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diff --git a/5111-h/5111-h.htm b/5111-h/5111-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b9515e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/5111-h/5111-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,3538 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Real Diary of a Real Boy, by Henry A. Shute + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +Project Gutenberg's The Real Diary of a Real Boy, by Henry A. Shute + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Real Diary of a Real Boy + +Author: Henry A. Shute + +Release Date: June 12, 2009 [EBook #5111] +Last Updated: February 6, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REAL DIARY OF A REAL BOY *** + + + + +Produced by Kent Fielden, and David Widger + + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE REAL DIARY OF A REAL BOY + </h1> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Henry A. Shute + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> DIRY </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> THIRTY YEARS (OR MORE) AFTER </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> DRAMATIS PERSONAE </a> + </p> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + INTRODUCTION + </h2> + <p> + In the winter of 1901-02, while rummaging an old closet in the + shed-chamber of my father's house, I unearthed a salt-box which had been + equipped with leather hinges at the expense of considerable ingenuity, and + at a very remote period. In addition to this, a hasp of the same material, + firmly fastened by carpet-tacks and a catch of bent wire, bade defiance to + burglars, midnight marauders, and safe-breakers. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +With the aid of a tack-hammer the combination was readily solved, and an +eager examination of the contents of the box disclosed:— + + 1. Fish-line of braided shoemaker's thread, with perch hook, to + which adhered the mummied remains of a worm that lived and + flourished many, many years ago. + + 2. Popgun of pith elder and hoop-skirt wire. + + 3. Horse-chestnut bolas, calculated to revolve in opposite + directions with great velocity, by an up-and-down motion of the + holder's wrist; also extensively used for the adornment of + telegraph-wires,—there were no telephones in those days,—and + the cause of great profanity amongst linemen. + + 4. More fish-hooks of the ring variety, now obsolete. + + 5. One blood alley, two chinees, a parti-colored glass agate, + three pewees, and unnumbered drab-colored marbles. + + 6. Small bow of whalebone, with two arrows. + + 7. Six-inch bean-blower, for school use—a weapon of considerable + range and great precision when used with judgment behind a + Guyot's Common School Geography. + + 8. Unexpended ammunition for same, consisting of putty pellets. + + 9. Frog's hind leg, extra dry. + + 10. Wing of bluejay, very ditto. + + 11. Letter from "Beany," postmarked "Biddeford, Me." and expressing + great indignation because "Pewt" "hasent wrote." + + 12. Copy-book inscribed "Diry." + + The examination of this copy-book lasted the rest of the day, and it was + read with the peculiar pleasure one experiences in reviewing some of the + events of a happy boyhood. + + With the earnest hope that others may experience a little of the + pleasure I gained from the reading, I submit the "Diry" to the public. + + HENRY A. SHUTE. + + EXETER, N. H. Sept. 23, 1902. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + DIRY + </h1> + <p> + Father thot i aught to keep a diry, but i sed i dident want to, because i + coodent wright well enuf, but he sed he wood give $1000 dolars if he had + kept a diry when he was a boy. + </p> + <p> + Mother said she gessed nobody wood dass to read it, but father said + everybody would tumble over each other to read it, anyhow he wood give + $1000 dolars if he had kept it. i told him i wood keep one regular if he + wood give me a quarter of a dolar a week, but he said i had got to keep it + anyhow and i woodent get no quarter for it neither, but he woodent ask to + read it for a year, and i know he will forget it before that, so i am + going to wright just what i want to in it. Father always forgets + everything but my lickins. he remembers them every time you bet. + </p> + <p> + So i have got to keep it, but it seems to me that my diry is worth a + quarter of a dolar a week if fathers is worth $1000 dolars, everybody says + father was a buster when he was a boy and went round with Gim Melcher and + Charles Talor. my grandmother says i am the best boy she ever see, if i + dident go with Beany Watson and Pewter Purinton, it was Beany and Pewt + made me tuf. + </p> + <p> + there dos'nt seem to be much to put into a diry only fites and who got + licked at school and if it ranes or snows, so i will begin today. + </p> + <p> + December 1, 186- brite and fair, late to brekfast, but mother dident say + nothing. father goes to boston and works in the custum house so i can get + up as late as i want to. father says he works like time, but i went to + boston once and father dident do anything but tell stories about what he + and Gim Melcher usted to do when he was a boy. once or twice when a man + came in they would all be wrighting fast, when the man came in again i sed + why do you all wright so fast when he comes in and stop when he goes out, + and the man sort of laffed and went out laffing, and the men were mad and + told father not to bring that dam little fool again. + </p> + <p> + December 2. Skinny Bruce got licked in school today. I told my granmother + about it and she said she was glad i dident do enything to get punnished + for and she felt sure i never wood. i dident tell her i had to stay in the + wood box all the morning with the cover down, i dident tell father either + you bet. + </p> + <p> + December 2. rany. i forgot to say it raned yesterday too. i got cold and + have a red rag round my gozzle. + </p> + <p> + December 2. pretty near had a fite in schol today. Skinny Bruce and Frank + Elliot got rite up with there fists up when the bell rung. it was two bad, + it wood have been a buly fite. i bet on Skinny. + </p> + <p> + December 3, 186- brite and fair. went to church today. Me and Pewt and + Beany go to the Unitarial church. we all joined sunday school to get into + the Crismas festerval. they have it in the town hall and have two trees + and supper and presents for the scholars. so we are going to stay til + after crismas anyway the unitarials have jest built a new church. Pewt and + Beany's fathers painted it and so they go there. i don't know why we go + there xcept because they don't have any church in the afternoon. Nipper + Brown and Micky Gould go there. we all went into the same class. our + teacher is Mister Winsor a student. we call them stewdcats. after we had + said our lesson we all skinned out with Mr. Winsor. when we went down + Maple street we saw 2 roosters fiting in Dany Wingates yard, and we stoped + to see it. i knew more about fiting roosters than any of the fellers, + because me and Ed Towle had fit roosters lots. Mr. Winsor said i was a + sport, well while the roosters were fiting, sunday school let out and he + skipped acros the street and walked off with one of the girls and we + hollered for him to come and see the fite out, and he turned red and + looked mad. the leghorn squorked and stuck his head into a corner. when a + rooster squorks he wont fite any more. + </p> + <p> + December 5. snowed today and school let out at noon. this afternoon went + down to the library to plug stewdcats. there was me and Beany and Pewt, + and Whacker and Pozzy Chadwick and Pricilla Hobbs. Pricilla is a feller + you know, and Pheby Talor, Pheby is a feller too, and Lubbin Smith and + Nigger Bell, he is'nt a nigger only we call him Nigger, and Tommy Tompson + and Dutchey Seamans and Chick Chickering, and Tady Finton and Chitter + Robinson. + </p> + <p> + December 6. Gim Wingate has got a new bobtail coat. + </p> + <p> + December 7, 186- Got sent to bed last nite for smoking hayseed cigars and + can't go with Beany enny more. It is funny, my father wont let me go with + Beany becaus he is tuf, and Pewts father wont let Pewt go with me becaus + im tuf, and Beanys father says if he catches me or Pewt in his yard he + will lick time out of us. Rany today. + </p> + <p> + December 8. Skinny Bruce got licked in school today. Skipy Moses was in + the wood box all the morning. + </p> + <p> + December 9. brite and fair, speakin day today. missed in Horatius at the + brige. + </p> + <p> + December 10. Clowdy but no rane. went to church. lots of new fellers in + sunday school. me and Beany and Pewt and Pile Woods and Billy Folsom and + Jimmy Gad and lots of others. Mister Winsor dident teach today, gess they + woodent let him on account of the rooster fite. + </p> + <p> + December 11. My new boots from Tommy Gads came today. i tell you they are + clumpers. no snow yet. + </p> + <p> + December 12. Crismas is pretty near, dont know wether i shall get + ennything. father says i dont desirve ennything. you can get goozeberrys + down to Si Smiths 1 dozen for 5 cents. He has a funny sine it is + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + flour + meal + molasses + sugar + coffe + tea + spises + pork & + lard + salt + butter + ham + eggs + &so +</pre> + <p> + December 15. Fite at resess today, Gran Miller and Ben Rundlet. Ben licked + him easy. the fellers got to stumping each other to fite. Micky Gould said + he cood lick me and i said he want man enuf and he said if i wood come out + behind the school house after school he wood show me and i said i wood and + all the fellers hollered and said they wood be there. But after school i + thaught i aught to go home and split my kindlings and so i went home. a + feller aught to do something for his family ennyway. i cood have licked + him if i had wanted to. + </p> + <p> + December 16. Tady Finton got licked in school today. snowed today a + little. + </p> + <p> + December 17. rained in the nite and then snowed a little. it was auful + slipery and coming out of church Squire Lane fell down whak and Mr Burley + cought hold of the fence and his feet went so fast that they seemed all + fuzzy, i tell you if he cood run as fast as that he cood run a mile a + minite. + </p> + <p> + December 18. brite and fair. nothing particilar. o yes, Skinny Bruce got + licked in school. + </p> + <p> + December 19. Cold as time. Went to a sosiable tonite at the Unitarial + vestry. cant go again because Keene told mother i was impident to the + people. i want impident. you see they was making poetry and all sitting + around the vestry. they wanted to play copenhagin and post office and clap + in and clap out, but Mister Erl woodent let them because it was in church. + so they had to play poetry. one person wood give a word and then the + oppisite person wood give a word that rimed with it. it was auful silly. a + girl wood give the word direxion and then a stewdcat wood say affexion and + waul his eyes towards the girl. and then another wood say miss, and + another stewdcat wood say kiss and then he wood waul his eyes, and when it + came my turn i said what rimes with jellycake, and the girls turned red + and the stewdcats looked funny, and Mister Burley said if i coodent behave + i had better go home. Keene needent have told mother anyway. You jest wait + Keene, and see what will happen some day. + </p> + <p> + December 20. Bully skating. went after school and skated way up to the + eddy, was going to skate with Lucy Watson but Pewt and Beany hollered so + that i dident dass to. John Toomey got hit with a hockey block rite in the + snoot and broke his nose. + </p> + <p> + December 21. Brite and fair. nothing particular to-day. nobody got licked. + old Francis had his hand done up in a sling. he said he had a bile on it. + i tell you the fellers were glad. + </p> + <p> + December 22. Warm and rany and spoiled the skating. coodent do anything + but think of Crismas. + </p> + <p> + December 23. Saturday and no skating. went down to the library to get a + book for Sunday. me and Beany were sticking pins into the fellers and + making them holler and Jo Parsons the libarian jumped rite over the + counter and chased us way down to Mr. Hams coffin shop. he dident catch us + either. then we went down town and Billy Swett lent me a dime novel to + read sunday. it was named Billy Bolegs a sequil to Nat Tod the traper. + sequil means the things in Nat Tod that was not finished. + </p> + <p> + December 24. Brite and fair. Crismas tomorrow. went to sunday school. Mr. + Lovel is our teacher now. + </p> + <p> + December 25. Crismas. got a new nife, a red and white scarf and a bag of + Si Smiths goozeberies. pretty good for me. + </p> + <p> + December 26. Crismas tree at the town hall. had supper and got a bag of + candy and a long string of pop corn. Mr. Lovel took off the presents and + his whiskers caught fire, and he hollered o hell right out. that was + pretty good for a sunday school teacher, wasent it. Jimmy Gad et too much + and was sick. + </p> + <p> + December 27. Beany has got a new striped shirt not a false bosom but a + whole shirt. Beany wont speak to me now. Lucy Watson has got a new blew + hat with a fether. she wont speak to Keene and Cele eether. you jest wait + Beany and Lucy and see. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 1, 186-Had an awful time in school today. me and Cawcaw Harding set + together. when we came in from resess Cawcaw reached over and hit me a + bat, and i lent him one in the snoot, and he hit me back. we was jest + fooling, but old Francis called Cawcaw up front to lick him. i thought if + i went up and told him he wood say, noble boy go to your seat, i wont lick + neether of you. anyway i knew that Cawcaw wood tell on me, and so i told + old Francis i hit Cawcaw first, and old Francis said Harry i have had my + eye on you for a long time, and he jest took us up and slammed us + together, and then he wood put me down and shake Cawcaw and then he wood + put Cawcaw down and shake me till my head wabbled and he turned me upside + down and all the fellers looked upside down and went round and round and + somehow i felt silly like and kind of like laffin. i dident want to laff + but coodent help it. and then he talked to us and sent us to our seats and + told us to study, and i tried to but all the words in the book went round + and round and i felt awful funny and kind of wabbly, and when i went home + mother said something was the matter and i told her and then i cried, i + don't know what i cried for, becaus i dident ake any. father said he wood + lick me at home when i got licked at school and perhaps that was why i + cried. ennyway when father come home i asked him if he was a going to lick + me and he said not by a dam sight, and he gave me ten cents and when i + went to bed i got laffin and crying all to once, and coodent stop, and + mother set in my room and kept her hand on my forred until i went to + sleep. i drempt i was fiting all the time. when i get big enuf there is + going to be a fite between me and old Francis, you see if there aint. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 2, Me and Beany has made up. i told him i had ten cents and then he + dident feel so big about his new shirt. ennyway we went down to Si Smiths + and got a dozen goozeberries and then went down to doctor Derborns and got + a glass of sody water and took turns drinking it and seeing which cood + gulp the loudest. Beany beat. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 3. brite and fair. Went down to Pewts tonite to make hayseed cigars. + We made 5 kinds, hayseed, sweet firn, cornsilk, mullin leeves, and grape + vine. my mouth taisted aufuly all nite. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 4. brite and fair. Pewt dident come to school today. i gess he was + sick. my mouth taisted aufuly all day. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 5. clowdy and aufuly cold. Pewt came to school today and got a + licking for puting gum on Nigger Bells seat. Nig set in it til it dride + and then tride to get up and coodent. then old Francis come down the ile + and snaiked Nigger out and when he see the gum he asked us who put it + there. we all said we dident, but he licked Pewt becaus he had seen Pewt + chooing gum. