Transcriber's Notes:

1. This text has numerous intentionally misspelled words. 2. In several instances, what would normally be a full stop has been presented in the original text and here as an extra space. 3. The punctuation and spelling of the original text have been retained throughout.

———————————————————————————————————-

"SEQUIL"

Or Things Whitch Aint Finished in the First

By HENRY A. SHUTE

Published by The Everett Press Boston, Mass., Mcmiv

———————————————————————————————————-

Copyright, 1904, by Henry A. Shute.

Entered at Stationers' Hall.

———————————————————————————————————-



"SEQUIL"

OR THINGS WHITCH AINT FINISHED IN THE FIRST

Sept. 7, 186- Gosh, what do you think, last nite father and mother and me and Keene and Cele and aunt Sarah was sitting at supper when father, he sed i am a going to read your diry tonite. Gosh i was scart for i hadent wrote ennything in it for a long time. so after supper i went over to mister Watsons and asked him if he dident want to see father and he sed he wood and i went home and told father mister Watson wanted him to come over jest as quick as he cood and father went over. i knew father woodent ever think of it agen. father and mister Watson Beanys father set and talked about what they usted to do and father sed do you remember Wats that time you and Bill Yung and Brad Purinton and Jack Fog went down to, and then he saw me and Beany lissening and he sed, you boys run away and he giv me 5 cents and me and Beany went over to old Si Smiths for some goozberies but i have got to wright that old diry some more whitch is pretty tuf, i have forgot whether it was brite and fair sence i wrote my last diry or not, but ennyway it is brite and fair today. Lots of things have hapened sense i wrote my last diry. Beanys father is a poliseman now and Beany feels prety big. Beany hadent better say mutch to me ennyway. the stewdcats have come back and they has been lots of fites. Scotty Briggam licked 2 stewdcats in one day. one day me and Pewt and Beany was standing in frunt of the libary and 2 stewdcats went in and Pewt threw a peace of dry mud and it hit the stewdcat rite in the neck and bust and went down his coller and he see us laffin and he walked rite out to where we was standing and he sed sorter sisy like whitch of you boys throwd that, and Pewt sed jest like him, if you are so smart you had better find out, and he grabed Pewt and throwd him rite in the guter and roled him round in the mud and hit him 3 good bats in the ear. me and Beany run and Pewt he was mad becaus we dident pich in and help him, but lots of times me and Beany has got licked and Pewt never helped us. i told Father about it and he sed he was glad of it and he wished the stewdcats had licked me and Beany two.

Sept. 8, 186- brite and fair. the band played tonite downtown. we all went down but mother and aunt Sarah and the baby and Franky and Georgie and Annie who was all two little except mother and aunt Sarah who had to stop and take care of them. the band played splendid and Fatty Walker jest pounded the base drum as hard as he cood. most of the fellers run round and played tag and hollered but i set still. i cant see how fellers can run round and holler when a band plays. they tried to pull me out of my seet but i giv Beany a good punch. when we came home mother asked if i had behaived and father sed i set there jest like a old potato. he sed i dident know much ennytime but when i herd music i dident know ennything.

Sept. 9, 186- Will Simpkins is coming to visit us. he is my cuzon and is older then i am and every time he comes he licks me. i dont dass to tell becaus he is company. so this time i am going to get Gim Erly or Tady Finton to lick him. he is coming next Saterday. he lives in a city and wears a neckti every day and feels prety big and says i am a countryman.

I see Gim Erly today and he says he will lick time out of Will for a nife and a slingshot. i had lost my nife so i told Beany and he sed he wood give Gim his nife if he wood let him see the fite. Will licked Beany last summer and Beany aint forgot it. then i dident have enny slingshot and so i told Fatty and Fatty he sed he wood give Gim his slingshot if he cood see the fite. it seemed kinder mean not to tell Pewt, so i told Pewt and he sed he would give me his fathers pigs bladder when it was killed if i wood let him see the fite, that makes 2 bladders i am going to have this fall. Oliver Lane is going to give me his, they will make bully footballs. i gess i can get Potter to give me a leest flycatches egg if i will let him see the fite.

Sept. 10. Brite and fair. Will Simpkins is coming tomorrow. i bet he will wish he hadent after Gim Erly gives him that licking. Potter gave me a red wing blackbirds egg and a chippys egg and 2 blewjays wings to see the fite.

Sept. 11. Brite and fair. it was the best fite i have seen since Cris Staples licked Charlie Clark you had aught to have seen it. Will came this morning he was all dressed up and had his shoes blacked. i knew that wood make Gim want to lick him. i felt kinder mean when he came becaus he seamed glad to see me, and mother sed i hope you boys will have a real nice time together, and i sed i gess we will. so after dinner i asked him to go over to Beanys and we went over and Gim was there and Potter and Pewt and Fatty and Billy Swett came with Fatty and he wispered he wood giv me a whailbone bow. Gim sed to me easy have you got them things and i sed yes and Gim sed no fooling and i sed hope to die and i crosed my throte and i sed you have got to lick him first and he sed he wood lick him. so we went over in the high school yard to play prisners bass. well prety soon Gim sed Will cheeted, and Will said he dident, and Gim sed do you mean to call me a lier and Will sed he dident cheet and Gim sed he wood giv him a paist on the nose, and Will sed he want man enuf and Gim scrached a line in the dirt and told Will not to dass to step over it and then Will put a chip on his sholeder and told Gim not to dass to nock it off and Will sed if he hit Gim he wood nock him so far he woodent come down at all and Gim sed if he hit him there woodent be ennything left of him but a red neckti, and Will told Gim he was a freckled faced mick and Gim told Will he was a curly haired nigger and just then Fatty give Will a push rite into Gim and they went at it and Gim licked time out of Will and got him down and lammed him until he hollered enuf. then Will he went home balling and i had to go two and when we got home mother sed it was a shame and she wood tell father when he got home. when father got home mother told him and sed it was a shame that Willy, she calls him Willy, i am glad my name aint Willy, i had rather be called Skinny or Polelegs or Plupy then Willy, well she sed it was a shame that Willy coodent play with me without having that dredful Erly boy fiting him and she wanted father to go up to Mr. Tucks where Gim lives and tell him about it. Well father sed boys always fit and she mustent wurry about it he gessed Willy wood get over it. but he told me not to ask Gim Erly down here agen. so after supper when i had to go for the yeest i ran up to Gims and giv him the nife and the slingshot and told him not to tell.

Sept. 12. Brite and fair. Will has got a black eye and a scrached nose. Nellie has got well and we had a ride today after church and i let Will drive. in the afternoon Beany and Pewt came over and we had a shooting mach with the whailbone bow behind the barn. i told Beany and Pewt not to tell for if they did father woodent let us go together agen. Fatty and Potter and Billy Swett wont tell ether.

Sept. 13, 186- Brite and fair. today we had a good time. mother let me invite Beany and Pewt and Nipper Brown to supper for company for Will. Pewt coodent come becaus he shot one of his fathers hens with his arrow rifle jest like i shot my hen whitch was eating eggs and Mister Purinton Pewts father woodent let him come. i gess if father had been at home for supper i wood have got a licking but he dident get home til the 7 oh clock train. well we had been raising time up in my room and when we went down to supper i pulled a chair out when Nipper went to set down and he set rite down on the floor bang and grabed the table cloth and pulled of his plate and cup and sauser and Beanys sauser and they came rite down on his head and broak to smash. Nipper was scart but mother picked him up and said he needent wurry for she dident care for the dishes and asked him if he was hurt and said it was my falt and she told me i had aught to be ashamed and I hadent aught to have company if i dident know how to treet them. she dident send me to bed becaus she had to be polite to Beany and Nipper and so i was all rite, after supper we played domminoes til the nine oh clock bell rang and then Beany and Nipper went home.

Sept. 14. Brite and fair. Will went home to-day i was sorry he went, we had a good time and i never knew him to be such a good feller before. i gess it did him good to get a lickin. father says it always does me good to get a good lickin. before he went he got me to throw a ball easy at him and he let it hit him in the eye so he cood tell his folks that a ball hit him in the eye, so he wood not have to tell a lie to his father about his black eye. a feller feels a good deal better when he doesent have to lie to his folks. when i usted to hook in swiming i usted to stick my head in the rane water barril so I cood tell father how i wet my hair. i dident like to do it sometimes becaus the barril was full of little wigglers but i had ruther do that then have to tell a lie, ennyway i gess all the wigglers that got into my hair died becaus they never bit me. father says they turn into musketers.

Sept. 15, 186- Brite and fair. i forgot to say that i giv Will the whailbone bow that Billy Swett giv me to see the fite. he was glad to get it i tell you, and he sed i was the best feller he knew. i told him when he came here agen we wood have some more fun. mother gave him 25 cents and gave me ten cents for being so good to him. me and Pewt and Beany had some goozeberies down to old Si Smiths. father told me one time i cood have a football, so i asked him tonite and he sed i dident desirve ennything, that i had caused him a good deal of truble, ennyway i am going to have 2 bladders.

Sept. 16. Clowdy but no rane. Beany and Ticky Moses got fiting at resess today. we was playing 2 old cat and we was chewsing sides, and Beany and Ticky was chewsing and the way they did it was this. Beany he throwed the bat at Ticky and Ticky he cought it about half way down, and then Beany he put his hand above Tickys and Ticky he put his above Beanys, and so on til when they came to the end of the bat the last one whitch had his hand on has the first choice and no fudging, only he has got to swing the bat around his head 3 times and throw it 3 times as far as he can gump. well Beany he had the last hand on the bat and he cood jest get hold of it a little and when he swung it round his head it sliped and hit Ticky on his head, and he piched into Beany and jest as they was fiting good the bell rang. that is jest the way. something always stops the good fites. i bet on Beany.

Sept. 17. Brite and fair. the stewdcats have got back long ago—i forgot to wright that in. they are some new fellers not enny biger then i am. Honey Donovan licked one of them easy and made him ball like a baby. Chitter Robinson and a stewdcat named Hall had a fite on the Plains and neether licked. they fit until they was tired out, and Darlinton a big stewdcat came up and stoped them. they aint much fun in going to school now. all the girls go to school in the libary bilding and they is nobody but fellers in the grammer school. i tell you it is pretty loansom. we fellers dont care mutch if they miss in there lessons.

