aunt Sarah sed and she coodent talk verry well because she was triing to bite a thred off, i think i shall go up and tell cussen Isak that you are jest stirring him up and father sed he will not beleeve you for i told him the hoal family but me had tirned agenst him straingly becaus they thougt he has did sum dredfill thing that wont see the lite of day and that Harry and I are the only ones that stand up for him and Aunt Sarah bit off the thred with a snap and sed George Shute if i cood beleeve a single wird you say i shood be verry indignent, and father sed it is harroing to be so douted and missunderstood by them whitch is deer to you and he pertended to burst into teers and sed he wood go to bed and weap his piller sopping wet and he made up a auful face and winked at mother and went up stairs and Aunt Sarah sed to mother what a man he wood have been on the staige. he wood have beet comical Brown and Artimus Ward and Joshua Billings all to peaces, and mother she sed yes he wood but i prefir him jest as he is.



October 29, 186—-rany again. it hasent done enything but rane for 3 weaks. it was so rany that we coodent put up eny sines or comit eny crimes. i saw old Filander coming down from Ikes this morning and when i went to school i say Mary Isak with all the winders open airing out the house.

October 30, 186—-cold and windy. all the horse chesnuts in frunt of Sheriff Odlins place has fell down and all the fellers is stringing them on strings and pluging them over the telligraf wires. of coarse me and Beany and Pewt does it to pass away the time and devert suspishons. we have got moar serius things to think about. saw old Filander come down from Ikes again today and saw Mary Isak airing out the house again. tonite father went up again to cumfort Ike. father says that he dont think Ike cood et along without his sunny precence.

every time father comes home from Ikes he says Ike sends down town for a man to put on a new chane or a new lock on the door. father says if he goes a few moar times he will get him to put iron bars in the winders. old mother Moulton stays there days. father says he hasent had so mutch fun sence he took laffin gas and cleened out docter Johnsons ofice and throwed docter Johnson out of one winder and docter Prey out of the other and Gim Melcher down stairs.

October 31, 186—-Hork and Spit both dide today. give them a big ded rat that old mis Dire give me. they toar it into bits and et it fir and all and when i come home from school they was both ded and all curled up. i asted old mis Dire how she cougt the rat and she sed she poizened it with rat poisen only she called it rat poizen. i told her it killed my horks and she sed she was sorry but she forgot to tell me. i thougt at ferst that she done it perpose to pay me for sending her old cat to Haverhill but i gess she dident. we had a meating of the Terible 3 today and if she had done it a perpose we wood have atended to her case even if she was a woman. while the Terible 3 dont maik war on wimmen, we dont perpose to have wimmin maik war on us.

Filander is still at Ikes. tonite we drawed lots to see witch shood go up with a sine to Biley Tiltons. i got the shortest straw and had to go. Pewt had printed a sine whitch sed.

Bewaire the vengunce of the Terible 3 it spairith not the wicked man. but it strikith in darkniss. Bewair.

when i got up there old Biley was setting by his door with a gun over his gnees. i sed how do you do mister Tilton and he sed how do how do. i pertended i come up to see Luke Mannix but he wasent to home and i come back. i dident leeve the sine you bet.

November 1. J. Albert Clark has got a bull dog. he bougt it of old Mike Casidy. he keeps it to perteck him from the Terible 3. father thougt he had augt to have moar pertecksion and told him so. father is verry kind to J. Albert and to Ike.

we have maid father a onery member of the Terible 3. woodent he be surprised if he gnew it. of coarse we cant tell him he is a onery member but he is. i asted Pewt and Beany if they dident want their fathers to be maid onery members and they sed no, that their fathers had licked them for nothing the nite we roten eged the pedler and they wood voat agenst it. so that is what they get for not helping the Terible 3.