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 6. it snowed last nite and today. Speaking in school today. i spoke + the berrial of sir John More. old Francis said he never heard ennything + wirse in his life. i hope he wont tell father. this afternoon we pluged + stewdcats. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 7. Ed Towle has got a gote. the fellers stumped me to hold him by the + horns and he buted me over in the slosh. mother said i had no bisiness to + be playing on sunday. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 8. brite and fair. there is going to be a nigger show in the town + hall tonite. father says i cant go becaus i sassed aunt Sarah. it is uncle + Toms cabbin. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 9. brite and fair. Beany went to the nigger show. he led one of the + bludhouns in the prosession and got a ticket. Beany had on a red coat jest + like the dogs. he said it was buly. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 10. rany. Nipper Brown is the best scolar in my class. i am the + wirst. i can lick Nipper easy. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 11. brite and fair. After school me and Beany and Pewt and Fatty + Melcher and Pozzy Chadwick and lots of fellers went skating on fresh + river. i was skating backwerd and i got one leg in a eal hole, gosh the + water was cold and before i got home my britches leg was all froze. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 12. nobody got licked in school today, gess why, becaus there wassent + enny school. old Francis was sick, i went skating. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 13. brite and—no it was rany. had a speling mach today in + school. Cele and Genny Morrison staid up til the last and then Cele missed + and set down balling, and Genny beat. i cant stop to wright enny more + becaus i am going to the levee with father. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 14, 186- Went to a big levee last nite at the town hall. Bill Morrill + and Nuel Head and Dave Quimby and Frank Hervey got it up. they had Hook + and Pasons quadril band of Haverhil. father bought a ticket becaus he was + in the custum house and has to be frends with people. it was splendid. + most everybody went all dressed up in blue silk and red and crokay + slippers. Ham Perkins and Charlie Lane and Charley Piper and Chick Randall + and Dan Ranlet and Grace Morril and the Head girls and Sweat girls and + Carrie Towle and Sarah Clark, J. Albert Clarks sister and the Melcher boys + and they all hopped round pretty lively, i tell you. i staid until 12 + o'clock and listened to the band. i never had so good time in my life. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 15. i am all spekled over. mother says she is afrade i have got + chicken pocks. i gess i have been in the hen koop to mutch. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 16. the speckles have all gone of. doctor Perry says i et to many + donuts. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 18. brite and fair. yesterday to and day before yesterday i have + forgot. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 19. snowed all day. Me and Beany is mad. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 20. father is sick becaus he et to mutch salt fish and potato and + pork. he is auful cross and hit me a bat today becaus i left the door + open. i gess he will be sorry when i am ded. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 21. brite and fair. went to church in the morning and in the + afternoon greeced some paper and trased some pictures. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 22. i had to stay in the wood-box today for whispering to Whacker + with the cover down. i like it becaus they is a peep hole in the box and + you can see the fellers and they cant see you. by and by Gimmy Fitsgerald + whispered and old Francis put him in to and we took turns peeping. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 23. it raned hard all day and we had one sesion. Beany came over and + we made up and plaid in the barn making fly boxes. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 24. nothing much today, rany in the morning and froze at night. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 25. brite and fair. everything was covered with ice and when father + started for the depot he tumbled down the front steps from the top to the + botom. mother says he went bumpity bump and his hat went one way and his + dinner box went the other. i herd him swaring aufuly about that dam boy, + and i gess he wood have come up and licked time out of me, but he had to + hurry to get the train. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 26. jest as soon as the skating comes it has to snow and spoil it. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 27. i coodent go out of the yard this afternoon becaus i dident put + ashes on the front steps before father fell down and so Pewt and Beany and + Whacker and Nibby Hartwell and Diddly Colket and Nipper and Prisilla and + Gim Wingit and lots of the fellers came over and we had a snowball fite. + mother says she hops father wont keep me at home anuther afternoon. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 28. brite and fair. it never ranes Sundays so a feller cant go to + church. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 29. Nothing puticular today. it always seams harder to go to school + mundays, more fellers gets licked mundays than enny day in the weak. i got + stood on the platform with my head in the corner for looking of my book + today. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 30. brite and fair. i have got a auful chilblane on my heel. + </p> + <p> + Jan. 31. brite and fair. i was glad today was wensday in the afternoon i + went skating. the students played baseball on the ice. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 1. brite and fair. pretty soon it will be Washintons berthday, and + then all the boys can ring the town bell at noon and at nite. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 2. clowdy but no snow. tomorror will be saterday they is only 2 days + in the weak that is wirth ennything and that is wensday and saterday + except in vacation. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 3. Snowed like time all the forenoon. in the afternoon me and Pewt + and Beany rolled up some big snowballs. then tonite we put all the balls + together and made a big snowman rite in front of Mrs. Lewises front door. + then we put a old hat on it and hung a peace of paper on it and wrote man + wanted on the paper. tomorrow all the people who go to church will see it + and laff becaus Mister Lewis got a devorse. they will be some fun + tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 5. i coodent wright ennything last nite becaus i got sent to bed and + got a licking. i tell you we got in a auful scrape. Sunday morning me and + Pewt and Beany went out erly to see our snowman. he was there and when + people began to go by they began to laff, and most of the people said it + was the funniest thing they ever see and who ever put it there was a + pretty smart feller. so we said we did it and Pewt said he thought of it + ferst and Beany said he did, and i said i did most of the werk. + </p> + <p> + Well, pretty soon some people came along and looked at it and said it was + a shame and they went over to pull of the paper and she came out and see + it, and she took a broom and nocked it over and broke it all up. and then + she went rite down to my house to tell father. then she went over to + Beanys house and then up to Pewts. well after church father took me over + to her house. and Beany was there with his father and Pewt with his + father. she said she wood have us arested for it. but they talked a long + time and after a while she said if our fathers wood lick us and make us + saw and split a cord of wood she woodent say no more about it. when we + went out father said, i never see such dam boys did you Brad, did you + Wats, and they said they never did. so we have got to saw and split that + wood and we got licked two. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 6. brite and fair. me and Pewt and Beany sawed and split some wood + for Misses Lewis. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 7. brite and fair. sawed some more wood, me and Pewt and Beany. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 8. brite and fair. split some more wood, me and Pewt and Beany. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 9. Fatty Melcher and Caw-caw Harding, Chitter Robinson and Medo + Thurston helped saw some more wood. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 10. Brite and fair. this afternoon Whack Pozzy and Boog Chadwick, + Dutchy Semans, Nigger Bell Pop Clark, Shinny Thing and Pile Wood all come + down with saws and axes and helped us saw that wood, we worked all the + afternoon and got it done and piled up before dark. then Misses Lewis + asked us in and gave us some buly donuts and some sweatened water and we + sung and told stories and before we went we told her we was sorry we bilt + the snowman and she said she was sorry two. then when we went away we give + 3 cheers for her. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 11. brite and fair. i shant forget last Sunday very soon. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 12. rany today. i dont care becaus i havent got to saw enny more + wood. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 13. still rany. i dont care. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 14. pretty cold today. going to have a new kind of speling mach + tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 15. Got to the head in spelling today. old Francis makes us all stand + up in the ile and gives us a lot of words to spell and then we wright them + down on our slates and then the head feller or girl changes slates with + the foot feller or girl and so on and then old Francis wrights the words + on the blackboard and then we mark each others slates. John Flanygin was + the foot feller and had my slate. well most of Johns words was wrong. but + John marked mine all write. i gess John dident know it, but ther was 4 or + 5 of my words speled wrong. i set out to tell old Francis but dident dass + to becaus he licked me for teling that i paisted Cawcaw Harding that time. + so i kept still and kept at the head and John kept at the foot. i hope + John will do it again tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 16. Beat in speling today. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 17. beat in speling today. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 19. Beat in speling today. old Francis is a going to give a prise + tomorrow. i told father i was pretty sure to get it and he said it will be + the first one. Aunt Sarah asked him if he took many prises. and he said he + dident get much of a prise when he got me. i gess he wont say that + tomorrow when i bring my prise home. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 20. i dident get the prise. you see yesterday John Flanygin spelt + more words write than Gimmy Fitsgerald and Gimmy went to the foot. when we + marked slates Gimmy marked 9 of my words wrong out of 20, and i had to go + down most to where John Flannygin was. old Francis said he dident beleave + i had aught to have staid at the head so long as i did and i was afraid he + wood lick me and John but he dident. he said he was ashamed and + disapointed in me but i gess he was not the only one who was disapointed. + i had told Pewt and Beany i wood treat on what father wood give me for + getting the prise. Pewt and Beany was both mad, and are going to lay for + Gimmy. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 21, i forgot to say what the wether was most every day this weak. it + has been brite and fair most of the time, only it snowed two days and + raned most of one day. brite and fair today and cold as time. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 23, Clowdy and cold. Pop Clark had to crawl through a chair today. he + went through so fast old Francis only hit him 2 bats. Tady Finton and + Nigger Bell both got licked. Tady dident cry or holler a bit, but Nigger + hollered just like a girl. i supposed Nigger was more of a man than that. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 24, Beany and Pewt got punching today in school and old Francis made + them stand on the platform with their arms round each others neck all the + forenoon, i bet they felt pretty cheep. Brite and fair. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 25, i have got a new pair of britches at erl and Cutts. i gess Beany + aint the only one which has good clothes eather. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 26. Nothing particular today. Went down to old Heads shop to see the + stewdcats ride velosipedes. There is going to be a race in the town hall + tomorrow night. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 27. Father said i cood go to the velosipede race if i woodent miss + splitting my kindlings for a week. i did miss them twice but mother dident + tell him and if he dont ask her before tonight i am all right. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 28. Last night went to the velosipede race. it was jest ripping. i + got down before the door opened. Bob Carter came pretty soon but he + woodent let us in until the ticket man came. Mr. Watson was the ticket man + and he let me and Beany and Shinny Thing in free. they had a lot of seats + in the center of the hall, and the rest round the edges, and a open track + around the hall. On the platform set Bill Morrill and Dave Quimby and John + Getchell and Eben Folsom. Most of the fellers in the race were stewdcats + and most of the stewdcats and the girls had the seats in the center of the + hall. The stewdcats who were to race were Stone and Stuart and Lee and + Clifford and August Belmont and Swift and Nichols and George Kent and + Cutler and Johnny Heald and Gear and Burly and Bob Morison. the townies + were Charlie Gerish and Doctor Prey. each feller rode round the hall twice + to get going like time, and then Dave Quimby hollered go and he had to + ride around the hall until he had rid a quarter of a mile. + </p> + <p> + When the stewdcats rode all the other stewdcats yelled and the girls waved + their handkerchiefs and the band played and the excitement was dreadful. + </p> + <p> + After a while Doctor Prey came out and all the townies got up and cheered + and the band played the star spangled banner, because Doctor fit in the + war, and Doctor took of his hat and bowed and then rode round like time. + he rode faster than most every one of them except Stone and Stuart and Lee + and Clifford and Belmont and Swift. i guess if Doc hadent fit so hard in + the war he wood have beat them all. and then Charlie Gerish came out and + all the townies hollered again and Charlie made his legs go so fast that + they coodent hardly see them, and jest before the last time around his + velosipede slipped and Charlie went fluking over three settees. he jumped + on his velosipede again and went around with his britches all torn but he + dident get around quite quick enuf to beat Stone, then the townies yelled + and said it was a cheat and the stewdcats hissed, and some of the townies + said they could lick the stewdcats, and the stewdcats said they wasent man + enuf and it looked as if there was a going to be a row when Charlie + Gerrish got up and said he was beat fair and there wasent anything to get + mad about, and that he would like to shake hands with the stewdcat which + beat him, and he wood like to race him another time but he coodent then + because he hurt his leg, and then they shook hands and every one felt + buly, and the stewdcats said hooray for Charlie and the townies hollered + hooray for Stone, and Bill Morrill made a speech and give the prise to + Stone and the band played and we all went home. i bet Doc. Prey and + Charlie Gerrish can lick any two stewdcats in the hall. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 2. i went to a show in the town hall tonight. it was a singing show + called the haymakers. it was splendid. Mr. Gale got it up. they have been + practising all winter. Alice Gewell was a dary maid and Charlie Lane was a + katydid, and lots of others sung. it was splendid. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 3. Cloudy but no rane. went down to Langley's store for some juju + paste, saw a fite. Old Kize tried to arest Bill Hartnit and Bill lammed + time out of him and after a while old Swain came up and arrested him. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 4. Brite and fair. Went to church to-day, the fernace smoked so the + people had to come home. They say they will have it fixed before next + Sunday. i hope not. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 5. School closes tomorrow. i got kept after school tonight for + whispering to Cawcaw. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 6. School closed today and we voted for prises. Mr. Gordon give 4 + prizes for the 2 best fellers and 2 best girls for the term. So we voted + for them. Most of the fellers wanted to vote for Jenny Morrison because + she was the prettiest girl there and can go the greeshun bend better than + enny girl in the school. and most of the girls dident like Jenny Morrison + and wanted to vote for Dora Moses and Mary Luverin, and the girls wanted + to vote for Lees Moses because he was polite to them and rather go with + the girls than the boys and we holler at him, but he can fite for i saw + him lick Gim Erly one day, and Gim Erly can rassle better than enny one + but Jack Melvil. well most of the fellows wanted to vote for Tady Finton + or Pop Clark or Skinny Bruce because they never get mad or cry when they + are licked and make lots of fun, but we knew they coodent get the prize + for they are all the time raising time and getting licked and so we voted + for Honey Donovan and Moses Gordon, and when the votes was counted Dora + Moses and Mary Luvering got the prizes for the girls and Mose Gordon and + Nigger Bell for the boys. That was all write about Dora Moses and Mary + Luverin because they was the best girls and always went together, but we + dident like it very well about Mose and Nigger, only we thought that so + long as Mose's father give the prizes Mose ought to have one. i gess most + of the girls must have voted for Nig, because they was mad with Lees + Moses. i know what they was mad at too. + </p> + <p> + Then the first class give old Francis a present of some books and when he + turned over the leaves there was twenty dollars there, and old Francis was + surprised and made a fine speech, and the people all clapped becaus he + made such a good speech. i heard him saying it over the night before when + i was kept after school. No school for 2 weeks. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 7. When my father was a boy he was the best fiter in this town. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 9. Went down to Fatty Melchers today to make a violin, we cut a piece + of wood the shape of a violin then take some horsehairs and strech them + over a brige and you can play a tune on them. in school i learnt to play + on a piece of india rubber. you pull a piece of elastic out of your + congres boot and hold it in your teeth and pull it tite and snap it with + your fingers and you can play tunes that you can hear but no one else can. + old Francis saw me snapping the elastic and came and took it away. i have + got plenty more in my boot. i am saving money to buy me a cornet. when i + get enuf i am a going to play in the band. +++ + </p> + <p> + Mar. 10. plesent day. old Si Smiths big white dog and a bull dog had an + awful fite today. neether licked and they had to squert water on them to + seperate them. they dident make no noise, only jest hung write on to each + others gozzles. my aunt Sarah said it was dredful, and she staid to the + window to see how dredful it was. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 11, 186- Went to church in the morning. the fernace was all write. + Mister Lennard preeched about loving our ennymies, and told every one if + he had any angry feelings toward ennyone to go to him and shake hands and + see how much better you wood feel. i know how it is becaus when me and + Beany are mad we dont have eny fun and when we make up the one who is to + blam always wants to treet. why when Beany was mad with me becaus i went + home from Gil Steels surprise party with Lizzie Towle, Ed Towles sister, + he woodent speak to me for 2 days, and when we made up he treated me to + ice cream with 2 spoons and he let me dip twice to his once. he took + pretty big dips to make up. Beany is mad if enny of the fellers go with + Lizzie Towle. she likes Beany better than she does enny of the fellers and + Beany ought to be satisfied, but sometimes he acks mad when i go down + there to fite roosters with Ed. i gess he needent worry much, no feller + isnt going to leave of fiting roosters to go with no girls. well i most + forgot what i was going to say, but after church i went up to Micky Gould + who was going to fite me behind the school house, and said Micky lets be + friends and Micky said. huh old Skinny, i can lick you in 2 minits and i + said you aint man enuf and he called me a nockneed puke, and i called him + a wall eyed lummix and he give me a paist in the eye and i gave him a good + one in the mouth, and then we rassled and Micky threw me and i turned him, + and he got hold of my new false bosom and i got hold of his hair, and the + fellers all hollered hit him Micky, paist him Skinny, and Mister + Purington, Pewts father pulled us apart and i had Mickys paper collar and + necktie and some of his hair and he had my false bosom and when i got home + father made me go to bed and stay there all the afternoon for fiting, but + i gess he dident like my losing my false bosom. ennyway he asked me how + many times i hit Micky and which licked. he let me get up at supper time. + next time i try to love my ennymy i am a going to lick him first. + </p> + <p> + Went to a Sunday school concert in the evening. Keene and Cele sung now i + lay me down to sleep. they was a lot of people sung together and Mister + Gale beat time. Charlie Gerish played the violin and Miss Packerd sung. i + was scart when Keene and Cele sung for i was afraid they would break down, + but they dident, and people said they sung like night horks. i gess if + they knowed how night horks sung they woodent say much. father felt pretty + big and to hear him talk you wood think he did the singing. he give them + ten cents apeace. i dident get none. you gest wait, old man till i get my + cornet. + </p> + <p> + Went to a corcus last night. me and Beany were in the hall in the + afternoon helping Bob Carter sprinkle the floor and put on the sordust. + the floor was all shiny with wax and aufully slipery. so Bob got us to put + on some water to take off the shiny wax. well write in front of the + platform there is a low platform where they get up to put in their votes + and then step down and Beany said, dont put any water there only jest dry + sordust. so i dident. well that night we went erly to see the fun. Gim + Luverin got up and said there was one man which was the oldest voter in + town and he ought to vote the first, the name of this destinkuished + sitizen was John Quincy Ann Pollard. then old mister Pollard got up and + put in his vote and when he stepped down his heels flew up and he went + down whak on the back of his head and 2 men lifted him up and lugged him + to a seat, and then Ed Derborn, him that rings the town bell, stepped up + pretty lively and went flat and swore terrible, and me and Beany nearly + died we laffed so. well it kept on, people dident know what made them + fall, and Gim Odlin sat write down in his new umbrella and then they sent + me down stairs for a pail of wet sordust and when i was coming up i heard + an auful whang, and when i got up in the hall they were lugging old mister + Stickney off to die and they put water on his head and lugged him home in + a hack. they say Bob Carter will lose his place. me and Beany dont know + what to do. if we dont tell, Bob will lose his place and if we do we will + get licked. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 12. Mister Stickney is all write today. gosh you bet me and Beany are + glad. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 13, 186- brite and fair. Mr. Gravel has bought old Heads carrige + shop. he is a dandy and wears shiny riding boots and a stove pipe hat and + a velvet coat and goes with Dan Ranlet and George Perkins and Johny Gibson + and the other dandies. i went down today and watched Fatty Walker stripe + some wheels. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 14. clowdy. Elkins and Graves had an oxion to-night. Beany got ten + cents for going round town ringing a bell and hollering oxion. i went with + Beany and it was lots of fun. Beany wouldent treet. he says he is saving + money for something. i know what it is it is a valintine for Lizzie Tole. + it was mean of Beany not to treet becaus i did as much hollering as he + did. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 15. The funniest thing hapened to-day you ever saw. after brekfast me + and father took a walk and then went and set down on the big school steps. + father was telling me some of the things he and Gim Melcher used to do. + father must have been a ripper when he was young. well ennyway while we + was talking old Ike Shute came along through the school yard. Ike wears + specks and always carries a little basket on his arm. he cant see very + well, and father said to me, now you jest keep still and you will see some + fun and when Ike came along father changed his voice so that it sounded + awfully growly and said where in the devil are you going with that basket, + and Ike was scart most to deth and said only a little way down here sir + and father said, move on sir and move dam lively and i nearly died laffing + to see Ike hiper. well after a while i see Ike coming back with old Swane + and old Kize the policemen. i tell you i was scart but father only laffed + and said you keep still and i will fix it all right. so when they came up + he said to old Kize what is the trouble Filander and he said Mr. Shute + here has been thretened by some drunken rascal, and father looked aufuly + surprised and said that is an infernal shame, when did it happen Isak, and + Ike said about fifteen minits ago and father said we have been here about + as long as that and i dident see the scoundrel. how did he look Isak, and + Ike said i coodent see him very well George but he was a big man and he + had a awfu deep voice and father said did he stagger enny and Ike said i + coodent see wether he did or not but i cood tell he was drunk by his + voice. so old Swain and old Kize went down behind the school house and off + thru the carrige shop yard to see if they cood find him, and me and father + walked home with Ike to protect him and father said now Isak if ennyone + insults you again jest come to me and if i can catch him i will break + every bone in his body, and father and Ike shook hands and Ike shook hands + with me and then we went home and father began to laff and laffed all the + way home and then he told mother and aunt Sarah and they said it was a + shame to play such a trick upon him and father laffed all the more and + said Ike hadent had so much exercise for a year and it wood do him good + and give him something to think about. ennyway they said it was a shame to + teech me such things, and father said he would rather i wood be tuf than + be like Ike, and Aunt Sarah said i never wood be half as good as Ike for + he never did a wrong thing in his life, and father laffed and said he + dident dass to for his mother wood shet him in the closet. it was aufully + funny, but i gess they was right. i shall never be half as good as Ike. i + wonder if old Swane and old Kize have caught that man yet. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 16. Pewt dreened 18 marbles and 2 chinees out of me to-day. we was + playing first in a hole. school today. sailed boats in the brook in J. + Albert Clark's garden and got pretty wet. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 17. Scott Briggam has got some little flying squirrels. he is going + to get me one for thirty-five cents. i am going to take it out of my + cornet money. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 18. Father wont let me play marbles in ernest. it aint enny fun + dreening a feller and then giving them back. i bet father didnt when he + was a boy. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 19. Scott Briggam brought my squirrel today and i paid him 35 cents, + 3 ten cents scrips and five cents. i have got it in a bird cage. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 20. my squirrel got out of the cage last nite and father found him in + the water pail drownded. father got up in the night and got a dipper and + drank some water out of that pail, he dident eat any brekfast because he + was thinking that the squirrel might have been in the pail then. i wonder + if it was. ennyway 35 cents of my cornet money has gone up. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 23. school today. went down to Pewts to draw pictures. Charlie + Woodbury can draw the best, then Pewt, and then me. Beany dont like to + draw. we was talking about what we was going to be when we grew up. + Charlie Woodbury is going to be a picture painter, Pewt is going to be a + lawyer, Potter Gorham and Chick Chickering are going to stuff birds for a + living, Beany is going to be a hack driver, Gim Wingit is going to run a + newspaper, Cawcaw Harding is going to be a piscopal minister becaus he + says they only have to read their speaches out of a book, Nipper Brown is + going to be a professer, Priscilla Hobbs is going to play a organ in the + baptis church. Prisil can play 3 tunes now on a little organ. i am going + to be a cornet player like Bruce Briggam. cornet players can go to all the + dances and fairs and prosessions and are invited in and treated when + people are married and they serrinade them at night, and they don't have + to work either. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 25. almost as warm as summer, went to church and Sunday school. Beany + has got a job blowing the organ for Kate Wells. he only let the wind go + out 2 times today. it was funny becaus when the organ stopped Mister Wood + who was singing let out an auful hoot before he knowed what he was doing + Beany will lose his job if he does it again. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 29, 186- The toads has come out. fine warm day. me and Potter Gorham + have been ketching toads this afternoon. they sit in the pudles and peep. + folks think it is frogs but most of it is toads. Potter got 23 and i got + 18. tonite i put my toads in a box in the kitchen after the folks went to + bed. in the night they all got out of the box and began to hop round and + peep mother heard it and waked father and they lissened. when i waked up + father was coming threw my room with a big cane and a little tin lamp. he + had put on his britches and was in his shirt tale, and i said, what are + you going to lick me for now i havent done nothing and he said, keep still + there is some one down stairs and mother said dont go down George and + father said, lissen i can hear him giving a whistle for his confedrit, i + will jump in and give him a whack on the cokonut. i had forgot all about + the toads and you bet i was scart. well father he crep down easy and + blowed out his lite and opened the door quick and jest lammed round with + his club. then i heard him say what in hell have i stepped on, bring a + lite here. then i though of the toads and you bet i was scarter than + before, mother went down with a lite and then i heard him say, i will be + cussed the whole place is ful of toads. then mother said did you ever. and + father said he never did, and it was some more of that dam boys works and + he yelled upstairs for me to come down and ketch them. so i went down and + caught them and put them out all but 2 that father had stepped on and they + had to be swep up. then all the folks came down in their nitegounds and i + went up stairs lively and got into bed and pulled the clothes round me + tite, but it dident do enny good for father came up and licked me. he + dident lick me very hard becaus i gess he was glad it wasent a berglar and + if it hadent been for me it might have been berglars insted of toads. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 30. brite and fair, went out with Potter Gorham. saw some toads 2 + robins and a blewbird. gosh it makes a feller feel good to see birds and + toads and live things. + </p> + <p> + Mar. 31. April fool day tomorrow. i am laying for Beany. old Francis + licked 5 fellers today becaus they sung rong when we was singing speek + kindly it is better far to rule by luv than feer. + </p> + <p> + April 1. auful cold and rainy. i was going to wright a love letter to + Beany and sine Lizzie Toles name to it but i told father about it for fun + and he said that it was fourgery and that i cood be prostecuted and sent + to jale. so i dident. tonite me and Beany rung five door bells for april + fool. + </p> + <p> + April 2. been trying to get rid of some warts. Pewt says if you hook a + piece of pork after dark, rub it on the warts and say arum erum irum orum + urum and nurum 3 times turn round twice and throw the pork thru a window, + then the warts will all be gone the next day. me and Beany is going to try + it tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + April 3. brite and fair. dident get a chance to hook the pork. + </p> + <p> + April 4. The band played in the band room to-nite. it was warm enuf to + have the windows open and we cood hear it. i sat out in the school yard + til 10 oclock to hear it and father came out and walked me home. Beany was + mad becaus i cared more for the band than for getting rid of the warts. + </p> + <p> + April 6. dident wright anything last nite, was too scart. i never was so + scart in all my life before. me and Beany came awful near getting in jale. + we dident know where to hook the pork. i went to our cellar but father was + down there making vinigar all the evening, then we went to Beanys cellar + but Mister Watson was sitting on the cellar door. so Beany told his father + that a man was looking for him to see about a horse and Mister Watson + started down to the club stable. then Beany hooked the pork and rubbed it + over his warts and then i rubbed it over my warts and we said arum erum + irum orum urum and nururn 3 times jest as Pewt said, turned round twice + and i plugged the pork right threw a gaslite jest then the gasman came + along, he yelled at us and jumped out of his wagon and went for us. we ran + down threw the school yard as fast as we cood hiper. there is a hollow in + the corner of the school yard by Bill Morrills back yard and there is a + little hole in the bottom of the fence where the fellers crawl threw when + the football goes into his garden. we skinned threw that hole jest in + time. the gasman tried to crawl threw but he coodent, then he clim the + high fence but while he was doing that we ran across the carrige factory + yard and down by the old brewery up Bow street and home. i went to bed + pretty lively and so did Beany. gosh but we was scart. + </p> + <p> + April 7. One of Beanys warts has gone. + </p> + <p> + April 8. brite and fair. my warts have not gone. + </p> + <p> + April 9. brite and fair. my warts have not gone. + </p> + <p> + April 10. Clowdy but no rane. my warts have not gone. + </p> + <p> + April 11. rany. i have got 2 more warts. i gess i hadent ought to have + broke that gaslite. + </p> + <p> + April 12. i have got another. + </p> + <p> + April 13. bully day. me and Potter Gorharn and Chick Chickering went out + after toads today. i got 14 but i dident take them home you bet. + </p> + <p> + April 15. Brite and fair. we all went to church today to see the Lanes. + they come from New York and when they go to church everybody goes to see + them. there was a boy with them named Willie. i bet i cood lick him. + </p> + <p> + April 16. Nothing particular today. dont feel very well, kind of headaky + and backaky. + </p> + <p> + April 20. have been sick for 4 days. went to school monday and had to come + home. when i got home i fell down on the steps and mother and aunt Sarah + came out and got me in the house and put water on my head and rubbed my + hands, and then the Doctor came and said, well Joanna, children are a good + deel of truble and then he felt of my rist and said hum, and then he + looked at my tung and said hum again, and then he pride open my mouth and + looked down my throte and said hum, and then he pulled off my close and + looked me over rite before mother and aunt Sarah and said well he aint + spekled eny. then he said what have you given him Joanna and mother said, + nothing, and the docter said, all right give him some more, and mother + said i havent given him enything docter, and then he walked around the + room and picked up some things and looked at them and then he gave me some + of the wirst tasting stuff i ever took. then he said i gess he will be + better tomorrow, and then he looked at some more things and went home. i + dident sleep very well that nite but was auful hot and my head aked + fearful. mother was in my room every time i waked up, and Sarah too. next + day i had the docter again he looked at some pictures and things and told + mother to give me some more. i always feel better when the docter comes + in. he dont scare a feller to deth. + </p> + <p> + Well the next day i felt a little better and tried to sit up and have my + britches on, but i had to lay down again my head aked so, and after awhile + my head felt better and as i laid there i could look out of the window and + it seamed as if little chains that you could see through like glass, were + floating up and down they were about an inch long. well i wached them till + i almost went to sleep and jest as i was most asleep i heard Beany out in + the street holler, say Pewt, did you know that Plupy is going to die, and + Pewt said course i did, why dont you tell me some news, and Beany said i + heard he swalowed a peach stone and Pewt said it was liver complaint, and + then i heard some one say, you boys shet up. + </p> + <p> + Gosh you bet i was scart. i hadent thought of dying. i began to howl and + holler for mother. she came running in and i told her i was going to die + and i told her about breaking the gaslite and a lot of other things and + she told me the docter said i was getting better and i wood sit up + tomorrow. well i better then and wished i hadent told mother about the + gaslite becaus i knew she wood make me tell father. well mother set by my + bed all the afternoon and read me some out of Billy Bolegs, jest think of + her doing that, so when supper time came i et a lettle tost and had some + current jelly. when father come home mother told him about the gaslite and + all he said was i wood have to pay for it out of my cornet money. i + thought he wood keep me in for a month. i gess mother must have talked to + him. + </p> + <p> + That nite father slep on a lounge in my room. i went to sleep most as soon + as he come in. after awhile i dremp i was tied on a sawlog jest going + nearer and nearer to the saw and the saw was a going skratch-zoo, + skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo. well i tride to pull away but i coodent move and + i tride to holler and i coodent make a yip, and jest before the saw sawed + into me i woke up. gosh you bet i was glad, but the funny part was that i + could hear the saw going skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo, and what + do you think it was. it was father snoring. gosh you ought to have heard + him. well at first i laffed, but by and by i wanted to go to sleep and + father snoring so loud i coodent till mother came in and told him to go to + bed and she laid on the sofa all nite. the next day i set up and had my + britches on and set up to the window all day. i saw Beany and Pewt and i + nocked on the window and waved my claw at them. i am going out tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + April 22. i went out today. it was real warm. i dident go to church becaus + i had been sick. i let my rooster out to fite J. Albert Clark's. they were + fiting good when i looked up and there was father looking over the fence. + he made me stop the fite and shet my rooster up. i wonder if he wood have + stoped them if i hadent been there. i got 2 eggs today, the old brama that + i swaped for with Ed Tole and a bolten gray that John Adams give me. + </p> + <p> + April 23. i went to school today. i dident have to resite becaus i had + been sick. if i dont get wirse i can goto Mis Packerds concert tomorow. + hope it wont rane. + </p> + <p> + April 24. brite and fair and it dident rane tonite, so i went to the + concert. all the girls was flowers. Keene was a crocuss and had to come + out and sing first becaus the crocuss is the first flower that comes out. + she sung i am the first of all the flowers to greet the eyes of spring. + </p> + <p> + Jenny Morison was a tuch me not and set in the top of a rock and sung tuch + me not, tuch me not let me alone. Nell Tole was a piny or a sunflower i + have forgot whitch. Jenny Morison and Keene and Nell Tole are the best + singers for their size in town. father thinks Keene can sing the best. he + feels pretty big about Keene. i told him so one day and he said he had to + becaus i dident amount to enything. i think Jenny Morison can sing the + best but dont tell him so for he wood give me a bat. + </p> + <p> + April 25, 186- Cant go down town for a week becaus i sassed J. Albert + Clark, that is J. Albert Clark says I sassed him but i dident. Beany had + been working for J. Albert raking up leaves in his garden. J. Albert was a + going to give him 10 cents for it and me and Beany was a going to divide + up on goozeberries and juju paist, but Beany dident dass to ask J. Albert + for his pay because he had raked all the leaves under J. Alberts front + steps and he was afraid J. Albert wood find out about it and not pay him. + Beany wanted me to ask him but i dident dass to because i let my rooster + out to fite J. Alberts last Sunday and J. Albert dont believe in fiting + roosters. last night he was setting on his steps with some company and he + had on his best lavender britches and his best blew coat. + </p> + <p> + So Beany said, tell you what Plupy, you set on your steps and i will set + on my steps and we will holler across the street about the money that J. + Albert owes me. So Beany he went across the street to his steps and he + hollered over, hi there Plupy have you got any chink, and i hollered back, + no Beany i havent got a cent, and Beany he hollered i shood have 10 cents + if J. Albert Clark wood pay me what he owes me, and i hollered why in time + dont he pay you, and Beany hollered i gess he hasent got any chink, and i + hollered he has probably spent all his chink in buying them lavender + britches, and Beany he hollered, well if J. Albert Clark needs the money + more than I do he can have it. well while we was hollering mister Head and + the Head girls who was setting on their steps got up and went into the + house laffing, and the company at J. Alberts all laffed, and J. Albert + came down and beckoned to Beany and Beany he went running over to get his + 10 cents and J. Albert he said, Elbridge, that is Beanys name, Elbridge + you cood have your money enny time if you had asked me for it decently, + but now i shall not pay you for a week and i shall not imploy you enny + more. Tell you what, Beany came over to my steps feeling pretty cheap and + we was talking about it when mother called me in and sent me up stairs, + and said she wood tell father as soon as he came home. So i went up stairs + and looked out of the window jest in time to see Beanys father lugging + Beany in by the neck. Well that nite after father got home he jawed me and + said i coodent go down town for a week and made me go to J. Alberts right + before the company and ask his forgiveness, and Beany had to to. J. Albert + was a pretty good fellow and said it was all right, and dident want our + fathers not to let us go down town, but father said i must learn to be + respectable to my elders. Gosh we dident know J. Albert was a elder. We + knowed elder Stevens and elder Stewart and deacon Gooch and we always was + respectable to them, and if we had knowed that J. Albert Clark was a elder + we woodent have sassed him for nothing. + </p> + <p> + April 26. Yesterday and day before it was brite and fair, and yesterday + was as warm as summer. today, it was cold and it snowed a little. jest + enuf to make the ground look as if it was covered with salt. the birds + looked all humped up. i bet the frogs hind legs is about froze. it is + raining now. if i was a frog i woodent come out of the mud until summer. + perhaps they cant stay under more than six months. + </p> + <p> + April 27. Warm again. 2 eggs today. i have got another hen. Willyam Perry + Molton gave it to me. it is a leghorn and his other hens licked it and + made its comb bludy and so he gave it to me. it was on the nest today but + did not lay. i went to church. Mr. Cram preeched. he talked all about + birds and flowers and i liked it. + </p> + <p> + April 28. brite and fair. all 3 hens were on the nest but dident lay. + </p> + <p> + April 29. no eggs today. mother said the hens cackled all the morning. + brite and fair. + </p> + <p> + April 30. i dont see what the mater is with my hens. i havent got 1 egg + this week. father said there was a rat in the koop. i got a steel trap of + Sam Diar and tonite i set it in the koop. i put a peace of cheeze on it. + tomorrow morning i ges mister rat wont steal any more eggs. + </p> + <p> + May 1. what do you think. this morning i got up to get my rat and i found + that my best hen, the bolton gray that John Adams gave me had tried to + pick the cheeze out of the trap and the trap had caught her by the neck + and killed her. i felt most bad enuf to cry. i thought i cood get up + before the hen did. i went to the may brekfast today. it was may-fair day + and they had a brekfast. me and Pewt, Beany, Whacker and Pozzy Chadwick, + Micky Gould, Pop Clark, Prisilla Hobbs, Chick Chick-ering, Potter Gorham, + Pile Wood, Curly Conner and all the fellers were there. we had a good time + and et till just before school time and we had to hiper so as not to be + late. + </p> + <p> + May 2. no eggs today. both hens went on the nest. i am going to lay for + that rat with my bowgun. + </p> + <p> + May 3. what do you think. this noon i set in the hen koop 1 hour. the + brama went on the nest and set a while and came off and cakled, then i + looked and she had lade an egg. i left the egg there and hid behind a + barrel and got my bowgun ready for the rat. well the leghorn hen went on + the nest and i suposed she was a going to lay, but she broke rite into + that egg and began to gobble it up. i was so mad that i let ding at her + with the bowgun and just then she stuck up her head and the arrow took her + rite in the back of the head. well i wish you cood have seen her. she + hollered one little pip and then went rite out of the nest backwards and + flapped round awful. i picked her up and she was dead. i dident mean to + kill her, i only wanted to make her jump and learn her not to eat eggs. O + dear, i dont know what father will say when he finds it out. + </p> + <p> + May 5, 186- Saw a bully fite today. Cris Staples and Charlie Clark. + Charlie is visiting his uncle J. Albert Clark, the feller that we sassed. + that is he said we did but we dident. Charlie is a city feller, he lives + in Chelsy and think he