Sept. 18. Brite and fair. after school today me and Beany and Fatty and Nibby and Lees Moses and Whacker went home by the libary building, when the girls came out they dident pay enny attension to us becaus the high school fellers was there. perhaps they will want to slide on our sleds next winter and then i gess they will find out something.

Sept. 19, 186- Brite and fair. went to church in the morning and to sunday school in the afternoon. i have got a new pair of britches. old Missis Stickny made them out of a old pair of fathers. they wasent very old becaus they was made out of the same blew coat that father had when he was going to make his speach when old Dirgin put me out of the town hall. father sed he wood never ware them britches ennymore. they was too tite, and his new boots was too tite two, and so he giv them to me, only i cood have the britches made smaler and i coodent have the boots made smaler so i will have to wate a long time before i cood ware the boots. well after sunday school me and Bug and Cawcaw and Pile Wood went down to the dam. they are having the dam fixed and the water is auful low, rite below the dam they was some big pikerel in a place where they coodent get out. well we took off our shues and stockings and begun to wade in after them and they wood dart round lively and we got pretty well spatered, and than i fell rite down and got wet soping. after that i went rite in and we got 12 big pikerel and we had 3 apeace. so i went home and i was afraid i wood get a licking and i did two, for when i came in father said where in thunder have you been and i told him and said here are some good pikerel for supper and he said i will atend to you sir, and he took me up stairs and gave me a whaling. gosh you bet it hurt. well then he told me to go to bed and said i coodent have my supper, and when i took of my close my legs were all blew and i called mother up to see how i was black and blew and when she came up she said for mersy sakes, the coler has all come out of your pants and you are all chekered blew, so i tride to wash it of, and it woodent come of. so i went to bed and i felt auful hungry and i cood hear them at supper and i could smell beefstake and i almost wished father was ded, and when it was almost dark mother come up with a tray and she had fride one of the pikerel and had some tost and a baked potato and i set up and had a buly supper. mother wasent mad a bit with me but she told me i did rong but she gessed i got my pay for it and i gess i did. mother is jest as good as she can be.

Sept. 20. Brite and fair. the coler hasent gone of my legs yet. tonite father took me down to Erl and Cuts where he got the coat that my britches was made out of and told Erl about it and made me show my legs, and Erl said i gess George, the cloth hadent been spunged, and father said i dont know about the cloth, but he was spunged most damly when he got them. and mister Erl laffed and gave father a pair of new britches, and we went home. father felt pretty good about it, it dont seam rite, i got a lickin and got my legs all blew and it wont come of, and father got a new pair of britches for nothing. enny way one of these pickerel waid a pound.

Sept. 21. tonite i went over to Beanys. Mister Watson Beanys father was leening his head on his hand and i stumped Beany to pull his elbo out. and we nearly dide laffing to think about it and by and by Beany got up his spunk and pulled his elbo out and his head came rite down on the table and he jumped up and grabed Beany and hit him some good bats and sent him to bed and told me to go home and never come over there ennymore. so i cant go with Beany ennymore. the coler hasent gone out of my legs.

Sept. 22. Rany. the coler has begun to go of my legs.

Sept. 23. Rany as time. we got some soft sope of old man Currier today and the coler is most gone.

Sept. 24. It is all gone now.

Sept. 25. Lubbin Smith and Geen Titcum got fiting at resess today and the bell rung before eether had licked. i bet on Lubbin. i went down for some more pikerel today but the river is two deep now.

Sept. 26. i went to church today. they issent enny fun sundays.

Sept. 27, 186- Brite and fair. today we was playing football at school and Whacker got rooted agenst Colbaths barn and hit his head whack and fell down jest as if he was ded, and old Francis came running out and grabed him up and put water on his head and then he waked up and was all rite but he had a headake.

Sept. 28. Rany as time. father has sold Nelly to old Si Smith. she was lame in her hind leg and when she stands in the stable she holds her hind leg up in the air all the time, and when she goes out she limps auful but after she goes a while she aint lame. so last nite father hiched her up and took me and we drove over to Wire Shaws in Kensington and when we came back he took out the whip and hit her under the belly with it 2 times and you aught to see her go. when we came to old Si Smiths she was going like old Billy Robinsons troter. then father turned round and drove up to Sis and old Si and Shep Hodgden and Gimmy Biddle and Charles Fifield was there and father said this will make jest the horse you want for your store and old Si said she aint biger than a rat and father said i gess she is big enuf to carry out all your lodes unless you put down your price, and then they all laffed at Si, and then Si said she was a puller and father said what do you want Josiar one that you have to push, and then they laffed agen and when father called him Josiar i know Si had better look out for when father calls me Henry i know i am in for a liking. then Si said she is lame in every leg and father said you get in here and drive her and if she goes a lame step i will give her to you, and old Si said to Shep and Gimmy you get in and drive her and they got in and drove off and father said he wood take 50 dolars for her and old Si said he wood give 35 dolars for her and they talked and talked and then Shep and Gimmy came back and said she went all rite and old Si said he wood give father 40 dolars and father said she was worth 50 but as Si was a nabor he wood like to acomodate him. well old Si was counting out the money when he said he bet she was a kicker father said she is kind as a kitten and dont bite or kick dont she Harry and i said she cant kick becaus she always holds up one leg in the stall, and old Si said whats that and i told him how she coodent kick becaus she held up one leg, and then Gimmy and Shep and Charlie Fifield and old Mister Page all laffed and hollered and stamped round and slaped their legs and said that is a good one, and old Si stoped counting his money and swore aufully and father looked auful mad for a minit and then he said she is wirth every cent of 50 dolars and asked Si what he wood give and Si said 15 dolars and they talked and talked and after a while he give father 25 dolars. then we went home and father looked prety mad. i dident know what i had done but when we got home he said Harry you go to bed, so i went up about scart to deth but by and by i crep to the stairs and lissened and he was telling about it to mother and he said if he had sence enuf not to ask me about it he cood had got 15 dolars more out of old Si and he was mad enuf to lick me, and then he began to laff and mother laffed and said it served you jest rite George to try and cheet a old man, and father said Nelly was wirth 50 dolars and the last baril of flour that Si sold him was older then Methooselas gread granfather and he wood have got square with Si if it hadent been for that boy. well mother said you cant whip him for telling the truth and father said thunder no i aint going to lick him but i was mad enuf to. so i felt prety good and crep back to bed.

Sept. 29. Brite and fair. At school today Scotty Briggam jumped over the fence today to get the football and fell on his arm and broke it, and then he went home and came back before school was out with some shingles tied on his arm. Scotty has got some spunk, but i gess Tady Finton can lick him now. Old Francis said 2 axidents in 2 days was too mutch and we mustent play football enny more. so at recess we go behind the school house and have fites. Gim Miller and Ben Rundlet had a good fite, and tomorrow Plug Atherton and Diddly Colket are going to have a fite it is most as much fun to see fites as to play football.

Sept. 30. Brite and fair. we cant have enny more fites. at recess today Plug and Diddly had the best fite i ever saw. they fit all recess and none of us heard the bell and Plug had Diddly down and we were all hollering, paist him Plug and hit him Diddly when old Francis came round the corner and grabed Plug and Diddly. i tell you we all went into school lively and old Francis made Plug and Diddly stand on the platform all the rest of the day with their arms round each others necks and we dident have enny recess in the afternoon. it is pretty tuf. we cant play one old cat becaus old Polly Smith makes a fuss when the ball goes over her fence and we cant play football becaus Scotty broke his arm and Whack got stunted, and we cant fite becaus it is rong to fite. we might jest as well be girls and roll hoop.

Sept. 31, 186- father has got a new pair of hip boots. rany.

Sept. 32. No i ment Oct 2. yesterday was Oct 1, and i got it Sept. 31. went down to Henry Youngs tonite and had my hair cut. he put some auful nise smeling oil on and when i got home they all took turns in smeling of my head.

Oct. 3. i went to Church. Pile Woods sister played the organ she is going to play all time now.

Oct. 4. brite and fair today and yesterday. it was so hot today that me and Chick Chickering went in swiming, the water was cold as time, and we jest ducked our heads and come out lively.

Oct. 5. nothing today. brite and fair. they hasent been enny fites at school for the longest while.

Oct. 6. Keene and Cele has got some new balmoral skirts. they feel prety big.

Oct. 7. Charles Talor was down to the house tonite and kept us all laffing to hear him tell stories about father and Gim Melcher.

Oct. 8. brite and fair. tomorrow me and Beany are going to wirk for Mister Hirvey making ice creem. he is going to give us some and some creem cakes. i missed in school today.

Oct. 9. Brite and fair. i gess i shant forget today very soon. this afternoon we went over to Mister Hirveys and we wirked a long time making ice creem by turning the handles of the buckets and choping up the ice. after we got done he let us come into his saloon and we had to big glasses of pink and yellow mixed and some creemcakes. well after we had et it Beany said less put some pepersass into the rest of the creemcakes. so we did and then we went out and peeked through the window. bimeby a man came in and set down and we saw Mister Hirvey bring in some icecreem and some creemcakes. well we kept peeking and the feller et one creemcake and we heard him say to Mister Hirvey that they were the best creem cakes he ever et and then he took another and took a hog bite out of it and then he jumped up and his eyes buged out and he spit it out and begun to swear and drink water and stamp round and Mister Hirvey said what is the matter and the man spit some more and swore and said they was helfire in the creemcake, and Mister Hirvey looked into it and said some one has put pepersass into it and i bet i know who did it. when i heard him say that i ran round the corner, but Beany waited too long and Mister Hirvey saw him peeking in the window and came out lively. well Beany he ran down into Toles yard as tite as he could go and Mister Hirvey came hipering after him with his white apron on, i dident know he cood run so fast. bimeby he came back holding Beany by the ear. Beany he wood try to hold back until his ear nearly puled of and then he wood come along. well Mister Hirvey snaiked him rite into his saloon and said, did you put that pepersass into my creemcakes, and Beany he said he dident, and Mister Hirvey said i dont want enny lying, and said that Beany and the long leged Shute boy were the last ones in the place and that one of us did it. and Beany he said he dident and he saw me with the pepersass bottel in my hand and Mister Hirvey he said now you have got to eat that creemcake or take a good licking and he took his cane, and held Beany by the coller and said 1 and Beany dident eat it, and then he said 2 and Beany dident eat it and then he said 3 and he hit Beany a auful whack over the legs and Beany hollered like time and held on to his legs, and then Mister Hirvey he said 1 again and Beany dident eat it and he said 2 and Beany dident eat it and jest as he said 3 Beany he grabed it and took a bite and tride to swaller it and i thought i shood die to see him, he spit and clawed at his mouth and he howled and jumped up and down and then he ran over to Charles Toles pump and rensed his mouth and drank out of the horse troth and Mister Hirvey and the man like to dide laffing. i waited till they went in and then i went over to see Beany and when i asked him how he liked the creemcake he said i was a long leged puke. this was one of the times that Beany got cought and i dident.