well tonite when J. Albert come home and tride to go into the house the bull dog grabed him by the hine leg and nearly toar his britches off and he slamed the door on his hed before he wood let go and J. Albert had to set in the barn while he sent down to old Mikes to get him to come up and make the bull dog let him in. so after a while old Mike come up and maid the dog let him in. then he maid J. Albert feed the dog and pat him and he told the dog J. Albert was his frend and he sed the dog gnew moar than a man and they woodent be eny moar trubble with him after this. and he maid J. Albert pay him anuther doller for coming up and maiking the dog mind J. Albert. it was lucky J. Albert had on his second best close and it wasent his best lavender britches that the dog toar. after supper tonite J. Albert took the bull dog out for a walk hiched to him with a chane and a coller round his neck and ferst the dog chased a cat and draged old J. Albert about 10 rods befoar he cood stop him and the woman whitch oaned the cat come out and told J. Albert he wasent eny gentleman for keaping a feerosius dog and J. Albert was bowing and taiking off his hat and asting her parden when the ferosius dog started after another cat and J. Albert lost his hat and had to hiper a long distence holding back with his hine legs sticking out in front and triing to stop him and hollering whoa.

well when J. Albert got him stoped he got a stick and was going to lick him but the dog grouled and J. Albert thougt he woodent lick him after all so he went back after his hat puling the bull dog along and stoping evry time he come to a tree or a post, then he got his hat whitch had been run over by a dingle cart with a lode of hay. well J. Albert got his hat and pushed it into shaip and brushed it and put it on and started off again with the dog. and when he was going by old Si Smith store old Sis big white dog come out and piched into J. Albert dog and you had augt to have saw that fite. it was a ripper. they stood up and toar at each others gozzles and rassled and rolled over in the dirt and bit and shook and knawed each other. and old Si come out and lammed then with his cain and swoar at J. Albert and old Shep Hogden and Gimmy Bedell pulled their tales and hine legs and throwed water on them and hit them with brickbats and J. Albert pulled at the chane and hollered and Lamp Flood was a going to lick J. Albert who hadent done nothing to him when father grabed him by the neck and neerly yanked his head off and throwed him in the guter. bimeby a feller from Mager Blakes stable told Shep to pull on one dogs hine leg and Gimmy to pull on the other and when they had the dogs rite out strate the feller lit a sulfer match rite under their noses and they let go prety quick and Shep and Gimmy pulled them apart. the sulfer maid them choak and they had to let go to breeth. it was a buly fite and old J. Albert done well.

i wish you cood have saw old Lamp Flood go fluking into the guter.

November 2, 186—-sunday again. it comes round prety often i think. Saturday dont seam to come round as often as sunday. today there was a little. this morning old J. Albert started to go down stairs and the bull dog woodent let him. i ges in the xcitement of the fite and chaising the cats he had forgot that J. Albert was his master. J. Albert gnocked on the wall and wanted father to take the kee and open the door and get the bull dog out, and father sed are you saif J. Albert where you are and J. Albert sed yes he cant get me up here but i dont want to stay here the rest of my life, and father sed if you are saif you will have to stay there till i can send down for old Mike to come up. i dont have eny grate hankering to have a bull dog hanging to me for the rest of my life eether. so maik yourself to home and reed a few chapters of the bible for this is sunday and i gess towerds supper time old Mike will come up. then J. Albert sed cant you get a gun and shoot him throug the winder and father sed it is sunday Albert and i am verry perticler about using fire arms on this sacrid day but if you will posess your sole in pashents i will see what can be did.

So J. Albert shet the window and father told me to go down and get old Mike and i done it and Mike come up with me and J. Albert throwed out the kee and old Mike opened the door and the bull dog waged his tale when he saw old Mike and wigled round jist like a puppy, he was so glad to see him, and J. Albert come down and told Mike he had ruther be kidnaped than et by a bull dog and he sed Mike had got to taik back the dog and give back his 10 dollers whitch J. Albert had gave him and Mike sed not by a dom site a bargin was a bargin and J. Albert sed he dident bargin for a dog to eet breckfast dinner and supper off of him and old Mike sed he asted for a dog that woodent let enybody into the house and he got one. and J. Albert sed he xpected to be able to get into his oan house and old Mike sed he dident say enything about that when they traded and after they had talked and jawed about it J. Albert sed Mike cood have the bull dog if he wood taik him off to onct and Mike he done it and went off smoaking his old pipe and the bull dog gumped up on him and wigling his tale.

enyway aunt Clark J. Alberts mother is coming home tomorow and i wood like to see enyone kidnap J. Albert when she is around. Filander is still at Ikes.