knows a pile about things and gets mad if we call + him names. now every feller who amounts to anything has a nickname, and + some of them have 2 or 3. my nicknames are Plupy and Skinny and Polelegs, + and Beany is called Bullethead and sometimes Fatty. i told Charlie that if + i called him Charlie the fellers would call him sissy or Mary and he + better agree to let me call him bulldog or tomcat or diddly or gobbler or + some nickname whitch wood mean something. but he said he would lam the + head off of enny feller which called him names. well you jest see what + trouble he got into for not having a nickname. he would have knowed better + than that if he hadent lived in Chelsy. + </p> + <p> + Well today me and Charlie was setting on his steps. Beany was mad because + i was going with Charlie and he had gone riding with his father and he + felt pretty big because his father let him drive. well while we were + setting there along came Cris Staples who carries papers for Lane and + Rollins store, and Cris hollered over, hullo Polelegs. Charlie hadent + heard enyone call me Polelegs. and i said, i woodent stand that if i was + you Charlie, now less see you lam the head off of him, and Charlie he + started across the road and walked up to Cris and said who in time are you + calling Polelegs and Cris wasent going to back down and said, you, and + Charlie said jest drop them papers and i will nock your face rite off, and + Cris dropped his papers and they went at it. it was the best fite i have + seen this year. they fit from Mr. Head's down to Gim Ellisons corner, and + Cris licked time out of Charlie, and Charlie began to yell and give up and + then Cris let go of his hair and told him he was to smart, and that it was + me he was calling Polelegs and not him, and he better not be so smart + another time, and Cris he picked up his papers and went off with a great + slit in his jacket and his necktie way round on one side, and Charlie came + home howling and Aunt Clark, Charlie's grandmother came out and said, that + is what you get Charlie for quareling. see how much better Harry feels, + and i said, yes mam. Charlie is never going to speak to me again. + </p> + <p> + May 7. Beany was pretty mad when I told him about the fite because he + dident see it. i gess he will find it don't pay to get mad with me. i saw + Charlie today but he dident speak. he has got a black eye. Cris has got a + funny looking nose on one side. + </p> + <p> + May 8. Chitter Robinson went in swiming today. i bet it was cold. + </p> + <p> + May 9. Went down to the high school yard tonite to hear the band play. + they have got a new leader a Mister Ashman of Boston. he can play the + cornet with 1 hand. i went down today to pay the gasman for the gaslite i + broke. it cost 1 dollar and i have only got 87 cents for my cornet. + sometimes i dont believe i shall ever get that cornet. Scott Brigam can + blow a bugle. a bugle is like a cornet only a cornet has 3 keys and a + bugle is all covered with flappers and curly things where you put your + fingers. Rashe Belnap can play a cornet splendid but he dont play very + often. Frank Hirvey plays one that goes over his shoulder way behind his + back. gosh i wish i cood get a cornet. + </p> + <p> + May 10. father has found out about my killing that hen. he dident get mad + but said i ought to have cut her head off and she wood be good to eat, but + i supose it is to late now for it is almost a week ago and i burried her + the next day. + </p> + <p> + May 11. me and Potter Gorham went mayflowering today. i got a bunch and + sold them to a student named Chizzum for 35 cents. i put it with my cornet + money. i have now got $1.22. i can get a cornet for 25 dollars a second + hand one. i am afraid i shall never get that cornet. + </p> + <p> + May 12. Rany last nite and this morning. in the afternoon it cleared up. + gosh i wish you cood see the licking Beany got tonite. me and Beany went + out to go up to see Pewt and make some sweet fern sigars. Beany came over + for me and went up to Pewts. on the way Beany went up an rung his doorbell + and we hid behind the fence and Mister Watson, Beany's father, came out + holding a light and shading it with his hand. the wind blew the lite out + and in going in again he hit his head an awful bump against the door. me + and Beany nearly died laffing only we tride not to laff too loud. well we + went up to Pewts and Pewt had been sent to bed for something and so we + started back and met a man who said is this you Elbridge, it was pretty + dark and Beany said yes and Mister Watson grabbed us both by the collar + and said, so you are the boys who rung my doorbell and then he give Beany + a rap on the side of the head and began to shake him round lively and + while he was shaking Beany up i put for home. i hid behind the fence and i + cood hear him say i will learn you to asosiate with that misable Shute boy + and wast your time ringing doorbells, and Beany was saying, o father i + will never do it again. i nearly died laffing to hear Beany a rattling + round on the sidewalk. i hope Mister Watson wont tell father. i gess he + wont for he gets over his mad pretty quick. every time i think of Beanys + legs flying round in the air i giggle rite out and when i think of Mister + Watson bumping his head i nearly die. sometimes i think it pays to be + tuff. + </p> + <p> + May 13, 186- Keene and Cele have got some new crokay slippers. you bet + they feel pretty big about it. + </p> + <p> + May 14. nothing particular today. + </p> + <p> + May 15. Went in swimming today. the water was pretty cold but i swum acros + the river twise. + </p> + <p> + May 16. the suckers have come. Potter Gorham caught three yesterday. me + and Potter was going yesterday after school but father woodent let me + becaus i dident split my kindlings. + </p> + <p> + May 17. the band played tonight. father made me go to bed at nine but i + cood hear it becaus my window is jest acros the road. they are playing a + new peace. it is the woodup quickstep, they say Ned Kendall cood play it + on a bugle better than ennybody. old Robinson cood and Mister Ashman can + play it splendid. it goes + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ta-ta tata, ta-ta tata, ta-ta tata + tatatatatatata. + ta-te-ta-te-tiddle iddle-a + ta-te-ta-te-tiddle iddle-a + ta-te-ta-te-tiddle-iddle-a + tiddle-iddle-iddle-iddle-ata +</pre> + <p> + it is the best peace they play except departed days. that always makes me + feel like crying it is kinder sad like. i hope i can get my cornet some + day. + </p> + <p> + May 19. had a auful toothake today and had to go down to docter Pitman and + he pulled it out. i tell you it hurt. Docter Pitman said the roots must + have reached way to the back of my neck. Beany went with me and then told + all round that i hollered. you jest wait Beany. + </p> + <p> + May 21. erly this afternoon me and Fatty Melcher got some real segars at + Henry Simsons store and went down behind old man Churchills store and + smoked them. we were both auful sick and laid there all the afternoon. + when i went home i walked wobbly and mother asked me if i was sick and she + put me to bed and was going to send for the docter, but father came in and + when he found out what aled me he laffed and said it served me rite. then + after supper he set out on the steps rite under my window and smoked a old + pipe and i cood smell it and i thought i shood die. then mother asked him + to go away and he laffed and said all rite, but he gessed i had enuf for + one day and she said she gessed so and i gess so too. he said if it hadent + made me sick he wood have licked me. + </p> + <p> + i dont see why it is so, father swears sometimes when he hits his thum + with a hammer and once when he was in the dark he was walking towards the + door with his arms out to feel for the door, one arm went on one side of + the door and the other arm on the other side and he hit his nose a fearful + bump rite on the ege of the door, and i wish you cood have heard him + swear, well if i swear he licks me, and he smokes and if i do he says he + will lick me and he dont go to church and if i dont go he says he will + lick me. O dear i gess i wont smoke enny more. + </p> + <p> + May 22. Went in swimming today twise, once down to the raceway and once up + to the gravel. + </p> + <p> + May 23. Went butterflying with Chick Chickering today, it is a little + early for them, but we got two blew and black ones and three little red + ones. Me and Chick are making aquariams. Chick has got a splendid glass + one. i made mine out of a butter firkin. i sawed it off half way and then + washed it out with soft soap and rensed it 2 or 3 times and then i put in + some white sand and stones and i have got some little minnies and kivies + and a little pickerel. it looks splendid and i change the water every 3 + days. + </p> + <p> + May 24. Nothing particular today. + </p> + <p> + May 25. i can swim under water from the big tree on Moulton's side of the + river at the gravel to the tree on the bank on Gilman's side. i went in 3 + times today. + </p> + <p> + May 26. My rooster is sick. he has et something. he sits all humped up. i + went in swimming 2 times today. + </p> + <p> + May 27. My rooster is pretty sick. i tride to give him some kiann pepper + tonite. father said kiann pepper was good for sick hens, so i held his + mouth open and give him a spoonful. when i let him go he kept his mouth + open and sorter sneezed pip-craw pip-craw pip-craw, and then he went to + the water dish and began to drink. i think he is better because he hadent + drank any water for 2 days before. he was still drinking when i went away. + i gess he will be a lot better tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + May 28. What do you think, this morning when i went out to feed my hens i + found my rooster dead. he had drank up all the water and he was all puffed + up. i felt pretty bad. father says i gave him enuf kiann pepper for a + horse. he aught to have told me. he was a pretty good rooster too. i am + having pretty tuff luck. + </p> + <p> + May 29. i read over my diary today. i have forgot to tell whether it was + brite and fair or rany, i cant say now. + </p> + <p> + May 30, 186- Nothing particular today. brite and fair. + </p> + <p> + May 31. brite and fair. went up to Whacker Chadwicks today after school to + help him plant his garden. we had about a bushel of potatoes to plant and + it was fun to sit round a basket and cut up the potatoes. after a while + Gim Erly and Luke Mannux cume along and we began to plug potatoes at them, + they plugged them back and we had a splendid fite, me and Whack and Pozzy + and Boog Chadwick on one side and Gim Erly and Luke Mannux and Bob Ridly + on the other. Luke Mannux hit me twice rite in the back of the head. i am + going up tomorrow to help them some more. went in swimming once to-day. + </p> + <p> + May 32 no i mean June 1. i went up to Chadwicks after school. Captin + Chadwick was there and they wasent enny pluggin potatoes. went in + swimming. + </p> + <p> + June 2. Rany. Beany is mad with me. i dont care. + </p> + <p> + June 3. went to church today. + </p> + <p> + June 4. clowdy but no rane. went up to Chadwicks today and sawed wood. + Boog and Pozzy fit while me and Whack sawed wood then we went in swiming + down to Sandy Bottom. some body tide some hard gnots in my shirt. i forgot + to split my kindlings tonite. + </p> + <p> + June 5. brite and fair. Beany is still mad. + </p> + <p> + June 6. brite and fair. i know what Beany is mad about. he thinks i told + about his getting a licking. i dident tell. he can stay mad if he wants + to. + </p> + <p> + June 7. father has bought a horse of Dan Randlet. i rode up to Brentwood + with Sam Diar to get it. it is the prettiest horse i ever saw. i rode it + down from Brentwood and it goes jest as easy as sitting on a spring board. + when i got home Beany got over his mad and came over and i gave him a + ride. me and Beany never were mad so long before. + </p> + <p> + June 9. Rany. this afternoon me and Beany and father went to ride with the + new horse. her name is Nellie. + </p> + <p> + June 10. brite and fair. we keep Nellie down to Jo Hanes stable. Frank + Hanes is learning me how to clean her off. she nipped my arm today and + made a black and blew spot. went in swimming today. + </p> + <p> + i have to get up every morning and harnes Nelly and drive father to the + depot. i like it because i always race with the men coming down front + street. there is George Dergin and Fred Sellivan and Gim Wingit and i can + beat them all. i dont tell father that i race. i rode Nellie this + afternoon with Frank Hanes and Ed Tole. i dident go in swimming today. + </p> + <p> + June 11. brite and fair. Nellie kicked me today. i gess i scrached her + today to hard with the curycomb. it dident hurt me much. i went in + swimming twise. + </p> + <p> + June 12. brite and fair. Me and Chick Chickering went bullfroging today, + we got 3 dozen hind legs and sold them to Mr. Hirvey for 30 cents and took + our pay in icecream. + </p> + <p> + June 13. Rode Nellie this noon. i have to go to the half past five train + every nite for father. i like to drive but i dont like to go every nite. + </p> + <p> + June 14. Rashe Belnap and Horris Cobbs go in swimming every morning at six + o'clock. i got a licking today that beat the one Beany got. last summer me + and Tomtit Tomson and Cawcaw Harding and Whack and Poz and Boog Chadwick + went in swimming in May and all thru the summer until October. one day i + went in 10 times. well i dident say anything about it to father so as not + to scare him. well today he did go to Boston and he said i am going to + teech you to swim. when i was as old as you i cood swim said he, and you + must lern, i said i have been wanting to lern to swim, for all the other + boys can swim. so we went down to the gravil and i peeled off my close and + got ready, now said he, you jest wade in up to your waste and squat down + and duck your head under. i said the water will get in my nose. he said no + it wont jest squat rite down. i cood see him laffin when he thought i wood + snort and sputter. so i waded out a little ways and then div in and swam + under water most across, and when i came up i looked to see if father was + supprised. gosh you aught to have seen him. he had pulled off his coat and + vest and there he stood up to his waste in the water with his eyes jest + bugging rite out as big as hens eggs, and he was jest a going to dive for + my dead body. then i turned over on my back and waved my hand at him. he + dident say anything for a minute, only he drawed in a long breth. then he + began to look foolish, and then mad, and then he turned and started to + slosh back to the bank where he slipped and went in all over. When he got + to the bank he was pretty mad and yelled for me to come out. when i came + out he cut a stick and whaled me, and as soon as i got home he sent me to + bed for lying, but i gess he was mad becaus i about scart the life out of + him. but that nite i heard him telling mother about it and he said that he + div 3 times for me in about thirty feet of water. but he braged about my + swiming and said i cood swim like a striped frog. i shall never forget how + his boots went kerslosh kerslosh kerslosh when we were skinning home thru + cros-lots. i shall never forget how that old stick hurt either. ennyhow he + dident say ennything about not going in again, so i gess i am all rite. + </p> + <p> + June 15, 186- Johnny Heeld, a student, came to me and wanted me to carry + some tickets to a dance round to the girls in the town. there was about 1 + hundred of them. he read the names over to me and i said i knew them all. + so after school me and Beany started out and walked all over town and give + out the tickets. i had a long string of names and every time i wood leave + one i wood mark out the name. i dident give the Head girls any because + they told father about some things that me and Beany and Pewt did and the + Farmer girls and the Cilley girls lived way up on the plains and i dident + want to walk up there, so when i went