Oct. 10, 186- Sunday agen. brite and fair it never ranes sunday. father went to church today. he woodent have gone if Keene and Cele hadent been going to sing a duet. i dident want to go becaus i was afraid they wood brake down, but father he said i had got to go and so i went. old mister Blake who sets rite behind us droped his hym book and had to bend way over to pick it up when he set up he hit his bald head a feerful bump agenst the book rack. i nearly laffed out loud and had to hold on to my mouth.

Oct. 11. J. Albert Clark is teaching Keene and Cele a new tune. Keene sings the treble and Cele sings the alto. it is there is a bank where on the wild time grows. at supper tonite i asked what wild time was and aunt Sarah said it must be what father and Gim Melcher used to have. then we all laffed and father told aunt Sarah she was geting so funny that she wood have to wear a kerb bit and a martingail. ennyway it was a good one on father.

Oct. 12. the wind blows feerful. father wants me to lern to sing a tune with Keene and Cele. i dident want to but he said i had got to, so we tried it, and i sung it rong every time. i sung it jest enuf rong to make you feel crepey in your back, and father said if you cant sing better then that you had better shet up. so i shet up.

Oct. 13. clowdy but no rane. Georgie has lerned a new tune. it is i wood i were a fary queen. we are going to have the minister to supper and father is going to make Keene and Cele and Georgie show of. i hate showing of. ennyway i havent got to show of becaus father says i cant sing. i can sing but he dont know it you bet.

Oct. 14. rany and windy. i have got a sore throte. father dident want to have the minister to supper. he said to mother, what in thunder do you want a minister for, and mother said, we must have him becaus he will think it very queer if we dont, only you must be careful not to say or do ennything queer, and father he said he wood keep his eye peeled, but he told mother she must look out for the children.

Oct. 15. still rany, my throte is beter. we are going to have chicking for supper when the minister comes. tonite father brought some new goblets from boston. mother and aunt Sarah wirked all day making pies and cake. then mother let me lite a paper and hold the chickings over it to burn of the little fethers and hairs i like it becaus it smels like thanksgiving only i burnt my hand and it smelt jest like the chicking but i dident like that you bet.

Oct. 16, 186- today the hole town was full of ministers, most of them had long tailed coats and white necktis. Deekon Gooch came down to the house with 2 of them. aunt Sarah was wating in her best dress and when she saw them coming she said Murder Joanna they is 2 of them, what shall we do, and mother said, mercy sakes what will George say. well the bell rung and i went to the door and asked them in and Deekon Gooch said they was Mister Fernald and Mister Robinson, he said they was his brothers. then Deekon he went off and i showed them to the front room up stairs and one of them asked me if i loved the lord and i said yes sir and he said i was a good boy. and then he asked me if i went to church and sunday school and i said yes sir and he asked me what was the tex last sunday and i said i dident know what tex ment and he said what did he prech from and i said he preeched from the pulpit in church and from the platform in sunday school, and Mister Fernald he began to laff and Mister Robinson he said i woodent laff if i was you brother, and then he said what does the minister say after the first prair and i said o yes i know now, he says we will now take up the usual colection and then Mister Fernald laffed again, then Mister Robinson he asked me how many sisters i had and i said 4 and he asked if they went to church and i said Keene and Cele sing in the quire and Georgie goes but Annie and Frankie and the baby was two little and then he asked if father went to church and i said not very often, only when Keene and Cele had to sing a duet, and then he asked me what else he did sundays and i said sometimes he made viniger down celler and sometimes he went over to see John Adams hens or down to Gim Melchers shop or up to Hirum Gilmores, and he said it is very deploorible is it not, brother and Mister Fernald he laffed again and said he gessed he better not ask me any more questions, and perhaps my father woodent like to have me tell all about him, and i said father wasent afrade, and he said he dident give much for ministers ennyway and then Mister Fernald laffed as hard as he cood and Mister Robinson looked mad, then we went down stairs and they shook hands with mother and aunt Sarah and Mister Robinson he set down by aunt Sarah and asked her about the church and prair meetings and why she dident always go and lots of things like that and Mister Fernald he got the baby in his lap and he talked to mother about the children and told us stories and he was jest buly. then bimeby father he came home and he shook hands with them and he said he was glad to see them whitch was a auful lie. then mother said super was ready and we all went in to super and father kept talking and telling stories until mother said George and looked at him, and he shet up and turned red and then Mister Robinson began to pray and all of us kept still but Georgie who began to gigle, and mother looked scowly at her and she shet up two. then father looked at mother and winked and i had to put my hand over my mouth. mother she almost laffed to, and Mister Robinson he kept on praying till bimeby Frankie he said Mama i wish that man wood stop and Mister Fernald he began to coff i bet he wanted to laff. well ennyway Mister Robinson he stoped. then father helped them to chicking and bisket and gelly and coffy and everything and then he helped us and we all begun to eat and bimeby Annie said we have got some napkins tonite, and Frankie said we have got some little plates to put the butter on, and i saw them first, and Annie said we have got some new goblets two, so there, and Frankie run his tung out at Annie and she made up a face at him, and then father told them to stop and they stoped and mother and aunt Sarah turned red and Mister Robinson he looked auful sollum and Mister Fernald looked funny and then he looked at father an begun to laff and father laffed and then we all laffed as hard as we cood, and Mister Fernald he said, dont mind a bit Missis Shute, i have got children of my own, i like Mister Fernald. after super Frankie and Annie were sent to bed and we went into the parlor and father kept us all laffing telling stories, and then Keene and Cele sung now i lay me down to sleep, and there is a bank on whitch the wild time grows, and Cele sung flow gently sweet Afton and Georgie sung i wood i were a fary queen, and then Mister Robinson wanted us to sing a religous song and we sung shall we gather at the river. then they asked me to sing and i said i coodent and father said before he thought, that boy is bedeviled to play a cornet, then Mister Fernald he said let him play it, it wont hurt him, then father begun to tell some more stories and kept us laffin fit to die, and Mister Fernald he said he hadent laffed so much for years, and he said, to mother, Missis Shute i gess you have a prety good natured husband, and she said yes, and father he said he most never got mad and jest then the bell rung, and Keene went to the door and said that Mister Swane the poliseman wanted to see father and father he went to the door and in a minit we herd him swaring and herd him say it is a dam lie Swane and you know it and then Swane went away and father came in and said that someone had ridden horseback over the concreek sidewalk and they tride to lay it on me. Then it was bedtime and Mister Robinson he prayed some more and he prayed for those who took the name of the lord in vane, and then we went to bed.

Oct. 17. Brite and fair. the old ministers has gone. i am glad of it. i liked Mister Fernald but i hated old Robinson. i gess he wont get invited here again. this morning at brekfast he prayed again until the brekfast was most cold and he prayed a good deal about takin the name of the lord in vane and i cood see that mother looked mad but she dident say ennything. bimeby he begun to talk to mother about father having a unfortunate temper, and said his langage was shocking, and Cele she up and said, i gess my father is as good as you are and Keene stuck out her tung and mother sent them away from the table, and then old Robinson he said i am afrade your children are not well brought up, and mother looked rite at him a minit and then she said, i shood feel very badly if my children shood xcept hospitality from another person and crittisise that person to his face, at all events i cannot submit to have my husband or my children crittisized, and Mister Robinson he dident say ennymore you bet. after brekfast they went away, and Mister Fernald he shook hands with us all and he asked mother to let Cele and Keene come down to shake hands and she did. after they had went mother she gave us a peace of mince pie apeace and we all hoorayed for mother. none of us went to church today.

Oct. 18. brite and fair. tonite father borowed Gim Loverings horse and wagun to go riding. Gim said it aught to be greesed, so father asked me to greese the wheals, and then he said i will do it myself, and then i will be sure it will be done rite. so he got the munky rench and the lantern and some lard and went out to greese the wheals, and when he had greesed them he come in and washed his hands and then he went out and told mother not to set up for him and he unhitched the horse and hollered gitap and when the horse started one side of the wagun went down whack and out came father. well he held on to the ranes and stoped the horse and mother said what is the matter, and father said that infernal boy dident screw up the nut and the wheal come of and nearly broke my neck, and as soon as i tie this horse i will give him a good whaling and aunt Sarah said George you greesed the wheals yourself and father said by thunder so i did. then i got the lantern and we looked for the wheal and it was leaning up against the apple tree and father said jest look at that, the wheal ran up to the tree and stoped, and then we hunted round for the nut and we coodent find it and i got down on my nees and father held the lantern, and Cele and Keene came out and hunted and we coodent find it. bimeby father said he could put on the wheal and hold it on till he got back to Gims and he lifted up the ex and i went to put on the wheal and there was the nut all screwed on the ex. father had put on the nut but had forgot to put on the wheal and had left the ex resting on the jack. i gess he hadent better say mutch about me.

Oct. 19. I have got a new box of paper collers.

Oct. 20. brite and fair. this afternoon me and Fatty Melcher wirked all the afternoon puting leafs in old Putty Lowjys barn. old Putty said he wood pay us but when we asked him for our pay he said we cood have all the horse chesnuts we wanted. so we got a baskit and picked it full and went back to Fattys and pluged horse chesnuts at old Puttys cat.

Oct. 21. brite and fair. Skinny Bruce and Ben Rundlet got fiting today. old Bandbox Tomson came in to lern us some music and he left his fiddel in the entry and at resess Ben he put some sope on his bow and when old Bandbox tried to play on it he coodent make a squeak. then old Francis asked every feller in school who done it, and when Ben said he dident know who done it old Francis he up and whaled time out of Ben. i gess old Francis see Ben do it. ennyway after school Skinny he hollered Ben how did you like your licking, and Ben he hollered back Skinny Bruce is a redheaded goose, and Skinny he got mad and paisted Ben one in the eye and Ben he give Skinny a sidewinder and then they fit from first base to Colbaths barn where Whack got stunted and old Polly Smith came out and said if they dident stop fiting she wood go for the polise, and so they stoped. i bet on Skinny.