November 3, 186—-cold as time this morning. i saw a flock of robins eeting sum red berrys on a tree. the blackberds has all gone 2 weaks ago. Potter Gorham says they follow the cost line down south stoping evry day somewhere to eet. the robins goes last and sumtimes stays here all winter. i have never saw a robin in winter but Potter sed he see one onct.

Potter knows all about birds and animals and insex and things. he is going to be a natturalist sum day. i wood ruther be a natturalist than enything in this wirld xcept a band player. so i am going to be a band player and play the e flatulent cornet becaus that is the highest and the loudest and the eesiest to carry round.

the trumboan is pretty good and if i cant play the cornet i shood like to play the trumboan. if sum feller wood maik a trumboan that wood have the 2 parts slip into eech other so far that there woodent be enything left then a feller cood put in into his vest poket when he wasent playing it and nobody wood know he had it. it wood be grate fun to taik your trumboan sliped together in your vest poket to chirch and when the old minister was preeching auful tiresum and old mister Blake and old Han. Dow and old Steve Gail and all the other men in the chirch are sleeping and injoying the sirmon verry mutch indeed thank you to taik the trumboan out of your vest poket and put it together and blow a auful toot ratetatoot as loud as you can and see all the old pods gump up and sum of them hit their heads on the phew in frunt of them where they has been leening their heads in an atitood of prair and the old minister loose his plaice and gump ten paiges to 7thly insted of 4thly. and when old C. Lovell 2th whitch is sumtimes sexton and sumtimes suprintendent of the sunday school comes round to see who blowed the horn and to put him out they aint no horn enywhere and sum folks think it may be the last trump of Gabril. if i ever get time i am going to try to maik a trumboan like that but i am so bizzy with the afairs of the Terible 3 that i cant spend eny time in sutch things as them.

Tonite we put the sine Pewt rote for old Biley Tilton on Ikes house. we had a meating of the Terible 3 and we desided that we woodent do eny moar at present to old Biley becaus when a man sets in his garden with a shot gun on his gnees and dont ast the polise to help him they aint mutch use to do enything to him. bimeby peraps we may have a chanct. we also desided not to do eny moar to J. Albert becaus he done so well in the dog fite and was so perlite to the woman when she sed he was no gentlemen when it wasent his falt becaus he coodent stop the dog from chaising her cat the ferst yank but done the best he cood. so we aint ging to bother him eny moar. so we put up a sine on his house and neerly got cougt but dident quite. it sed

J. Albert Clark. the Terible 3 has desided that they has maid a mistaik in your case. you done splended in the dog fite and you hung on to the chane and dident let go when Lamp Flood was going to lick you whitch took grate curage. The Terible 3 think you are a good feller and are your frends for life. The Terible 3.

November 4, 186—-Today Ike got old Swane to stay there. he smoaks a wirse smeling pipe than old Filander. Filander stays nites and old Swane daytimes. Ike sent for father and father advised him to have sumbody round all the time. it costs a lot of money but father says nobudy wood know the vallue of money unless they spends it. Ike thinks sumthing is going to hapen prety soon.

November 5, 186—-rany today. i gess it was lucky it was for if it hadent been for the rane Ikes house wood have birne down. gosh the Terible 3 is fealing prety wurried. last nite at 3 oh clock the bells begun to ring and in heard peeple hollering fire. i gumped up prety lifely and i cood hear father yelling for his britches. we got to the frunt door together and we cood see a big blaiz up towards Ikes. gosh i was scart. when father sed them devils has did it at last i thougt it was all boys play but i gess it was real. it means stait prizon for life for sombudy. i was so scart that i cood hardly maik my hine legs go but i kep up. all the bells was ringing and evrybudy was hollering fire. when we got there Pewts father and Beanys father and old Filander and old Nat Weaks and old Bill Greanleef and old printer Smith and old Parry Moulton and old Gus Brown and Pewt and Beany and evryone were pumping water into lether buckets and pales and hollering where in hell is the ingines and this is a hell of a fire dipartment and rushing round and getting in each others way and swaring and luging out the firniture and throwing crockery through the windows. old Bill Greanleaf lowered his wife out of her chamber by tying her to a sheet and then clim down hisself when all he had to do was to go down stares and out of the door. and it was only 10 feet high and they cood have gumped if necesary. old Mrs. Sawyer fainted ded away and sumbudy throwed a pale of water on her and she gumped up and called him all the naims she cood think of.