Oct. 22, 186- brite and fair and most as hot as summer. that was prety mean of old Putty.

Oct. 23. Mary Watson, Beany's sister and Mary Straton whose father chased me and Beany when we broke the gaslite, can run faster then enny of the fellers xcept Tomtit and Arthur Francis.

Oct. 24. i have been sick agen. not very sick but my legs aked ferful. mother says it is becaus i am growin so fast, but i know why, me and Boog Chadwick rassled all yesterday afternoon. ferst i throwed Boog and then Boog throwed me, and when we got through Boog was only 2 throws ahead. we dident get mad at all. ennyway i dident have to go to church.

Oct. 25. tonite we had company to super. Mister and Missis Merill. Frankie did a funny thing. father asked mother for some chese and mother she said they wasent enny, and Frankie he said he knew where they was some and father said all rite Frankie if you can get some i will give you a cent, father he thinks Frankie is auful smart, and so Frankie he climed out of his high chair and ran out into the kitchen and bimeby he came in with 3 little peaces of chese and father he asked him where he got them and he brought in the rat trap. you had just aught to have herd them laff.

Oct. 26. Clowdy but no rane. some folks can eat chese that is all wiggly.

Oct. 27. still clowdy. i cant.

Oct. 28. Beany has got the best little ax i ever saw. his father got it for him to split his kindlins. i wish i had one like it for i have to split my kindlins with a old rusty ax that ways about a tun.

Oct. 29. brite and fair. tonite i went over and helped Beany split kindlins with his new ax. it was jest as easy as ennything.

Oct. 30. brite and fair. old Tom Fifield killed his pig today and give Beany the bladder, and we blew it up with a pipe stem and kicked it for a football after school. Jack Melvin is going to have Micky Kelleys fathers pigs bladder, only he dont kill his pig till most winter. i am going to have Oliver Lanes, and his pig is the bigest in town. i bet his will be as big as the stewdcats big football. all the fellers wish they cood get it.

Oct. 31. cold as time this morning, but i had to go to church jest the same.

Nov. 1. Beany got a licking today for hollering after old Nancy Marble. she went into Beanys house and told Beanys father. i hollered two but father was in boston and she coodent tell him.

Nov. 2. brite and fair. Oliver Lane killed his pig today. it was the bigest pig in town. i had been wating for the bladder ever sense last June and i thought such a big pig aught to have a big bladder, but it was jest the littlest bladder i ever see. i suppose it was so fat inside they wasent enny room for the bladder. Skinny Bruces pigs fathers bladder, no i mean Skinny Bruces fathers pigs bladder was most twice as big.

Nov. 3. Brite and fair. the water in the rane baril was froze over last nite. today i blew up the bladder and dride it in the kitchen. it made a prety good football. Pewt dident give me his fathers pigs bladder that he promised me when i let him see the fite when Gim Erly licked Will Simpkins. you jest wait Pewt and you will see.

Nov. 4. brite and fair. Georgie got sent to bed today and had to stay in bed all the afternoon. mother told her not to tuch a vase that was full of sand to make it heavy. i wanted the sand for my aquarian and so i poored it out. well bimeby Georgie came in and went up to take the vase and it was so lite that when she lifted hard it came up so quick that she went rite over backward and smashed the vase all to bits. mother came running in and found that Georgie wasent hurt, but she howled as loud as she cood so that mother woodent lick her, and so she got sent to bed. mother said it sirved her rite.

Nov. 5. Brite and fair. i have been sick today. i gess i et two much spare rib. when i think of it it makes me sick. so i have been thinking over the poitry about the fellers. some of it is prety good.

Ed Tole fell in a hole and coodent get out to save his sole

i made that up.

Plupy Shute is a dirty brute. and never will fite if they is a chance to scoot.

Pewt he made that up.

Old Tim Calahan he was a hell of a man.

Fatty Melcher he made that up.

Frank Hanes aint got enny branes and dont know enuf to go in when it ranes

Beany he made that up.

Nipper Brown tumbled down and busted his head and cracked his crown.

i made that up too.

Granvil Miller the barber went to shave his father the razer sliped and cut his lip becaus he forgot the lather.

Skinny Bruce he made that up.

i tell you they is some prety good poits among the fellers. but any feller whitch gets poitry made up about him gets mad.

Nov. 6. brite and fair. Ed Tole can spit further than enny feller in school.

Nov. 7. Keene and Cele are sick in bed and coodent sing today in church. they have feerful headakes. docter Perry came in to see them.

Nov. 8. brite and fair. Keene and Cele and Georgie are all sick now and the docter says it is scarlet fever. they are all up in the front chamber and mother and aunt Sarah take care of them.

Nov. 9. clowdy but no rane. Annie is sick now and i cant go to school ennymore. i like that. so i am making a hen koop.

Nov. 10. Rany today. Beany he hollered over today to find out how Keene and Cele and Georgie and Annie are. i have got a soar throte but i aint going to tell ennyone about it.

Nov. 11. i had a headake all last nite. i bet i am going to have the fever. Frankie has got it now and mother is afrade the baby is coming down, she asked me how i felt and i said buly.

Nov. 12. old Missis Smith is helping take care of the house and gets the brekfasts and dinners and suppers. today docter Perry he came down stairs and i was setting in a chair and he said what is the matter with you, and i said nothing and he said let me look at your throte, and he made me open my mouth and he looked down in my gozzle and then he said you march upstairs into the hospitle and tell your mother that you are a new pacient and i went up and when mother saw me come in she said well i have been expecting you. then i went down to my room and got my niteshert and i thaught i aught to write this down becaus i might die. people do die of scarlet fever, i wonder if ennyone wood read it if i did die. ennyway father said once that a boy whitch was born to be hung never wood die in enny other way, so i gess i am all rite. ennyway i aint going to wright ennymore till i get well.

* * * * *

Jan. 17. brite and fair. i dident die and every one of us got well. Annie had it the wirst and i had it the next wirst and Frankie and the baby want hardly sick any. today is the first time i have been out. Cele and Keene went out last Wensday but i coodent becaus i hadent got done peeling. after folks have the scarlet fever their skin dries up and peels of and if you get cold in the peeling you die every time. i had on my Hoppy Gad boots for the first time today. father brougt them up to show me when i was in bed. i was prety sick and dident know nothing for 2 or 3 days. mother says i was talking about the fellers i knew in Reading. we lived in Reading one year and so i thought i was there i gess and she says i talked of George and Wendal Evans and Puggy Fergerson and Totty Procter and Emma Wallis and Jonny Pike and Ed Harndin and Nelly Minot. i had a fite with Ed Harndin and licked him. when Willy died we came back to Exeter, and she said i talked about Willy to, and everything. we had some fun while we was sick. Cele used to tell stories and we made flyboxes and then when mother was out of the room we wood turn sumersets, and bimeby when we got so that we cood eat apples we used to have one apeace every day and we had to scrape them with a nife and eat the soft part, and when we were geting beter we were auful cross. i gess most every one wood be cross to lose thanksgiving and crismas two, and my berthday, and all the skating and snowbaling. ennyway i havent got to go to school this week.

Jan. 18, 186- buly snowbaling. i went out today a long time, mother told me not to plug snowballs, so i only throwed 2 or 3. i am hungry all the time.

Jan. 19. brite and fair. one of my hens died when i was sick and the rooster frose his comb. it is prety tuf on me.

Jan. 20. i went sliding today on factory hill, it was buly. they wasent hardly ennyone there.

Jan. 21. brite and fair. Whack and Boog have got a duble runner, they made it out of there sleds dart and arrow. it is the fastest duble runner on the hill. i went with them. we beat Pewts duble runner esy. Pewts is biger and Mister Purington Pewts father painted it buly but it cant go as fast or as fur as Whack and Boogs. Pewt was mad becaus we beat him.

Jan. 22. i went to church today. Keene and Cele sung in the quire. Beany kept sticking his head out from behind the organ and making up faces at me to make me laff out loud till the minister spoke to him and he felt prety cheep.

Jan. 23. snowed and raned today both, i had my sled painted today. it is painted black with a gold stripe and Exeter Boy in gold letters on it. Mister Purington Pewts father painted it. i went to school today. nobody got licked.

Jan. 24. clowdy. my sled is most dry enuf to use.

Jan. 25. it misted last nite and frose and today everything was covered with ice it was fun to see people fall down. most everybody fell down. i went sliding on spring street.

Jan. 26. cold as time. i went to school. we are going over colburns in revew and so i can keep up.

Jan. 27. I havent got ennything to wright today xcept that i went to school. John Adams has got a new brama rooster.

Jan. 28. Brite and fair. i licked Ti Crummet today. me and Whack and Fatty Melcher was over on Factory Hill sliding and Ti Crummet and Hirum Mingo and Bobberty Robinson and Dinky Lord came over and i had my sled all new painted, Pewts father painted it and Ti Crummet run his old sled agenst it and nocked of sum of the paint, and i told him to keep his old sled of mine and Ti he said he wood nock sum of the paint of me if i said 2 words more and then he swoar feerfully. i dident say nothing becaus i dident want to fite him, and Hirum Mingo said Plupy says he can lick you Ti and Ti said i can nock hel out of you old spindel legs and i said i dident say so and Ti he swoar sum more so it sort of scart me, well then i was going and Hirum he pushed Ti rite into me and he kicked me in the leg and got hold of my hair and i got the under hold and got him down jest as esy as ennything and then i set on him and lammed him til he holered enuf and then i let him up and he went home balling. i bet he beter not fite me agen.

Jan. 29. Brite and fair. it aint the feller whitch can swear the feerfullest whitch is the best fiter. i went to church and sunday school today.

Jan. 30. Brite and fair. Johnny Kelly can lick enny feller on Court or South Street and he can swear auful two. i gess most of the fellers is scart of him becaus he can swear so. i aint scart of him.

Jan. 31. Rany. not mutch but sum. we was playing snap the whip today and Johnny Kelly was on the end and got snaped rite into a pudel of water and he said i dident hold on and he wood give me a slap in the mug and i said he want man enuf and jest then the bell rang and we had to go in. tomorow he had beter look out i am going to give him one in the eye and then grab for the under hold and get him down and lam him good. i bet he cant fite enny beter then Ti Crummet did, and when i have licked him all the fellers will be afrade of me. i bet he will wish he had never fit with me.

Feb. 1. Brite and Fair. i have got a black eye. this morning i went to school erly and when i got there Johnny Kelly was there and he said now old Plupy longlegs i will fix you and i said pile rite in and we will see and he began to swear wirse then Ti did, and i said if you want a good paist in the gob they is plenty of them rite here if you are man enuf to sale in, and when i said that he come at me so quick that i dident have time to get ready and he hit me in the eye and in the mouth 2 times and got the underhold before i cood and got me down and lammed me till i hollered enuf. then all the fellers holered Plupy got licked Plupy has got a black eye. it was prety mean ennyway. when i got home to dinner mother asked me how i got my eye sore and i said i got it boxing with Johnny Kelly and she said was you fiteing and i said we box every day in school sometimes Beany and Whack and sometimes me and Pewt but today me and Johnny Kelly boxed and he hits to hard and she said she shood think so, and said i had beter box with sum other boy and i gess so two. ennyway i dident lie to her for that wasent lying.

Feb. 2. Brite and fair. i gave Johnny Kelly the core of my apple today. Gosh sum fellers can fite auful and swear auful two.

Feb. 3. Brite and fair. Beany has got a new blew jacket. he felt prety big about it until Pewt took him in the back with a roten apple. Beany staid in all resess a scraping the apple off of his coat. this afternoon he wore his old jacket. but he is going to pay Pewt for that sum way.

Feb. 4. it snowed hard all day all the fellers are whacking cats head on each others back. you take some chork and chork the inside of your hand and your ferst and last finger and then you wet your fingers and make eyes and nose and mouth in your chorky hand and then you wate til a feller comes along and then you lam him one on the back and it makes the funniest cats head on his back you ever see with eyes and nose and mouth and 2 long ears whitch your fingers made. i got 5 on my back today and i got 1 on Beany and 2 on Pewt and 1 on Pop Clark and 1 on Nipper Brown.

Feb. 5. it snowed this morning and we dident go to church i dug some paths and read Billy Bowlegs in the afternoon, after super it snowed again and is snowing now. i bet they will be some deep drifts tomorow.

Feb. 6. brite and fair. it has cleared off. everything was jest as white and they wasent hardly a track in the snow. i had to dig sum paths, and i got up erly and dug a path down the frunt steps and out to the road so father cood get into the hack. Jo Parmer said it was prety tuf slaying. my Hoppy Gad boots have been greesed and they dont leak a bit. me and Pewt and Beany had sum fun diving. we tide scarfs round our heds and necks and div from our steps into a snow drift. and we cood go in way out of sight. we tide our britches down over our boots, it was more fun than diving in the river. after we div one drift all down we tride another, and bimeby Beany he said come on fellers here is a buly drift down by the shed and we went down and Beany said i chuse first dive and he clim up on the shed and said 1 to make ready, 2 to prepare, 3 to be going and 4 to be there, and then he div rite into the swill bucket. it was under the snow and Beany coodent see it, and when he came up he was all swill and he was mad and said i knew it all the time, and he went home and aint going to ever speak to me enny more. i coodent see the old bucket enny more than he cood. it is jest like Beany to get mad at every little thing. i bet he wood laff if i div in the swill bucket.

Feb. 7. Brite and fair. Beany woodent speek to me today. all rite Beany you jest wait and see.

Feb. 8. Brite and fair. it was buly snowballing. we was pluging stewdcats today and Pacer Gooch came along. so we got behind trees and Pewt peeked jest in time to get one rite in the eye. he had aught to know beter than peek out when Pacer is pluging snowballs.

Feb. 9. me and Fatty Melcher are making some arrow rifles down to his shop. we are going hunting for rabbits saterday. brite and fair.

Feb. 10. brite and fair. tonite father brougt a magasine home tonite. it is the young folks. we all wanted it so we took turns. ferst Cele read a story and then i read a story and then Keene, we all read it out loud. Cele read amung the glass blowers. Keene read the story of a bad boy. and i read around the evening lamp. they was all buly stories.

Feb. 11, 186- this afternoon me and Fatty Melcher and Potter Goram went hunting. we had our arrow rifles and Fatty had a ax and Potter a hachet in his belt and i had a nife. we had a buly time. we went up to the eddy and then went across the river on Gilmans side. we saw 2 patriges and 1 rabbit and some blewgays. we dident hit them but we came prety near them. then we bilt a fire and et our donnuts and then we tracked a rabbit into a pile of bushes. when we turned over a log we scart out a field mouse and killed it. tonite Potter came down to the house and we read young yagers.

Feb. 12. it raned hard all day. Keene and Cele had to go to church and so i had to go two. they wasent many there. it ranes now.

Feb. 13. it raned hard all nite. i cood hear it agenst the window and hear the wind blow. it is comfertible to be in bed and hear the rane. only i forgot my kindlings and i had to get up before six oh clock this morning.

Feb. 14. Beany nearly got killed today. he was spliting wood with his new ax and he was standing rite under a closeline. Beany feels prety big about his new ax and he had got so that he can grunt jest like men who chop wood all the time. so Beany he swung the ax over his head and it hit the closeline and bounced rite up in the air and came rite down on Beanys head and he fell down whack and laid there till his father came out and lugged him into the house. they thought he was ded but he wasent. I went over today to see him, he was setting in a rocking chair by the stove with his head rapped up in a towel. i sent Beany a valentine today. he dident send me one but i gess it was because he was sick.

Feb. 15. brite and fair. Beany is better today. i went over and split his kindlings for him.

Feb. 16. brite and fair and buly snowballing. Gimmy Watson, Beanys brother said if Beanys head hadent been jest like the choping block it wood have killed him. Gimmy is mad becaus Beany calls him Gami. He can lick Beany alone and can lick me alone but me and Beany together can lick him.

Feb. 17. they was a fire down on franklin street today and Bob Carter got all squirted over and his close frose to the ladder he was on.

Feb. 18, 186- it snowed today, and then it raned.

Feb. 19. we have vacation in about 2 weeks.

Feb. 20. i shall be glad when spring comes. i wet my feet most every day.

Feb. 21. we are going to have a school xibision at the end of this tirm and old Francis says he is going to give prises to the best scholars. Nipper and Pricilla and all the other good boys are studying hard so as to get the prises. i woodent take one of their prises if they wood give me one. i woodent give 2 cents for their old prises.

Feb. 22. today is Washington's berthday and we can ring the town bell at 1 oh clock and at 5 for a hour. i went down both times and Ed Derbon let us take turns in ringing the bell. only 2 can ring at a time. when me and Fatty Melcher was ringing the bell went over and it pulled us way up to the ceeling. most of the fellers staid out in frunt of the church and pluged snowballs. bimeby some stewdcats came along and we pluged and hit a stewdcat named Lee rite in the back of his head and he said we have stood enuf from these townies and he and Stone and Clifford and Winsor, who was our sunday school teacher until he saw the rooster fite, and Belmont came over the fence and charged us and we pluged as hard as we cood and they pluged two and we ran behind the church and they follered us and jest lammed us and washed Beanys face and rolled Pewt in the wet snow, and jest then Boog and Whack and Puz and Zee Smith came piling in and paisted time out of them and then the stewdcats charged them and throwed Whack in a drift and Zee got one in the back that made him lay down and grunt before he cood get his breth, and then all the stewdcats from Toles house piled out and piched in and they was giving us time when Bozzaris Wadly see the fite and jumped of a load of wood and Pacer and Stuby Gooch and Scotty Briggam and Kibo Marston and Skinny Bruce and Frank Elliott herd us hollering give it to the stewdcats and came running over and then we had jest a buly fite and i tell you the snow balls jest flew and Fatty Gilman got one rite in the eye and Pheby Talor got one rite in the mouth jest as he was hollering stewdcat and it filled his mouth with snow and old Woodbrige Odlin was coming out of the bank and he got one in the leg and one in his old plug hat and it nocked it of and he went over to the hotel and i gess he told old Brown becaus he and Swane and Potsy Dirgin the poliseman came over and made us stop, it was the best snow ball fite i ever saw. we are going to lay for the stewdcats next saterday at the libary. old Bozzaris Wadly was the best fiter we had and nobody knowed he cood fite. when the stewdcats wood charge us he wood not run a bit but wood jest stand and plug and once when Clifford tride to put him over he coodent do it. it was a buly fite.

Feb. 23. Brite and fair. Gosh what do you think i am going to get a prise in school. last nite i had to go down to old Tom Connors store to get some carosene and old Francis was going down town with Perry Molton and they was talking about who was the best fellers in school and who they was going to give the prises. i lissened and old Francis said Potter and Nipper and Pricilla was going to have prises, only he dident call them Potter and Nipper and Pricilla, but Arthur and Jonny and Charlie, then he said they is one boy who is as smart as enny of them only he dont study much and i had to shake him up laitly and he is doing better now, then Perry he said who is it, and old Francis said i gess i wont tell you his name for he may disapoint me, but he lives on Court Street. i tell you it made me feel all tremly. it coodent be Pewt or Beany becaus they miss there lesons most every day and they aint enny other fellers living on Court Street so it must be me, becaus old Francis shook me and Medo Thirsten up day before yesterday and Medo lives on South Street. Gosh wont father be sirprized i nearly got a prise once when Fliperty Flannygan marked my words all rite and i wood have got it if it hadent been for Gimmy Fitsgerald. but this time i am going to get it. i bet the folks will think i am quite a feller.

Feb. 24. Brite and fair. i dident miss in school today. tonite i staid in and studied. Pewt and Beany come round and were mad becaus i woodent come out.

Feb. 25. Rany. i got 9 xamples rite today out of 10, but i missed in speling. it aint often i miss in speling.

Feb. 26. i took a book today to church and studied.

Feb. 27. Rany again. i dident miss in ennything today. i told mother today that i was going to get a prise if i dident disapoint him. so she told father tonite and he said he dident beleive it. he said he had nearly a buchel of prises he got in school and he give them to the fellers to ware in a torchlite percession and they kept them. he said he give all his prise books to the sunday school. he said when he put on all his meddles and walked out they gingled jest like slaybells and glitered so they scart horses. aunt Sarah laffed and said the only prises he wore were black and blew ruler marks that old mister Ellis give him and he got enuf of them to, and she said tell Harry what you left the Academy for, and he said the teachers were down on him becaus he lerned faster than they cood teech, and aunt Sarah said Doctor Sole wood tell a diferent story, and father said that Doctor Sole was a wirthy man but he dident forgive ennyone which was smarter than he was. then father said you talk very strangly Sarah for one of your years and i shall ask the Coart to apoint me as gardeen over you as a person of unsound mind. then father said he had never told ennyone why he left the Academy so suddin, but it was becaus he broak his jaw in 3 places talking Greke to Doctor Sole. well he kept us laffing all the evening and when i went to bed he give me 10 cents so i gess he feels prety good about my prise.