jest then the Torent No 2 come down the strete with the men on the roap running on the cleen gump. they stoped by the reservor and run out the hoze and let down the pipe and then found that they had left the nozzle at the ingine house upon the plains and they sent a feller up there on horseback and all they cood do was to pump water into pales whitch helped sum but not mutch. then the fellers formed bucket lines and kep a pumping and pouring and wondering where the Union No 1 and Fountain No 3 were.

it tirned out after the fire was over that the moon was rising in Hamton Falls and that they saw the lite and went down there as fast as they cood hiper thinking there was a big fire and when they got way up to Isiar Hanes house the moon was up so that they cood see what it was and they was so tuckered out runing a mile and a haff up hill that they coodent do a single thing but set down and sware and call each other dam fools. they was even two tuckered out to fite and most always firemen is ready to fite and so they must have been prety well used up.

well we fellers whitch was at the fire wirking our heads off and triing to save old Bill Greanleef and his wife and Ike and his wife and old Bill Morill was getting prety tuckered with pumping and hollering and throwing water on the flaims and throwing firniture throug the winders and runing ladders agenst peeples heads and saving hens by the hine legs squorking and flaping feerful and wondering where the Union No 2 and the Fountain No 3 was and what had become of the feller whitch had went for the nozzle and hadent come back when it begun to pour rane and i never gnew it to rane faster and in a few minits the fire was out. then we was going to move the thing back but we found that sum of the firemen had choped hoals in the roof of the house. the fire hadent got to the house but they thougt they wood have the hoals reddy for the Union No 1 and Fountain No 3 and the feller whitch had went for the nozzle and hadent got back when they got there. so the house was full of water and sum of the plastering had fell down on the heads of the fellers whitch were throwing things throug the winders and covered them with plaster.

well after the fire was over we went home. father says they is going to have the best detecktives in Boston to find out who the Terible 3 is. evrybuddy says they done it to get even with Ike. father says they is jest as sure to go stait prizon as he is to get his breckfast tomorow. i went to bed but dident sleap a wink i coodent eet eny breckfast this morning. mother says i must be sick. gosh it is wirse than being sick.

this morning the Terible 3 had a meating. we desided to give up the asociasion and to burn the records. it is a auful thing to have stait prizon stairing you in the face when you havent done nothing. we havent done nothing rong but if they find out who the Terible 3 is we will have to go to stait prizon. sumbuddy set fire to Ikes house sure. they wasent eny stove in the barn. if it had started in the house it mite have cougt from the chimny.

November 6, 186—- things is getting wirse evry day. i have lost the record of the Terible 3. Pewt sed he give it to me all rite but when i went to my desk it was gone. i know it was there 2 days ago. i hunted evrywhere for it. i asted mother and aunt Sarah and all of them if enyone had been in my desk and they all sed no. mother asted me what i had lost and i told her i had lost a story i had rote and she sed well you can remember it cant you and i sed yes but i dont want to wright it again. i have hunted evrywhere and so has Beany and Pewt. if enyone has found it our goos is cooked and we go to stait prizen. i have looked forward moar than oncet to going to the reform school or to jale but i never gnew what it was to xpect to go to stait prizon for sumthing you never have did. i cant eet and cant sleap. it is wirse than being ded. a grate deel wirse.