Feb. 28. clowdy but no rane. i only missed in Geogerfy today. Aunt Sarah is going to exibision day to see me get my prise. Keene and Cele are going two. i dont dass to tell Beany. he come over tonite to get me to come out and see him set his dog onto Mister Heads cat and was mad when i told him i had got to study. Beany he says i will get so i cant fite or have enny fun i am geting so good. Beany will get a good punch if he says much.

Mar. 1, 186- brite and fair. father is going to the school exibision.

Mar. 2. Brite and fair. tonite father lerned me a speach to say when old Francis gives me the prise. i dont want to say it but he says i have got to. this is my speach. Mister Francis i thank you very kindly for this beautiful present, whitch i value for the honor whitch has been confered on me, and i trust that i shall so conduck myself that you may never regret it.

Mar. 3. Brite and fair. tomorow is exibision day. today we rehersed. Pricilla sung pulling hard agenst the streem and played the organ. Potter read a composition and Nipper xplaned the sum about the hundred geese the one i never cood do. Good morow farmer with your hundred geese sir i have not a hundred but if i had as many more and half as many more and 2-1/2 geese i shood have a hundred, how many geese had he. well Nipper can do that sum and so he has got to show of. i havent got to do ennything xcept to say my speach when old Francis gives me my prise, whitch is prety good for me.

Mar. 4. Brite and fair. i am not fealing very well tonite. father dident go to boston this morning but staid to home. this morning in school we rehersed for xibision. Pricilla sung and plaid and Nipper rote down the geese sum on the blackboard and rote his name under it jest as good as he cood. i wanted to rite Nipper under it but old Francis wood paist time out of me if he found out who rote it. you aught to hear Pricil play and sing. he sings do your best for one another making life a plesent dream, help a poor and weried brother puling hard agenst the streem, and the old organ goes boom ya, boom ya, boom ya ya ya, that is a prety song for a feller to sing whitch never will give the fellers the core of his apple but always eats it hisself. well this afternoon i put on my best close and my plad neckti and a new paper coller and went to school erly. prety soon the people begun to come in. they was old Perry Molton and old Nat Shute and Gewett Swazie the committy, and old Bil Morrill with his hair curled under behind and Chick Chickerings father and mother and docter Goram, Nippers father and mother and Pricillas father and mother and lots of people and i thought father wasent coming but bimeby he come in with his new britches that he made Erl and Cutts give him and his boots blacked and aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele. Aunt Sarah had got her best earings and her dolman with beeds and Keene and Cele had on their bronze boots and there plad dresses and they got a seet on the platform. Keene and Cele felt prety big becaus they was in the seminary and Aunt Sarah felt prety big becaus she had on her earings and her dolman and father felt prety big becaus i was going to get a prise. well first old Francis said a prayer and everyone bowed there heads and father bowed his two but i saw him peek out under his hand. well then we all sung and Mary Emery plaid the organ. then our class resited and Nipper xplained his sum about the geese and then Potter spoke a peace and then Pricilla plaid and sung his peace. then there was a dialog and then we sung sum more. then old Francis opened his desk and took out a little riting desk and said it had been prety hard to tell whitch was the best scolar becaus they was 3 boys who were so near together. so he would give the riting desk to Arthur Goram and the glass inkstand to Johnny Brown and the stamp colecters book to Charly Hobbs. so when he give them Potter and Nipper and Pricilla stood up and bowd and said thank you. if they had been so smart they aught to have a speach ready. ennyway i had my speach all ready. then old Francis said there was one boy who had grate talents and was a very brite boy but owing to his fondness for play had not done as well as he shood. but he had showed such talent that he aught to be menshioned espesially as he had been studying much better laitly. when old Francis said that aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele set up strate and father tride to look as if he dident know who he meant and i said my speach over soft, to be sure i had it rite. then old Francis said i have selected as a present for this boy a book, and the name of this boy is, and then he stoped a moment and i cood almost hear my heart thumping, and then he said Johnny Chickering. Gosh i had forgotten all about Chick Chickering living on Coart Street. when he said that aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele sat rite back in there chairs and father turned auful red and looked at me as if he wanted to nock my head rite of and then he droped his hat on the floor and it fell of the platform and roled way out under Medo Thirstons seet and then he blew his nose with a auful toot. then old Francis give Chick the book and then he read the names of the 10 next best scolars and my name wasent there eether. and then father looked mad enuf to bust, and Aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele looked prety sick. then we all sung happy school Ah from the never shall our hearts long time be turning, and then school was dismissed. docter Goram and Nippers father and mother and Pricillas father and mother and Chicks father and mother and lots of the people staid to shake hands with old Francis, but father marched rite out and Aunt Sarah and the girls two. well when i got home you aught to have heard father. he said i was the laziest and most wirthless boy there ever was, and i was a disgrace to him and he sent me to bed lively. i dident want the old book ennyway.

Mar. 5. Church today. i dont care.

Mar. 6. Brite and fair. Chick feals prety big about his old book. Ed Tole has got a new game rooster. we are going to throw him over in John Adams yard the first time John lets his bolton gray out. i rode on the hack today all the morning. it is more fun then geting good marks in school. ennyway it is vacation and i am going to raise time. i dont care for a old prise ennyway.

Mar. 7. Brite and fair. i broak a window today on purpose, i dont care.

Mar. 8. Brite and fair. got sent to bed tonite for swearing. all i said was gol darn it. father needent feel so big. i have herd him say wirse things than that. i dont care.

Mar. 9. clowdy but no rane. i dont care if i dident get no prise. Chick needent feel so big. i woodent take his old book ennyway.

Mar. 10. brite and fair. i got fiting with Beany today in his yard. he chased me over to my yard and i turned round suddin and stuck out my arm and my fist hit Beany rite in the eye. you had aught to herd him howl. then mother called me in and sent me to bed. it is prety tuf when a feller cant hit another feller in the eye whitch is chasing him. well ennyway i stamped upstairs to bed and when father came home i knew i shood get a licking. so when father came home i lissened and herd them eating super, and i herd father say where is that boy and mother said i sent him to bed for striking Elly Watson. Elly is Beany you know. and father said whitch licked. and mother said Elly was crying very loud and holding on to his eye, and so i sent Harry to bed and father said if he dident do ennything wirse than licking that Watson boy i wont complane and if he will get up spunk enuf to lick that boy of Brad Puringtons, he ment Pewt, i will give him a treet. then mother said i dont know what is the matter with Harry this vacation. he is cross and impident, and then Keene said i slaped her face yesterday and Cele told Keene it was her falt and she hadent aught to have plaged me, and Keene said she dident and Cele said she did and father said you girls shet up when your mother is talking. then someone shet the door and i dident hear enny more. after super Cele come up in my room with a tray with my super and i set up in bed and et my super and Keene looked into the room and made up a face. after super i heard father talking again and he said i needed a good licking and mother said something was the matter with me and she never knew me to keep cross for a hole week, and father said he wood take it out of me in 2 minits and mother said no she wood talk to me. So bimeby mother come up and i made beleeve i was asleep and mother set down by the bed and said are you asleep Harry, and i said yes before i thought, and then she sorter laffed and began to talk to me and told me how sory it made her feel to see me so cross and doing bad things and she wanted me to be better and not wurry her for she dident feel very well and gosh before i knew it i was balling rite out. well i balled good and she rubed my head and got me a drink of water and i said i wood do beter. then she kissed me and went down and after a while i went to sleep. gosh i maid up my mind if father licked me that i woodent ball and i wood do something auful the next day, i wont say what it was but it was something auful. i have been a prety mean feller.

Mar. 11, 186- when i got up this morning i felt buly, and i got a pail of water and brogt in wood enuf to fill the woodbox way over the top. it is warm and the snow is all gone xcept in the corners where the drifts were. i saw a robin today and i wished on it but i cant tell what i wished becaus if i did it woodent come true. it is something i have been wanting auful for a long time, but i havent had money enuf to buy it.

Mar. 12. rany. i went to church. the minister said it was esy to be good if you tride. i gess ministers dont know much ennyway.

Mar. 13. me and Beany is going to keep store in my shed. today we made the counter of 2 barils and a board and we made a lot of flyboxes and jacobs laders and tonite we made a lot of sweet firn cigars, and hayseed and mulen leaf and cornsilk. this afternoon we went out picking up bones in a baskit. most every yard had a lot of bones in it xcept where the fellers had been. we got most a buchel. we get half a cent a pound for them down to old Gechels store they make nife handels of them and perl buttons.

Mar. 14. Beany got mad today and says he wont keep store with me. we got our flyboxes all pined up and our boxes of cigars all ready and mother said she wood give me some molases for sweatened water. so we was all ready when Beany got mad about the sine. he wanted it to be Watson and Shute becaus he is older then me, but it was my shed and my sweatened water and my board and my barils and so i said my name shood come ferst and he got mad and took half of the things and went home. i dident let him have a bit of the sweatened water. Lucy Watson was mad two and woodent speek to Keene and Cele.

Mar. 15, 186- i opened my store today and nailed up my sine fancy goods and sweatened water H. Shute. Potter and Whack and Fatty and Boog and Puzzy and all the fellers come round and i sold lots of stuff. i charge 10 nails for a sweet firn cigar, 5 nails for a rattan or grape vine cigar and 3 nails for hayseed cornsilk and mullen leaf. 3 nails for white jacobs ladders and 5 for gilt, 10 nails for flyboxes made of writing book paper, and 15 and 20 nails for gilt and silver and red paper. 15 nails for snappers that will snap good, and 15 nails for a glass of sweatened water. i had a big trade and i cood see Beany out in frunt of his house looking over. bimeby he came over and i said hullo Beany come and have a drink and a cigar. so Beany he took a glass and drunk it and lit a cigar, a sweet firn one and said how is trade, and i said they is quite a little stiring, and he said have you got mutch stock and i said most sold out but they is plenty more where that come from and Beany he said dont you want to by my stuff and i said no i gess not. bimeby Beany he said less make up Plupy and i said i aint mad and Beany he said well let the old sine rip and so he went over and got his stuff and pinned it up and we had a good trade all the afternoon. tonite we made cigars and flyboxes and snappers. Beany is a prety good feller to have a store with only he smokes and drinks two mutch.

Mar. 16. Brite and fair. i saw a blewbird today. Beany come over erly and we had a good trade. Beany smoked so many sweet firn cigars and drank so mutch sweatened water that i told him he coodent be my pardner unless he smoked cheeper cigars and only drank 4 glasses a day. 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. that is enuf for enny man.

Mar. 17. Rany today. not mutch trade. Pewt and Nipper has got a store in Pewts shed. Tomtit says he has got beter things than we have and he got all the fellers to go up there. Tomtit was mad becaus we woodent take sheet iron for pay. you cant get ennything for sheet iron down to old Getchels and if we took it for pay enny feller cood go out and pick up a old stove pipe and buy out your store.

Mar. 18. brite and fair. no i mean it is clowdy. Beany is acting prety queer. he has been talking with Pewt, and last nite he promised to come over and make cigars and he dident come and Nipper said Beany was over to Pewts. today he was prety sassy and said he would drink all the sweatened water he wanted. he was away all the afternoon.

Mar. 19. Beany dident make up enny faces behind the organ today. after church i holered at him and he woodent look round. i bet he is going to keep store with Pewt. i dont care.

Mar. 20. Beany came over this morning and said he was going to be pardner with Pewt and he wanted his stuff and his half of the iron and nails. I told him he was a mean cuss and he said he woodent be pardner with a feller whitch woodent let him drink and smoke out of the store. he said Pewt wasent so mean as all that. so we divided the stuff and Beany wanted half of what nails and iron i had taken before we were pardners. he dident get it you bet, and he dident get enny sweatened water neether.

Mar. 21. brite and fair. Medo Thirsten came up today and wanted to buy my stuff and i sold it all to him. i am glad to get out of the store so i can go of with Potter and Chick Chickering. we went up to the Eddy today. we saw some blackbirds and some robins and 3 blewbirds, and got 2 last years nests. it is almost time for flying squerels. we saw a redder today.

Mar. 22. I saw Beany today and he run out his tung at me. all rite for you Beany.

Mar. 23. it raned and was auful windy today. i sold my iron and bones today to old Getchel for 42 cents. i took out 12 cents to treet the fellers and put 30 cents with my cornet money.

Mar. 24. it was warm today and fine. I saw some wild geese flying over today. it made me feel funny to hear them holler. me and Potter and Chick went out in the woods today with our bows and arrows and bilt a fire and fride some potatose.

Mar. 25. this is the last day of vacation. Beany and Pewt have had a auful row, Beany says Pewt sold all the iron and nails and kept most of the money. Pewt says Beany drank up more then the moneys wirth of sweatened water and smoked all the best cigars i am glad of it. i gess the next time Beany will know more.

Mar. 26. sunday. nothing to do but go to church and think of going to school tomorow. i wonder if i shall get a licking this tirm.

Mar. 27. i went to school today. they isent much fun now. it is two muddy to play ennything. so the fellers all have clappers and we clap all the time. Skinny Bruce is the best one. he has some bone clappers that jest ring. Fatty Gilman has got some made of black walnut.

Mar. 28. we plaid ball a little today. it is geting prety dry in the school yard now.

Mar. 29. it snowed a little today and then melted. they wasent enuf for snow balling. my hens has begun to lay.

Mar. 30. the top of my roosters comb whitch was frose last winter when i was sick has come of and his comb is all smooth and shiny and hasent got enny picks on it.

Mar. 31. brite and fair tomorow is april fool day. i am going to get one on Beany.

Apr. 1. today i had a good one to get on Beany. i rung the doorbell of our house and mother came to the door and i stood there laffin and she laffed and said i am glad to see you sir because i want you to fill the woodbox and get me 5 pails of water. gosh i dident think it was so funny. at school old Francis woodent let us play april fools on each other but in the afternoon i went over to get Beany to come with me to get a 4 foot yardstick down to Lyfords. i was going to get Beany to ask for it and then they wood lam him, becaus they isent enny 4 foot yardstick. i jest laffed to think of Beany getting licked. well when i asked Beany he said he wood go only his father wanted him to go down to old Kellogs harness shop to get a pint of strap oil to oil some harnes, and if i wood go with him ferst he would go with me. so i said yes and we went. jest before we got there Beany said you go in and ask for it, and i will wait becaus old Kellog dont like me very well. so i went in and old Kellog was sitting straddle of a seet with big wooden nippers on it and he was sowing on a harness and he said cross like what do you want and i said i want a pint of strap oil and he said o yes i have got some good strap oil and he got down and grabed me by the coller and took down a strap and licked me till i hollered. then he let me go and when i went out rubing my legs Beany was jest laffing fit to die and he said you thought you was prety smart old Plupy to get me to go down for a 4 foot yard stick dident you. and then he ran his tung out and run of down town. i will pay Beany for that.

Apr. 2. brite and fair. i went to church.

Apr. 3. Father is going to have a garden and i have got to dig it up. Father says he is going to help me but i know how it will be. he will dig about ten minits and then he will go over to see Beanys father. i dont see why it is that jest as soon as it is time for fishing father wants to make me wirk. Pewt cought 3 pirch today.

Apr. 4. Brite and fair. last nite we went diging up the garden. father began to dig and dug about a minit and then he stoped and went in the house to change his shues, and then he come out and took of his coat and then he dug a nother minit and then he went to the fence and talked with Sam Dire and then he took of his vest and took up his spade and then he said i was doing splendid and he wanted to see Wats a minit and he went over to see Beanys father jest as i said he wood and dident come back. well i dug until mother called me in to go to bed and i got about a pan full of wirms. tonite me and father are going to dig some more. my back is lame.

Apr. 5. Brite and fair. last nite father told me to cut the eyes out of a lot of potatose to plant. so this noon and after school me and Keene and Cele cut out the eyes of the potatose. we raced to see which wood beet, i had a sharp spoon handel, Keene a darning needle, and Cele a pen-nife. we had 3 cups to put the eyes in and when we got the eyes all dug out we counted the eyes. Cele had 176 Keene 158 and i had 143. jest as we got done father came home, so we showed him the eyes and i wish you cood see him. i woodent dare to wright what he said. if i talked like he did he wood have sent me to bed for a year. i gess he wood have licked us all but mother laffed and laffed and said we dident know enuf about farming. so we only got sent to bed.

Apr. 6. brite and fair. i hoped it wood rane today so we coodent dig. but it dident. if they had been a circus it wood have raned like time. last nite we dug some more. father started all rite but jest then he said he had got to go down town with mother. so i dug until Beany and Pewt came over and then we begun to plug peaces of dirt at Charly Dire and after a while somebody broke a window in Sam Dires house. Pewt said it was me and Beany said it was Pewt. father came home and sent me to bed. he give Sam Dire 25 cents for the window. ennyway Pewt broke it.

Apr. 7. brite and fair.

Apr. 8, 186- it raned today. i am glad of it.

Apr. 9. it raned today. i am glad of it. i went to church.

Apr. 10. tonite me and Beany and Whack finished diging all the rest of the garden. when father came home he went out and steped on a rake that was lying down with the sharp points up and ran it into his foot and he came limping into the house swaring auful, but he wasent much hurt and isent going to have enny garden. ennyway he left the rake there himself.

Apr. 11, 186- Brite and fair. father is going to have some geese. he went to Dal Gilmors and Dal said you cood keep geese for nothing becaus all they et was grass and father says he can raise geese on grass until October and then kill them and sell them and make lots of money. ennyway they was grass enuf becaus we want going to have enny garden since father steped on the rake. Dal Gilmor has got a old goose whitch is more then 30 years old. i bet he is tuf.

Apr. 12. Brite and fair. father came home tonite erly and we begun to make a geese pond. we took a baril and cut it in 2 and made 2 tubs. then we dug a hole in the garden and put in 1 tub and filled it with water. it made a buly pond. next saterday father is coming home erly and we are going to hampton falls to get sum geese eggs.

Apr. 13. Rany Franky fell out of bed last nite. father said it was my falt. the baby had the crupe. father says something is always the matter.

Apr. 14. clowdy but no rane. beany has got a dog, it is black and tan, not 2 dogs but jest 1. his name is Gip and he can fite.

Apr. 15. still clowdy. Frank Hanes has got a dog like Beanys. his name is Dime, i bet he can fite.

Apr. 16. brite and fair. i put some minnies in the geese pond today. it was after church and i got them yesterday. they wood have dide in the tin pail, so it wasent rong to put them in Sunday. tomorow we are going down to get the geese eggs.

Apr. 17. brite and fair. i am wrighting this in bed. it has been a prety tuf day i tell you. father coodent come home erly becaus he had to wirk, so he give me fifty cents and me and Beany went down to hampton falls after the geese eggs. well we got them and started home. we had Beanys fathers horse and we saw a old black horse by the side of the road and Beany said i wood like to plug him with a geese egg, i said praps they is a roten egg there. so we shook the eggs till by and by they was one whitch ratled. then Beany choze to plug him and he let ding at him and the egg hit him a paister rite in the side and broak and spatered him all over with yellow, and he kicked up and ran away before i cood get a nother egg. then we went on till we saw 2 cows and we shook the eggs again till we got 2 whitch ratled and when we went by we stood up in the wagon and let ding at the cows. i hit one rite in the frunt of her head and the yellow ran down over her nose and Beany hit the other in the side and then a man holered at us and we licked the horse and drove of lively. then we saw a cat sitting in a barn door and we both let ding at her but dident hit her and both eggs smached agenst the barn and the cat ran into the barn and a man came out with a tin pail in his hand and a little stool in the other and holered at us and we licked up the horse again. after that we dident plug enny more for they was only 7 eggs left and they only ratled a little. when we got home Beany let me out and i told father about the eggs being roten, he was prety mad and said i had aught to have shook them before i took them. he asked me what i did with the roten eggs and i said i threw them away and jest then Mister Watson Beanys father came over with Beany and 2 men and it was the same man whose horse we pluged with roten eggs, and the man who holered at us when we plugged the old cows. the man grabed me by the coller and told father i was the wirst boy in the town and if father dident lick me out of my skin he wood, and father said hold on there, they aint nobody going to lick my boy unless he licks me ferst, and he walked up to the man prety quick, and the man let go my coller and father said if they is any licking to be done i can do all that is necesary, and the man said we are going to have him arested, and father said what has he done and the man said these two boys have been throwing rocks at my horse and have cut a big gash in his side and he is all over blud, and the other man said we had been pluging rocks at his cows and had cut one on the head and one on the side well me and Beany said we only threw geese eggs at them and the blud was the runny part of the eggs and we crossed our throtes and hoped to die if it wasent so, and father said to the man did you xamine the gash and he said he was so mad when he see the horse that he hitched up the other horse and followed us and told his hired man to look after the horse and brogt the other man to. so father said to Beanys father to hich up his horse and we wood go down and see if we had lied to him and he said if i had lied to him he wood give me the wirst licking i ever had. well jest as we were going to get in the wagon the man whitch had the tin pail and the stool in his hand come driving up and said we had been pluging roten eggs at his barn and father said he wood be cussed if he ever saw such boys, and me and Beany said we dident mean to hit the barn but we pluged at the cat and dident hit her. then the other men told him about the horse and cows and he said it was only roten eggs and then they felt beter, and they said they was willing to let us of with a good licking, but father said he woodent lick me for ennybody else, but he wood pay them for their truble and they said they wood settle for fifty cents each and i had to pay it out of my cornet money. i only had one dollar and 30 cents but Aunt Sarah give me 20 cents. i beleive i had rather got a licking for it will take me 6 weaks to ern so much money and i wood have got over a licking as soon as i got to sleep. then father sent me to bed. i wonder if Beanys father licked him. i shall know tomorow.