November 7, 186—-the insurance men come and xamined the fire and took measurements. they desided it wasent Ikes falt or Bills falt and so they pade them. father sed Ike and Bill maid moar money than they had for six months. but he sed that the insurance companies was going to find out who done it and it looked to him that the Terible 3 would be looking throug bars before long. i cant hardly breeth when i think of it. i saw Beany and Pewt today and they are so scart that they cant eet or sleap just like me. of coarse we have got to laff and holler at fellers and play football but we only laff to concele a braking hart. i wood give a milion dollers to know what has become of them records. if i had birnt them we wood have had sum chanct. and if we had the sence to put sum other fellers naims in it peraps we mite escaip but i dont see enny hope.

November 8, 186—-brite and fair. i wish i felt as good as the wether. it seams as if evrybody was looking at me and saying he done it. he is 1 of the Terible 3. evrytime i see a strainge man i think he is a detecktive and evrytime i see old Swane or old Mizzery or old Filander or old Brown i wunder if they is going to grab me and put the handcufs on my rists and drag me to the lockup. mother says she is going to see docter Perry about me but i laff and say i am all rite. peraps she wood tirn from me with lothing like Dolly Bidwell done in East Linn when she plaid it in the town hall last winter, if she gnew. jest think less than a year ago i was going to shows and having a good time and now i am wateing to be sent to stait prizen. i have often wundered how fellers felt whitch have to go to stait prizen but now i know.

November 9, 186—-sunday again. it mite as well be sunday as eny other day. perhaps they woodent arest a feller on sunday. Beany had the docter today. i asted Lucy Watson what was the matter with him and she sed Docter Perry sed he was in a low nervus stait. she sed Docter Perry sed if Beany had eny mind he shood say sumthing was praying on it. the minister preeched on the wicked whitch fleas when no man persuith. that wood be all rite but detecktives is pursuing us. i wish he hadent sed enything about it. i wish i cood be let alone in chirch.

November 10, 186—-Pewt had the docter today. he had docter Swet. docter Swet thinks Pewt is thretened with brane feever. father says that cant be. he sed he shood as soon xpect me to have brane feever as Pewt. i think peraps we will all feal better when it is over. what i am afrade of is that Pewt and Beany may go crasy and say i done it all. what if they shood. i wood give a milion dollers if i gnew where them records have went to.

November 11, 186—-Beany aint eny better. i went over today to see him and see what cood be did and he sed he dident want to see enybudy. i went up to see Pewt and asted old man Purinton how he was and he sed he was getting no better verry fast. i wunder if he has heard enything.

November 12, 186—-Pewt aint enny better. Beany aint et ennything but broth for 2 days. i still eet to keep up my strenth. i am wurried about them. if they get two week peraps they will comfes and say i done it. i hoap they is man enuf to keep their othes. i am going to keep mine.

i forgot to say wether it was brite or fair or rainy or enything fer a weak. i dont remember and i dont cair a dam. there i have sed it.

November 13, 186—-father keeps looking at me quear. i wunder if he suspecks ennything. if i had only told him he was a onery member peraps i cood tell him about things without braking my othe. i bet he wood help us. we have got to have sum help. it wont do to let Pewt and Beany dy and leeve me to go to stait prizon alone. if 1 of has got to go to stait prizon the hoal 3 of us has got to go. Beany and Pewt aint going to sneek out of it by dying. that woodent be fair.

November 14, 186—-i have gave up haop and dont cair now. i am only wateing till a poliseman grabs me. i got licked in school. it dident even hirt me. it maid me think of sumthing elce but stait prizon for a few minits. old Francis says i am getting nummer evry day. he says if i dont waik up he will have to waik me.

what is the use enyway. last Sunday the minister sed evrybudy cood get the gratest cumfort from the bible whatever his truble was. he sed open the bible and reed the first virse you see and it will comfort you. so today i saw Celes bible open where she had left it. she is reeding Isiar. i dident know eny part of the bible was rote by Isiar. Isiar Hanes was probably naimed after him, well i thougt i wood do as the minster sed. so i shet up the bible and then opened it and the ferst virse i saw was this.

by these 3 was the third part of men killed, by the fire and by the smoak

it was in chapter 9 virse 18 of Revellasions. you cood have gnocked me down with a fether. i shet up the book and set down. then i got out the dicksionery and looked up Revellasions and it sed

revellasions—-the ack of disclosing to others that whitch was ungnew to them.

so what is the use. i wish i was ded.