Apr. 18. Brite and fair. Beany dident get licked.

Apr. 19. Brite and fair. i bet father cood have licked those 3 hampton falls men together easy.

Apr. 20. Brite and fair. i shall never get that cornet.

Apr. 21. i had some fun today. they wasent enny school today becaus old Francis had to go to a funeral or something. so i bilt a nest for my hens.

Apr. 22. Brite and fair. father aint going to have enny geese. tonite we got a old yellow hen of Sam Dire and set her on 7 eggs in the horse-stal, and then we had super. nothing hapened at super xcept that Keene got sent to bed for sticking out her tung at father when she thought he wasent looking but he was, becaus he woodent let her go over to see Lucy Watson Beanys sisters new hat. well after it was dark father said i forgot to pay Sam for his hen and he started rite acros the garden to go over to Sam Diars and it was dark and i herd a auful splash and thumping round and feerful swaring and i knew father was in the geese pond. i woodent dass to wright down what he said, if i had said what he did he wood have sent me to bed for a year. well he came limping home and swaring into the house and he made me get a lanten and we went out to the barn and he took the old hen by her hind legs and swung her round jest as we fellers do when we plug apples on a stick and pluged her way over in Sam Diars yard and then he took the eggs and pluged them as far as he cood and told me to fill up the pond tomorow or he wood lick me. then we went in and mother and aunt Sarah nearly killed themselves laffin and father said i spose you wood laff if i killed myself and when i went up to bed i laffed easy and Keene and Cele were laffing under the bed close. bimeby i herd father laffin and then we all laffed loud. jest think i had to pay a dollar and a half of my cornet money for pluging 5 eggs and father pluged 7 eggs and a old hen and dident have to pay ennything, ennyway it was fun to see him.

Apr. 23. Brite and fair. i filled up the geese pond. it was sunday but it was after dark.

Apr. 24. Brite and fair. when father came home i told him i had filled up the geese pond and he asked me where the tub was and when i said i had filled it up he said i was a loonatic and dident know enuf to go in when it raned. so he made me dig out the tub and fill in the hole. i tell you i have to wirk prety hard.

Apr. 25. Brite and fair. today old man Thirsten Medos father came to the house and told mother someone had pluged roten eggs at his barn. mother dident know what to say for a minit for she dident want to tell about fathers falling into the geese pond, so she said she was very sure i hadent done it but she wood speak to father about it, so when father got home old man Thirsten came up to the house and said George that cussid boy of yours has been pluging roten eggs at my barn and father said this time Kimball, his name is Kimball, he dident do it for he was with me all the evening til he went to bed. so father and old man Thirsten went down to see the barn and it was all spatered with yellow. then old man Thirsten said he wood give a dolar to know who the scowndril was whitch pluged those eggs, and father said i wish you cood Kimball, it is a outrage, and father looked auful funny, jest as he did when he scart old Ike Shute that time on the high school steps. when we went home father kept laffing, and when he told mother she said it was a shame and he aught to make it rite with him, and so father bought a sawhoss of him, he sells sawhosses, and i have got to use it. somehow i always get the wirst of it.

Apr. 26, 186- it raned like time last nite but it was brite and fair when i got up. what do you think, me and Beany are going to by a horse of old Nat Mason. he lives down Stratam road and he has a old troter that can go like time.

Apr. 27. brite and fair. me and Beany saw old Nat today. we aint got enny chink. if i hadent paid that money to those hampton falls men for pluging roten eggs at there cows i should have sum. all i can rase is thirty five cents and Beany can rase fifteen cents. Fatty Gilman most always has lots of chink.

Apr. 28. me and Beany saw Fatty today. he wants to go in with us becaus he says his folks want to use old Chub so mutch that he dont get enny chance to use him. but Fatty he hasent got enny chink eether. enny way we are going to see old Nat tomorrow and peraps he will let us have it on tick.

Apr. 29. brite and fair. today was saterday and this afternoon me and Beany and Fatty went down to see old Nat. he was in a old house smoking a old pipe made out of a corn cob. so Fatty he asked him to show us his old plug, only Fatty dident say old plug but said Mister Mason can we see your troting horse, and old Nat he got up and went to a little barn and opened the door and holered get up lady Clara and she tride to get up and coodent, and old Nat swoar and kicked her and then she coodent get up, and then he clim over her and puled her head up into the rack and then he took a stick and hit her sum more and swoar sum more and then she got up. then Beany he asked old Nat what made her not get up and he said that troting horses most never laid down more than once or twict a weak and sum of the best troters never laid down. he said Dexter and Flora Tempel never was knowed to lay down. then Fatty asked him to let us see her trot and he hiched her into a buggy and we set on the fence and old Nat he drove of most walking. bimeby we herd the old wagon ratling and old Nat he came down the street just fluking. I never saw a horse go so fast. i tell you old Nat he had to pull to stop her. she breethed prety hard and jerky, but Nat he said it was hickups becaus she had et too mutch. Fatty he asked how old she was and old Nat he said she was bout 12 but that she wood be good til she was 30. Then we asked how mutch he wood sell her for and he said he wanted 5 dolers for her but he wood let us have her for 2 dolars and fifty cents and we could have the wagon for 2 dolars and fifty cents two, and he wood throw in the harnes. but we dident have the money and so we tride to swap and bimeby he said if i wood give him my gun and Fatty wood give him his silver pensil case and Beany give him his 6 bladed nife he wood trust us for a month. so we give him the things and he give us the horse. only we coodent take her then becaus we have got to find a place to keep her. none of us dass to tell our folks about it. we woodent let Fatty know about it if we hadent suposed he had plenty of chink.

Apr. 30. brite and fair. after church today we went round to see if we cood get a place to keep our horse. we asked Noot Crumet but Noot he said he dident have enny place to put her unles he give her his room and he told us to go to Bucher Haly and see if we coodent get a chanse to put her in his smoke house for we cood keep her longer there than enny where else and so we went to him and he chased us out of his yard. then we went to Charles Flanders but he dident have but one room and his shed wasent big enuf to keep a gote, and then we went over to old Jethrow Simpsons and Jethrow he said if we wood help him haul wood enuf to fill his shed we cood keep her in his barn as long as we wanted to and have enuf hay two.

May 1. it was may day today and we dident have enny school. so me and Beany went up to Fattys and got him and we went down to old Nats. We wood have run all the way only Fatty got tukered out. When we got there old Nat made us promise to give him a hat or a pair of old boots becaus he kept lady Clara over Sunday. Fatty he said they was lots of old hats at home and so we went way back and got a old tall bever hat and then old Nat hiched up lady Clara and we piled in. Fatty he drove ferst becaus he said we coodent have got her unless he had got the old tall bever. so Fatty he drove up as fur as ass brook and then Beany he drove as fur as the old brick meeting house and then i drove as fur as the hall place where Jethrow lives. we all had to stand up when we drove becaus the ranes is two short. when we got there old Jethrow was there and he had a dingel cart and we hiched lady Clara into it and went up to Jady Hill for sum wood. we wirked till 12 oh clock and then we run home to dinner and run back agen. i took all the meal i had for my hens most 2 quarts and i fed her. it is Fattys tirn next to get meal for her. then we wirked til six oh clock and we were allmost ded we were so tired. well when we asked old Jethrow whitch stal we shood put her in he told us to take our old plug and get out or he wood lick us. jest think of that. well we dident know what to do. so we waited til most dark and then Beany said we had beter go to the next house becaus they was a big shed there. so i said i wood ring if Fatty wood ask and so i rung the bell and a woman came to the door and Fatty told her all about it and she said old Jethrow was a meen old skin flint and we cood put our horse in her shed and cood keep her their as long as we wanted to. so she give us a lantern and we went out and they was a buly place and we made a stal with 2 boards and put a lot of saw dust under her and give her a pale of water only we dident have enny hay. well bimeby Beany said that he cood see the hay sticking out of the cracks in old Jethrows barn, and we went over and looked and we cood see plenty of hay there. so Fatty he said we had ernt that hay and we aught to have it, and Beany said so two, and Fatty said he woodent steal ennything but this hay was ours and we had ernt it. so Fatty and Beany puled out a board and held it open while i puled out enuf hay and then we fed lady Clara and went home. ennyway the hay was ours and it wasent stealing to take it.

May 2. brite and fair. this morning i got up erly and went over to the barn. Beany he was there and Fatty he came after i had got there. lady Clara was laying down and woodent get up. i gess she was prety tired. so we fed her and Fatty brogt some otes. so we curred her down as far as we cood reech and brushed her and then we went home. at brekfast mother asked me what made me smel so barny and i said i had been helping Fatty curry his horse. at noon we fed her agen and tonite we got her up and curred her other side. we dident drive her today.

May 3. rany as time. we cant drive lady Clara today. we curred her 2 times.

May 4. tonite we drove lady Clara. We went down Newmarket road. we took tirns driving. one of the wheals come of and we had to get out and walk home holding on the wheal.