November 15, 186—-the gratest thing has happened. i feel as if i cood fli to the moon. jest think i am in my room wateing for father to come and lick me and i aint wurrid a bit. i have et haff a mince pye and i never taisted enything so good in my life befoar. i feel so good that i wood like to holler. jest think i aint got to go to stait prizon nor Beany nor Pewt. this morning Pewt and Beany were faleing verry fast and the last i heard of them they was setting up in their shirt tales eeting meet and potatoes and pye and evrything.

well tonite father went out and mother asted him where he was going and he sed low so i woodent hear him up to Brads. i heard him and i thougt sumthing was up. so after he had went out i folowed on and saw him go into the paint shop. Pewts father and Beanys father and General Mastin were there. so i crep up where there was a broaken winder and lissened. father set down and took out of his poket, what do you think, the records of the Terible 3. i was so sirprized that i neerly hollered but dident. then father sed well gentlemen i have the infirnalist record of yuthfull depravity i ever read in my life. and then he read it and evry time he stoped to breeth old General Mastin wood slap his gnee and holler god did you ever hear the like of that, the little devils. and father wood holler and laff and Pewts father and Beanys father wood two. then father wood read sum moar and then he sed i wish i had been a member and i almost sed you was an onery member but i gnew enuf not to.

bimeby he finished and sed there General did you ever hear enything like that in your life and General sed he never did. then father sed he suspecked us from the ferst and peraps he was as mutch to blaim as we was becaus he stirred up old Ike and J. Albert but when the fire come he was wurrid as the devil althoug he felt sure we hadent done it he was afrade sum dam fool wood try to lay it onto us. and the very day of the fire he found the records where i had droped them. he told Pewts father and Beanys father and they thougt it woodent hirt us to wurry and they told the 2 docters and the docters sed they was all rite and it woodent hirt them.

then father sed it was only fair that he and Pewts father and Beanys father shood pay for eny damige we had did. and Pewts father sed as long as i got it up father had augt to pay. and father sed why do you say that and Pewts father sed becaus he always does get the other boys into truble and father kind of smiled and handed the records to him and sed whose writing is that.

and Pewts father looked at it and sed hum haw and that was all he cood say. Father dident know that i rote them becaus i cood spel so mutch better than Pewt and Pewt coppid them.

then General Mastin sed Ike and Bill has maid money by the fire and these little devils dident have enything to do with that and that it cougt from hot ashes enyway. now i am counsil for the boys and i aint obliged to tell a thing about them or who they are. a lawyer aint obliged to. i will put a peace in the paper saying enyone whitch has sustaned eny damige from the so called Terible 3 can by proving there damige under othe to me will be pade. and you may be sure that they aint a man living that will be willing to sine the kind of a staitment i will draw up for him, and General laffed and they all did two.

then father asted General what his bill was and General sed hell the only thing he wished was that he cood have been a member of the Terible 3 and if father wood give him that record to keep to look at when things was going rong to cheer him up he wood call it square. so father give them to him. then i started to creap away and i cougt my foot and come down with a bang and in a moment father come out on the cleen gump and grabed me. then he sed well sir what have you been doing lissening and i sed yes sir and he sed you start yourself for home and after Clarence and Elbrige, they is Pewt and Beany you know, have had there supper i will come hoam and atend to your case. so i come home and i am wateing for him to come and lick me and i dont cair. enybody whitch cant stand a licking when he knows he has escaiped stait prizon aint mutch of a feller. gosh aint it good to feel good.

November 16, 186—-brite and fair. father dident lick me. it is fun to be alive.

November 17, 186—-Beany and Pewt has got well again and has come to school today. we have been wundering if a onery member had eny rite to give them records to enybudy. of coarse we dont cair but we have been wundering.

November 18, 186—-brite and fair.

THE END