over to Hemlock side to give one, i + went over to the factory boarding house and give some to them. they was + auful glad to get them too and said they would go to the dance. some + people was not at home and so i gave their tickets to the next house. it + took me till 8 o'clock and i got 1 dollar for it. i dont beleive those + girls that dident get their tickets will care much about going ennyway. i + gess the Head girls wont want to tell on me another time. + </p> + <p> + June 16. Dennis Cokely and Tomtit Tomson had a fite behind Hirvey's + resterent today. Hirvey stopped them jest as they were having a good one. + Thats jest the way. i dont see why they always want to stop a fite. All + fellers fite for is to see which can lick, and how can they tell unless + they fite it out. + </p> + <p> + June 17. Brite and fair. They is going to be a big cattle show here this + fall. They are going to have it in a field up by the depot. They are going + to have horse trots and shows and everything. We are going to have no + school. it dont come for an auful while yet. Charles Taylor is going to + have Nelly to ride. + </p> + <p> + June 18. Me and Mickey Gould had a race horseback. he had one of Ben + Merril's little black horses, we raced way round Kensington ring. i cood + beat trotting and he cood beat running. when i got home Nelly was so + swetty that father told me not to ride her for a week. + </p> + <p> + June 19. Went up to Chadwicks after school. Boog and Whack got Willie + fiting with Johnny Rogers. Willie licked him. Willie is Whack's little + brother. he is a auful cunning little feller. he can fite too. all the + Chadwick's can fite. + </p> + <p> + June 20. Brite and fair. i am going fishing tonite with Potter Gorham. + </p> + <p> + June 21. brite and fair. went fishing today with Potter Gorham. i cought 5 + pirch and 4 pickeril. i cleaned them and we had them for supper. father + said they was the best fish he ever et. i also cought the biggest roach i + ever saw, almost as big as a sucker, and i cant tell what i did with him. + i thought Potter had hooked him for fun, but he said he dident, and we + hunted everywhere for him. i dont know where i put that roach. + </p> + <p> + June 22. the students had their dance last nite. they had a auful time. + some of the girls which dident get no tickets was mad, and the students + which wanted them to go was mad and they went to Johnny Heeld and give him + time. then he went round and told them how it was and give them tickets. + well the nite of the dance everything was all rite until lots of people + came which hadent been on the list, but which we had given tickets. well + the students dident want to let them in and they were mad, and Chick + Randal hit a student named Pendry rite in the nose and nocked his glasses + off and Nichols nocked Johnny Lord way acros the entry and they was going + to have a big fite when Bob Carter and 2 or 3 men stoped it. today Johnny + Heeld came down to the house and said i had got things all mixed up and + father made me give back the dollar. but he told Johnny Heeld he hadent + ought to have let me try such a hard job. Gosh, i am glad father thinks it + was a mistake, and dont know that i did it on purpose. + </p> + <p> + June 23. there is a dead rat in the wall in my room. it smells auful. + </p> + <p> + June 24. Rany. most time for vacation. the smell in my room is fearful. + </p> + <p> + June 25. more trouble today. it seems as if there wasent any use in + living. nothing but trouble all the time. mother said i coodent sleep in + that room until the rat was taken out. well father he came into my room + and sniffed once and said, whew, what a almity smell. then he held his + nose and went out and came back with mister Staples the father of the + feller that called me Polelegs. well he came in and put his nose up to the + wall and sniffed round until he came to where my old close hung. then he + said, thunder George, this is the place, rite behind this jacket, it is + the wirst smell i ever smelt. then he threw my close in a corner and took + out his tools and began to dig a hole in the wall, while father and mother + and aunt Sarah stood looking at him and holding their nose. after he dug + the hole he reached in but dident find ennything, then he stuck in his + nose and said, it dont smell enny in there. then they all let go of their + nose and took a sniff and said murder it is wirse than ever it must be + rite in the room somewhere. then father said to me, look in those close + and see if there is ennything there. so i looked and found in the poket of + my old jaket that big roach that i lost, when i went fishing with Potter + Gorham. it was all squashy and smelt auful. father was mad and made me + throw the jaket out of the window and wont let me go fishing for a week. + ennyway i know now what became of my roach. + </p> + <p> + June 26. Keene and Cele are going to sing in the Unitarial quire. father + says he will give them some bronze boots. mother got them some new nets + for their hair today. girls has lots more done for them than fellers. + </p> + <p> + June 27, 186- Brite and fair. school closed today. we dont have enny more + school til September. snapcrackers have come. 8 cents a bunch at old + Langlys store. Lane and Rollins sell them for 10 cents. torpedos 8 cents a + bunch. pin wheels 1 cent each. Pewt is going to have a cannon. father wont + let me have a cannon. he says i dont know enny more than to look into it + and blow my head off. + </p> + <p> + June 28. clowdy but no rane. 4th of July pretty soon. father says when he + was a boy all they had for fireworks was balls of wool soaked in + tirpentine whitch they lit and fired round. i am glad i did not live then. + </p> + <p> + June 30. clowdy but no rane. went in swimming 3 times today. i am going + bullfroging monday. + </p> + <p> + June 31. no July 1. Went to church today. + </p> + <p> + July 2. i went bullfroging today. thunder storm today. + </p> + <p> + i have got 10 bunches of snapcrackers and some slowmatch. i spent a dolar + of my cornet money. i gess i shall never get that cornet. i hope it wont + rane the 4th. + </p> + <p> + July 3. Nite before 4th. Pewt and Beany can stay out all nite. father took + my snapcrackers into his room and said if i get up before 5 i cant have + enny. + </p> + <p> + July 4. i am to tired to wright ennything. i never had so much fun in my + life. i only got burned 5 times. 1 snapcracker went off rite in my face + and i coodent see ennything til mother washed my eyes out. Zee Smith fired + a torpedo and a peace of it flew rite in the corner of my eye and made a + blew spot there. i fired every one of my snapcrackers. it took me all day. + </p> + <p> + July 5. brite and fair. i dident wake up today til 10 o'clock. i was + pretty sore and my eyes felt as if they was sawdust in them. + </p> + <p> + July 6. brite and fair. father staid home today. i wanted him to go + fishing but he woodent. + </p> + <p> + July 7. father told me i cood go fishing and stay all day. i dont know + what had come over him becaus most always he raises time when i go fishing + and dont come home erly. so i went and cought 3 pickerels and 4 pirch and + 2 hogbacks and went in swiming 2 times. well as i was a coming home 2 or 3 + people met me and said they was company at my house, so when i got home i + skined in the back way so as not to see the company til i got on my best + britches, but i met father in the door and he told me to go rite up to + mothers room and see the company. so i skined up to her room holding my + hand behind me becaus i had tore my britches auful getting over a fence + and i dident want the company to see. well what do you think the company + was. it was the homliest baby you ever see, it looked jest like a munky + and made feerful faces and kinder squeaked like. Mother was sick and they + was a old fat woman who told me to go out, but mother said she wanted to + see me and she kissed me and asked me to kiss the baby. i dident want to + but i did it becaus mother was sick. mother asked me how many fish i + caught and what kind and i told her and said she shood have some for her + supper, but she said she gessed she woodent have enny jest then. + </p> + <p> + then i went down stairs and father did i like the baby and i said it was + homly, and he said it was 10 times as good looking as i was and he said he + was glad that when the baby grode up it woodent have Beany and Pewt to + play with and woodent be tuff like me, and then Aunt Sarah said she gessed + me and Beany and Pewt wasent enny tuffer than father and Gim Melcher were + when they was boys, and then father laffed and told me to go to bed and i + went. that was a auful homly baby ennyway. + </p> + <p> + July 8. nothing particular today. you bet that baby can howl. went to + church. + </p> + <p> + July 9. brite and fair. most every morning we go up in mothers room to see + the old fat woman wash the baby and hear it howl. it turns black in the + face. i bet it will be a fiter. + </p> + <p> + July 10. i have got a new nickname. it is yallerlegs. that is becaus + father bought me a pair of kinder yellow britches, and made me wear them. + i bet he woodent like to be called yallerlegs. + </p> + <p> + July 11. brite and fair. went in swiming today to a new place. we call it + the stump. it is up by the eddy. + </p> + <p> + July 12. a thunder storm. in the afternoon went fishing but dident get a + bite. Pewts father says fish wont bite after a thunder storm. + </p> + <p> + July 13. a auful hot day. tonite i went up to the depot to see Majer Blake + and Charles Tole fite over passengers to the beach. + </p> + <p> + July 14. i am going to the beach to stop with Beany in his fathers tent. + it is called hotel de pig. + </p> + <p> + July 15. i gess i will go tomorrow. + </p> + <p> + July 16. me and Beany went to the beach and stopped all day and all nite. + we had a bully time. + </p> + <p> + July 17. another hot day. went in swiming 4 times. my back is all burned. + </p> + <p> + July 18. me and Beany got in the newsleter today. the paper said the + Siamese twins was at the beach stoping at Watsons tent. Pewt was mad + becaus we got in the paper and he dident and told all round that it dident + mean me and Beany but Rashe Belnap and Horris Cobbs. + </p> + <p> + July 19. Hot as time. nothing particular today. + </p> + <p> + July 20. Hot as time. nothing particular today. + </p> + <p> + July 21. Auful hot. big thunder shower and litening struck a tree in front + of Perry Moltons house. + </p> + <p> + July 22. Went to church. Beany let the wind out of the organ and it + squeaked and made everybody laff. Keene and Cele sing in the quire. father + feels pretty big about it. + </p> + <p> + July 23. i got stung by hornets today. i went in swiming at the eddy and + when i was drying my close i set rite down on a stump where there was a + nest of yellow bellied hornets. they all lit on me and i thought i was + afire for a minit. i ran and div rite off the bank and swam way out under + water. when i came up they were buzing round jest where i went down. when + i came out the fellers put mud on my bites and after a while they stoped + hurting. i tell you the fellers jest died laffing to see me run and + holler. + </p> + <p> + July 24. Brite and fair. i was all sweled up with hornet bites but they + dident hurt enny, i looked jest like Beany when he had the mumps. everyone + laffed at me. + </p> + <p> + July 25. i got a fishhook in my leg today. me and Fatty Melcher was a + fishing when we got our lines tangled, i hollered first cut, but i dident + have enny nife and Fatty woodent let me have his nife. So we got jerking + our lines kinder mad like and all of a suddin the hook got into my leg. + gosh you bet it hurt. me and Fatty got the hook out but it bled some. the + worst of it was there was a wirm on the hook and when we got the hook out + they wasent enny wirm there. Fatty says people sometimes dies from having + wirms in them. i bet this one has crawled way in. it may grow inside of + me. something is always hapening to me. when i got home i went down to + docter Derborns store and bought some wirm medicine and swalowed sum. it + was auful bitter. it cost 20 cents out of my cornet money. + </p> + <p> + July 26. brite and fair. i was all rite today except my leg was stiff + mother asked what made me lame and she put on a peace of pork. i told her + about the wirm and she said the pork wood draw him out if he was there but + she gessed he dident go in. when i told her about the wirm medecine she + jest set down and laffed. so i gess i needent wory about having wirms. i + went down to doctor Derborns and tride to get him to take the medicine + back but he said he woodent. i think he is pretty mean not to. + </p> + <p> + July 27. i coodent go in swiming today on account of my leg. all the + fellers went in and i had to set on the bank and see them. + </p> + <p> + July 28. Coodent go in swiming today either. my leg is nearly well. mother + took off the pork today. it was all white where the pork was. i can go in + swiming Monday. i went down to the library tonite. it is the first time i + have been down since Joe Parsons chased me out. i gess he has forgotten + it. i got out Bush Boys to read. it is a splendid book about shooting + lions and zebras and gerafs and everything. + </p> + <p> + July 29. i tried to have father let me stay away from church today because + my leg was sore but he said all rite you can stay, but i gess that leg + will be too sore to let you go in swiming this week. so i went to church + and dident limp enny. this afternoon i set under the apple tree and read + Bush Boys. father and mother went to ride with Nellie. it is the first + time mother has been out. Aunt Sarah took care of the baby. they gess they + will name it Edward Ashman Shute. i gess it is named Ashman after the + leader of the band. i am going to tell him tomorrow and see if he wont + sell me a cornet on trust. brite and fair. + </p> + <p> + July 30. Brite and fair. i told father i was going down to see Mr. Ashman, + and he said if you ever do i will lick you. the babys name is Edward + Ashton Shute and not Ashman. i woodent name him for enny cornet player. it + is pretty tuff luck. if i cood have got that cornet i woodent have minded + a licking. went in swiming today. + </p> + <p> + July 31. Franky had the croop last nite. i waked up and heard him cough + auful funny and kinder as if his throte was tite. i called mother and she + came in and hollered for Aunt Sarah and father and they rushed round + lively and gave him egg and sugar and put hot cloths on his throte til he + howled and after he cood howl he was all well. Aunt Sarah took him in with + her the rest of the nite. father said i was a brick to wake up and call + them. i dont know when he has called me a brick before. went in swimming 3 + times to-day. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 1. brite and fair. Annie tumbled down the front steps from the top to + the bottom. she howled and mother thought she was about killed but she was + so fat that she dident hurt her. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 2. father came home early to-day and took mother and Aunt Sarah and + Keene & Georgie to ride. Me and Cele staid to look after the house. + Cele went up stairs to look after the baby and when she was gone i got + Annie and Franky fiting. it was the funniest fite i ever saw. they jest + pushed each other round and tried to claw each other. while they was + fiting Cele came down stairs and pulled them apart and boxed their ears + and made them go in different rooms. She jawed me and said she wood tell + father. when father came home she told on me and father sent me to bed at + six o'clock. You jest wait Cele and you will find out. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 3, 186- brite and fair. the fellers played a pretty mean trick on me + tonite. they played it on Nibby Hartwel last nite. Nibby is visiting his + aunt and comes from the city and is pretty green like most folks from the + city. you see if i hadent got sent to bed becaus Cele told on me i wood + have been there and seen them play it on Nibby. well last nite all the + fellers was out. Whack and Boog and Pozzy and Pewt and Beany and Nipper + and Cawcaw and Pile and Chick and Micky and Pricilla and Fatty. Nibby he + was there too. they wanted to play lead the old blind horse to water and i + was to be the blind horse. they said they had some fun playing it the nite + before, that was when they played it on Nibby but i dident know that. Well + you blindfole a feller and give him a rope and a swich and the other + fellers get on the other end of the rope and the feller nearest you has a + bell and rings it and you pull and if you can pull him up to you, you can + paist time out of him with your swich, only if you pull off your blindfole + all the fellers can paist time out of you. Well they blindfoled me and + hollered ready and i began to yank and pull and the feller rung his bell + and he came pretty hard at first but i kept yanking and bimeby he come so + quick that i nearly fell over back wards and i felt him and grabed him and + began to paist time out of him when he grabed away my swich and began to + paist me, and that wasent fair and i pulled off my blindfole and who do + you suppose it was, well it was Wiliam Perry Molton and he was mad. they + had tied me to his door bell and i had yanked out almost ten feet of wire. + when i saw who it was gosh i began to holler and he stoped licking me. i + gess he never licked anyone before because he dident know just how to lay + it on. well when he found out how it was he let me go but he said he shood + have to do something about the boys distirbing him so. it was a pretty + mean trick to play on a feller. we are going to try and play it on Pop + Clark tomorrow nite. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 4. brite and fair. me and Hiram Mingo had a race today to see whitch + cood swim the furtherest under water. i beat him easy. he can lick me but + i can beat him swiming. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 5. Nothing particular today. only church. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 6. the baby was sick today had the doctor. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 7. the baby was sicker. i dident go in swiming. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 8. the baby is better today. i went in swiming 5 times. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 9. Raned all day. The baby is all rite. i went bullfroging with Chick + Chickering. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 10. Nellie is sick. Joe Hanes cut a hole in her and put in a onion + and some braded hair and then father took her out to pastur. i cant ride + her for a month. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 11. brite and fair. mister Watson, Beanys father got throwed off of + his horse today and renched his rist. the horse coodent have throwed him + but the gert broke. Mister Watson can ride splendid. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 12. brite and fair. No more church this month. bully. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 13. brite and fair. i went down to Ed Toles and me and Ed rode on the + hack with Joe Parmer. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 14. Ed Tole and Frank Hanes are mad. Frank hollered over to Ed, Ed + Tole fell in a hole and coodent get out to save his sole, and Ed hollered + back Frank Hanes aint got no branes. and then they was mad. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 15. Wiliam Perry Molton has got some ripe apples in his back yard. me + and Pewt helped him ketch some hens today and he said we cood have some + apples if they was any on the ground. they was only 2 wirmy ones but + before we left 5 or 6 fell off i gess it was because Pewt pushed me agenst + the tree. they was pretty good apples too. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 16. Rany. i went fishing with Potter Gorham. caught 3 roach and 5 + hornpowt. we et them for supper. father said i can clean fish most as well + as he can. he says he will come home some day erly and go a fishing. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 17. John Gardner has hung up a Grant and Colfax flag. they will be + some fun this fall. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 18. brite and fair. Today i went fishing with Fatty Melcher. we + caught some ells and some hornpowt. ells and hornpowt can live a long time + out of water and so when i got home i put 5 that were alive in the rane + water barril. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 19. brite and fair. it is fun to sit round all day Sunday and not + have to go to church. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 20. brite and fair. i had to spend the whole morning in going to the + river for water for washing. it was wash day and when mother went to the + rane water barril there was 5 dead hornpowt floting on the top. she made + me tip the barrel over and get water from the river. they was some fun for + Beany helped me and he stood in the hand cart and filled the tubs and all + of a sudden i let go and the old cart flew up and Beany and the tub and + the pail and everything went rite in. Beany isent going to speak to me + ever again. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 21, 186- Gosh, we are having fun now. what do you think. they is + going to be a big mass meeting this fall. Ben Butler and Jake Ely and lots + of old pelters are going to be here, and they is going to be 4 or 5 bands + and lots of fun. well before that comes they is going to be lots of + political meetings and the first one is to be next week, and father is + going to make a speach. Gim Luverin and Bil Morrill and General Marsten + and Tom Levitt, and he is a ripper to holler. and they want father to make + a speach. father says he must work for the party and perhaps he can get + his salery rased. so he has been a riting every nite and mumbling it over + to hisself and last nite he said he had got it. tonite he is a going to + speak it to us. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 22. last nite father studed his speach over and let us stay up to + hear it. he stood up and looked auful stirn and put one hand in the buzum + of his shert. i coodent help laffin, but he told me to shet up or i cood + go to bed and so i shet up. i tell you it was fine. It begun Mister + Moddirator had i supposed, or for 1 moment dremp that i a humble offis + holder under this glorious government, wood have been called upon to + speak, i shood have remained at home with my wife and my children. + </p> + <p> + i said, if you dont want to make a speach why dont you stay at home that + nite, and he said 1 more word from you sir and you go to bed. so i dident + yip again. + </p> + <p> + then he went on like this, were it not that a crool axident in my erly + youth, in my far away boyhood days prevented me from voluntearing and + desecrating my life to my countrys welfare, in the strugle jest ended i + wood have poared out evry drop of my blud to have maintaned her owner and + the owner of her flag. mother began to laff and said George how can you + tell such feerful stories, you know you were scart most to deth becaus you + was afraid you wood be drafted. + </p> + <p> + father said they was a lot of old fellows traveling round the country and + talking that way who coodent have been drug into the war with a ox chane. + then he stood on the other leg a while and said, it is peculiarly + aproprate that Exeter, the berth place of Lewis Cas, the educater of + Webster, the home of Amos Tuck, of General Marston shood be fourmost in + the party strife, and as for me i wirk only for my partys good, my + countrys good, without feer or hope of reward. they was a lot more to it, + and some of it you cood hear about a mile he hollered so. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 23. We are all going the nite of the rally. mother says she wont go + for she wood be ashamed to hear father tell such dredful stories. Aunt + Sarah dont want to go because she is afraid father will brake down. but + she has got to go with me and Keene and Cele and Georgie. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 24. father practised his speach tonite and we all hollered and claped + at the fine parts. he has got a new pair of boots. they hurt like time and + he only wears them nites when he is practising his speach. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 25. father licked me tonite becaus i spoke some of his speach to + Beany. he was auful mad and said i was the bigest fool he ever see. the + fellers have got up a Grant Club. Pricilla cant belong because he is a + demicrat. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 26. father called me and Beany out behind the barn tonite and gave us + 10 cents apeace if we woodent say anything about his speach. after supper + father practised again but he dident holler so loud becaus he was afraid + some body wood hear him and mother dident want him to wake up the baby, + and it was sunday too. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 27. it has been brite and fair all the week and hot as time. i have + to go to the river for soft water because it hasent raned eny since i had + to tip over the rane water barril. i have got a little tirtle as big as a + cent. father went down to General Marstons office tonite to arrange about + the rally. he came home and practised about an hour. i gess he wood have + practised all nite if the baby hadent waked up an hollered. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 28. we are all getting ready for the rally. Keene and Cele and + Georgie have got some new plad dresses. father has got a pair of gray + britches and a black coat. mother said the rally was a good thing becaus + it was the first time she had seen father dressed up since he was married. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 29. they was a big thunder shower last nite. we all got up in the + nite and went into mothers room. mother sat on the fether bed and all them + that was scart cood set there. i wasent scart. father said it would be + jest the cussid luck to have it rane the nite of the rally. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 30. we had the last practise tonite, father put on his best close and + new boots and the girls had on their plad dresses and i had on a new paper + coller. we all set down and father came in and stood up. i tell you he + looked fine. well he begun, mister modderater had i suposed or for 1 + moment dremp, and then he forgot the rest. i tell you he was mad. i wanted + to laff but dident dass to. well after a while he remembered and went + through it all rite, and then he went over it 2 times more. gosh what if + he shood forget it tomorrow nite. he is going to wright some of it on his + cufs and he practised tonite making jestures so as to bring his cufs up so + that he cood read it. + </p> + <p> + Aug. 31. the rally is tonite. father woke us all up last nite hollering in + his sleep. he dremp about the speach. this morning he went to Boston + without eating his brekfast. i gess he is begining to be scart. i am a + going to make his boots shine today. gosh what if he shood brake down. i + gess i am getting a little scart too. brite and fair. + </p> + <p> + Sept. 1. Last nite father came home and the first thing he did was to send + me down to miss Pratts for his shert. it was all pollished and shone like + glass. then he asked if i had blacked his boots and then he et supper. he + dident eat much though. he said Mr. Tuck came down from Boston with him. + Mr. Tuck was a going to make a speach first and then he was going to + introduce Gim Loverin as chairman and then Gim Loverin was a going to call + on father. father said he bet 5 dollars he wood call him Gim instead of + mister modderator. father was pretty cross at supper. i gess he was + getting scart. the baby began to cry and father asked mother why she + dident choak the squawling brat and mother sorter laffed and put the baby + into fathers lap and said i gess you had better choak him. father laffed + and began to toss the baby up and down. he likes the baby and while he was + playing with it he was all rite. but after supper he was cross and said he + hed an auful headake. then he went practising his speach again so as not + to call the modderator Gim. well we got ready and went down erly to get + some good seats so as to hear father and see him come in with them that + was to set on the platform. we wanted to go down with father but he said + he coodent bother with us. but before we went he came down stairs with his + new close on and he looked fine but his face looked auful white. he said + he had a headake but as soon as he got started to speak it wood all go + off. so we went down. Cele had her hair curled and Keene had a new red + silk ribbon on her hair becaus her hair wont curl and Aunt Sarah had on a + new dolman with beeds on it and some long coral earrings and they all + looked fine. Aunt Sarah took Georgie by the hand becaus she was the + littlest and me and Keene and Cele followed on. + </p> + <p> + When we got there the band was playing in front of the town hall and aunt + Sarah said i cood stay out and hear it and then said i cood sit with Gim + Wingit and Willy Swet if i wood behave. i said i wood and we lissened and + after the band went in we went too. most all the seats were taken and we + got some bully seats way up in front. i looked for father but coodent see + him becaus the speakers hadent come in. well jest as soon as we got in the + policeman was up in front and he said they has been to much whisling and + stamping and the next one that whisles or stamps will get put out. well + they was old Swane and Brown and Kize and Dirgin and every body kept + quiet. after a few minits the band began to play hale to the chief and the + speakers came marching up the middle ile. i looked for father but he wasnt + there. evrybody began to clap and stamp and Gim and Willy asked me where + my old man was. i stood up to see if he was there and jest then i saw the + policeman a rushing at me. he grabed me by the collar and shook me round + till i dident know which end my head was on and he draged me down the ile + and threw me out. as we were going down the ile i saw Aunt Sarah running + down the other ile as fast as she cood go with her bonnet on the back of + her head and Keene and Cele and Georgie following along all bawling. she + got out in the entry jest as he was going to put me out of the front door + and she grabed me away from him and said you misable cowardly retch to + treat a boy that way. he said i whisled and she said he dident and you + knew it only you dident dass take ennyone else. + </p> + <p> + Then she told us to come home and we went home as fast as we cood all + bawling. when we got home mother was sitting up alone and aunt Sarah + started to tell her and Keene and Cele and Georgie all bawled and you + never heard such a noise, and father was in bed with a headake and + hollered out what in time is the matter. and she told him and i heard him + jump out of bed and in a minit he came out buttoning up his suspenders. + Mother said where in the world are you going George, and he said things is + come to a pretty pass if a boy cant go and hear his father make a speach + without being banged round by a policeman. i am going down to knock the + heads off every policeman there. and he reeched for his vest. mother said + George, dont you go near the hall, and father said he cood lick anny 2 men + on the police force easy and he would show them how to slam people round + and he reeched for his coat, and Keene and Cele and Georgia began to bawl + again to think he wood get hurt and aunt Sarah and mother said you had + better not go George, and father said he wood give them more fun in 5 + minits than they had seen in a political rally in 5 years and he reeched + for his boots and mother said what will they think of you after you have + sent word that you are too sick to make a speach, to see you come rushing + into the hall and go punching the policemen and father had got on 1 boot + and when she said that he began to look kinder sick and said, thunder that + is so. and then his headake got wirse and he gave me a twenty five cent + scrip and Keene and Cele and Georgie ten cents each and he went to bed and + so did we. + </p> + <p> + i wonder if his head aked really so he coodent make a speach or if he was + scart. i bet he was scart. + </p> + <p> + school commences monday. father hasent asked once about my diry, so i aint + going to wright enny more. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THIRTY YEARS (OR MORE) AFTER + </h2> + <p> + On looking back over the pages of the "Diary" it appears to me that some + sort of an amende honorable is due to those citizens now living, and the + relatives and friends of those now dead, whose names have appeared in the + "Diary" and who have, so to speak, been handled without gloves. That I + have been neither mobbed, nor horsewhipped, nor sued, nor prosecuted, but + that I have enjoyed many a good laugh with—and have received many + pleasant words from—the victims, and their friends, is good evidence + that they, and their more fortunate brothers who have not been therein + mentioned, have taken the "Diary" in the very spirit in which it was + published, that of affectionate and amusing retrospect. And it is indeed + with affection that I recall those men, at that time in their prime. That + I could not then understand the reason why they did not fully enter into + and appreciate the spirit that prompted me and my boon companions to + transgress so many rules, laws, and statutes is not surprising. Boys + seldom can understand it. But, although I now fully appreciate it, I often + wonder at the spirit that prompted so many of those men in after years to + show me so many kindnesses, so much encouragement, and such great + forbearance. + </p> + <p> + So many inquiries have been made of me about that cornet, the soul-filling + ambition of my early years, that I feel that the uncertainty in regard to + that delightful instrument ought to be cleared up. I never did save up + enough money to buy a cornet. I haven't to this day. But many years + afterwards, when my ambition had been turned into other and equally + profitless channels, upon the death of a dear friend his beautiful cornet + was sent me. I have it now, as the neighbors and the members of my family + can testify fully and with deep feeling, if called upon. + </p> + <p> + H. A. S. <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + DRAMATIS PERSONAE + </h2> + <p> + A good many years ago, during my college days, it was my custom and that + of my room-mate, Brown of Exeter, to make our room the gathering-place for + Exeter boys, both "stewdcats" and homesick Exeter youths then filling + positions in Boston. It happened that frequently undergraduates from other + towns and cities came in at these Saturday evening gatherings and it was a + matter of wonder to them that we had so much to talk about in relation to + our native town; and it was their frequent remark that "either Exeter is a + remarkable place, or you are a remarkably loyal set of fellows." + </p> + <p> + That Exeter is a remarkable place is an axiom, and no better evidence of + the fact can be found (were evidence necessary to sustain an axiom) than + in the loyalty that every citizen displays, and the sincere love that + prompts every one who has ever come under the spell of our dear old town + to revisit her at every opportunity. + </p> + <p> + Where else could a diary of this nature, dealing with actual persons and + actual events, be published and be received with such absolute goodnature + and even enthusiasm by the persons now living who are mentioned therein? + </p> + <p> + It is therefore with affection as well as amusement that I append the + following brief biographical sketches of persons mentioned in the "Diary," + preserving as nearly as possible the order of their appearance in the + book. As many readers of the "Diary" have expressed a desire to know more + of the subsequent histories and achievements of those therein mentioned, + it is hoped this information will satisfy a curiosity and interest which, + to a loyal son of Exeter, appear quite natural:— + </p> + <p> + 1. Father. GEORGE S. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + A native of Exeter. For twenty-six years a clerk in the Boston Naval + Office. Still living in Exeter, an old man with a young tongue; in fact, + the quickest man at repartee in Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 2. Mother. + </p> + <p> + My mother died in the winter of 1896. No words can do justice to her + qualities. "A sweeter woman ne'er drew breath." + </p> + <p> + 3. "Gim" Melcher. + </p> + <p> + An old friend of my father's. Died in Maiden a few years ago. + </p> + <p> + 4. Some of the men who were "wrighting fast" in the Custom House were the + following:— + </p> + <p> + GEORGE DAVIS, of Lexington, who a year ago celebrated his fiftieth + consecutive year of service in the Naval Office; COLONEL IVORY POPE, of + Cambridge; BENJAMIN A. SIDWELL, of East Boston; JACOB A. HOWE, of Maiden; + FRANK HARRIMAN, a brother of the late Governor Harriman of Concord, N. H. + HIRAM BARRUS, of Reading, Mass. deceased; C. C. WHITTEMORE, of Portsmouth, + N. H.; CHARLES MUDGE, of Maiden; MATTHEW F. WHITTIER, of Medford, a + brother of the poet Whittier, and a newspaper-writer of considerable + prominence, writing under the pen-name of "Ethan Spike"; and TRISTRAM + TALBOT, of Newburyport, with others whom the writer does not now recall. A + few years later the writer spent several of his college vacations as + deputy clerk in the same Naval Office, and made pleasant acquaintances + with all of the above-named men. He found them very competent clerks, + courteous gentlemen, and the best story-tellers that he ever knew, and + recollects those vacations as very pleasant periods in his school life. + Some of them still hold positions in the Custom House. + </p> + <p> + 5. Charles "Talor": CHARLES TAYLOR. + </p> + <p> + A great friend of the family. Died in Exeter about ten years ago. + </p> + <p> + 6. "Beany": E. L. WATSON. + </p> + <p> + In business at Williamstown, Mass. Attained his boyhood ambition and + married Lizzie "Tole," Ed's sister. + </p> + <p> + 7. "Pewter": C. E. PURINGTON. + </p> + <p> + My near neighbor, a decorative painter, who early displayed talent in this + direction. + </p> + <p> + 8. "Skinny Bruce": WM. J. BRUCE. + </p> + <p> + A tinsmith of Exeter who still thinks he could have licked Frank Elliott. + </p> + <p> + 9. Frank Elliott. + </p> + <p> + A successful mechanic in Boston, who is confident that he could have + licked "Skinny" Bruce. + </p> + <p> + 10. "Nipper": JOHN A. BROWN. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. Chairman of the School Board. Trustee of the Seminary. Trustee of + the Library. My room-mate at Harvard. + </p> + <p> + 11. "Micky" Gould. + </p> + <p> + I do not know what became of "Mickey." Wherever he is, there is a + good-natured, jolly man. + </p> + <p> + 12. Mr. Winsor. + </p> + <p> + Address not known. How he could throw a snowball. + </p> + <p> + 18. "Ed" Towle. + </p> + <p> + Exeter, N. H. With a keen memory for old days. + </p> + <p> + 14. "Dany" Wingate. + </p> + <p> + A very prominent man. The father of J. D. P. and C. E. L. Wingate of the + Boston Journal. Died at Exeter many years ago. + </p> + <p> + 15. "Whacker": COL. A. M. CHADWICK. + </p> + <p> + Lowell, Mass. + </p> + <p> + 16. "Pozzy": AUSTIN K. CHADWICK. + </p> + <p> + Lowell, Mass. + </p> + <p> + Two of the best known and most respected citizens of Lowell. Dignified and + sedate, but just touch on old Exeter days and watch their eyes twinkle and + their tongues loosen. + </p> + <p> + 17. "Pricilla": PROF. CHARLES A. HOBBS. + </p> + <p> + Boston. Has written some dreadful mathematical works, and revisits Exeter + often, but not often enough. + </p> + <p> + 18. "Pheby": CHARLES A. TAYLOR. + </p> + <p> + Has inherited the very qualities that made his father so good a friend. + </p> + <p> + 19. "Lublin." + </p> + <p> + Address not known. + </p> + <p> + 20. "Nigger" Bell. + </p> + <p> + So called because his hair was so very white. Professor of Chemistry in a + Western University. Died recently in Maiden. + </p> + <p> + 21. Tommy Thompson: R. G. THOMPSON. + </p> + <p> + New London, Conn. + </p> + <p> + 22. "Dutchy": DR. WILLIAM A. SEAMANS. + </p> + <p> + New York City. Fullback on the Harvard '77 eleven. There are several + ex-principals of the Exeter High School who will remember Thompson and + Seamans in very clear and vivid colors. + </p> + <p> + 28. "Chick" Chickering: PROF. JOHN J. CHECKERING. + </p> + <p> + Flushing, L. I. Commissioner of Public Education of New York State. + </p> + <p> + 24. "Tody": TIMOTHY FINTON. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. An expert wood-worker with a leaning for politics. + </p> + <p> + 25. "Gim" Wingate: JAMES D. P. WINGATE. + </p> + <p> + Winchester, Mass. The business manager of the Boston Journal. + </p> + <p> + 26. "Skipy": H. C. MOSES. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. For many years in the wholesale wool business in Boston. One of + the keenest sportsmen and best wing shots in New Hampshire. + </p> + <p> + 27. "Pile": JOHN G. WOOD. + </p> + <p> + Chicago. Manager of the McKay Cordage Factory in Chicago. Promises to + return to Exeter when he has made his "pile" ($100,000). From present + indications, the prospect is favorable. + </p> + <p> + 28. Billy Folsom: WM. H. FOLSOM. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. Member of the firm of E. Folsom & Co. Brass Works. One of + Harvard's greatest pitchers. + </p> + <p> + 29. "Hoppy" Gadd. + </p> + <p> + A very eccentric but sterling citizen, who could make cowhide boots which, + like the panels in the "one-horse shay," "would last like iron for things + like these." Died in Exeter a few years ago. + </p> + <p> + 30. "Si" Smith. + </p> + <p> + The man with the "funny sine." Died in Exeter nearly thirty years ago. + </p> + <p> + 31. "Gran" Miller and "Ben" Rundlet. Addresses not known. + </p> + <p> + 32. Squire Lane. + </p> + <p> + Died in Lynn. + </p> + <p> + 33. Charles Burley. + </p> + <p> + Died in Exeter. For many years Treasurer of Phillips Exeter Academy, and + Superintendent of the "Unitarial" Sunday School. + </p> + <p> + 34. "Keene": MY SISTER, MRS. C. E. BYINGTON. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. A very able and accomplished woman. The one to whom all members of + the family go when in trouble. + </p> + <p> + 35. Lucy Watson. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Frank Conner of Lynn. + </p> + <p> + 36. "Curley" Conner: MR. FRANK CONNER. + </p> + <p> + Lynn. Husband of the aforesaid. + </p> + <p> + 37, "Jo" Parsons: MR. JOSEPH S. PARSONS. + </p> + <p> + Boston. An expert bookkeeper. + </p> + <p> + 38. "Billy" Swett: MR. WM. SWETT. + </p> + <p> + Jamaica Plain. I remember him as one of the most polite and affable boys I + ever met. + </p> + <p> + 39. Mr. "Lovel," who said, "o hell": C. LOVELL, 2d. + </p> + <p> + One of the best amateur actors and jolliest men I ever knew. Died + recently. + </p> + <p> + 40. John Flanagan. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. A tinsmith and co-laborer with "Skinny" Bruce. + </p> + <p> + 41. "Gimmy" Fitzgerald. + </p> + <p> + Died at Exeter thirty years ago. + </p> + <p> + 42. "Old" Head: OREN HEAD. + </p> + <p> + Many students will affectionately remember him. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 43. "Bob" Carter. + </p> + <p> + The old janitor of the Town Hall. Gruff, but very kind-hearted. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 44. "Wats": IRVING M. WATSON. + </p> + <p> + Father of "Beany," and pleasantly like him. + </p> + <p> + 45. John Getchell. + </p> + <p> + A liberal, free, and kind-hearted Exeter merchant. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 46. Eben Folsom. + </p> + <p> + Uncle of "Billy," and head of the firm of which Billy is a member. + </p> + <p> + 47. "Charlie": DR. C. H. GERRISH. + </p> + <p> + 48. "Doc" Prey: DR. J. E. S. PRAY. + </p> + <p> + Gentlemen both, of whom the writer can say everything good. + </p> + <p> + 49. Alice "Gewett," who was "a dairy maid": Miss ALICE JEWELL + </p> + <p> + Instructor of singing in the schools of Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 50. "Old Kize": PHILANDER KEYES. + </p> + <p> + A policeman of thirty years ago. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 51. "Bill" Hartnett. + </p> + <p> + Who used to make it lively for the last mentioned. A man of many good + qualities notwithstanding. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 52. "Old" Swain. + </p> + <p> + A contemporary of "Old Kize," and a co-laborer in the same vineyard. + </p> + <p> + 53. "Mister" Gordon: HON. NATHANIEL GORDON. + </p> + <p> + A retired lawyer of Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 54. Dora Moses. + </p> + <p> + 55. Mary "Loverin": MRS. MARY LETHBEIDGE. + </p> + <p> + Two beautiful girls and inseparable companions, whose deaths were untimely + and irreparable. + </p> + <p> + 56. "Cele": My sister, CELIA E. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. A stenographer, and a writer of short stories for magazines. + </p> + <p> + 57. "Caxcaw" Harding: PROF. B. F. HARDING. + </p> + <p> + Boston. An early advocate of those methods of instruction that result in + "mens sana in corpore sano." + </p> + <p> + 58. "Doctor" Dearborn. + </p> + <p> + A most eccentric old apothecary. Died in Exeter a few years ago. + </p> + <p> + 59. "Aunt Sarah": Miss SARAH F. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. The favorite aunt of a large family, all of whose geese are swans. + </p> + <p> + 60. "Fatty" Melcher: F. A. MELCHER. + </p> + <p> + Boston. So named because he was not fat. + </p> + <p> + 61. "Genny" Morrison: MRS. JOHN J. JOYCE. + </p> + <p> + Andover, Mass. By not appearing at our Grammar School Reunion "Genny" + disappointed five hundred people. + </p> + <p> + 62. J. Albert Clark. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. One of the proprietors of the Exeter Machine Works. He has always + had a very kindly interest in "Beany" and "Plupy," in spite of the many + annoyances he suffered at their boyish hands. + </p> + <p> + 63. "Bill" Morrill: MR. WM. B. MORRILL. + </p> + <p> + For many years selectman of Exeter. Died in 1878. + </p> + <p> + 64. "Dave" Quimby. + </p> + <p> + Every student will recollect him. Died at Exeter recently. + </p> + <p> + 65. "Chitter"': JAMES ROBINSON. + </p> + <p> + A truckman in Boston. + </p> + <p> + 66. "Boog" Chadwick. + </p> + <p> + A New York broker, whose "heart's in the highlands;" to wit, Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 67. "Pop" Clark: WILL CLARK. + </p> + <p> + Roxbury, Mass. A born comedian and a delightfully entertaining man. + </p> + <p> + 68. "Shinny" Thyng. + </p> + <p> + One of the few Exeter boys who continues his father's business at the old + stand. If more did the same, the prosperity of country towns would be + assured. + </p> + <p> + 69. "Gim" Erly. + </p> + <p> + Lives somewhere in the West. + </p> + <p> + 70. "Honey" Donovan: WILLIAM DONOVAN. + </p> + <p> + Providence. + </p> + <p> + 71. "Mose" Gordon. + </p> + <p> + A Texas cattle-man. + </p> + <p> + 72. Mr. Lamed. + </p> + <p> + Unitarian clergyman. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 73. "Gil" Steels. + </p> + <p> + A merchant in Denver. + </p> + <p> + 74. "Mis Packer A": MRS. MARY PACKARD. + </p> + <p> + A famous local singer, now living in California. + </p> + <p> + 75. "Gim Loverin": JAMES M. LOVERING. + </p> + <p> + A very shrewd politician. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 76. "Old Mister Stickney": JUDGE W. W. STICKNEY. + </p> + <p> + With whom I studied law. Deceased; not, however, because of that fact. + Judge Stickney was a sound lawyer and an upright, kind-hearted man. + </p> + <p> + 77. "Ed" Dearborn. + </p> + <p> + The old bell-ringer. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 78. John Quincy "Ann" Pollard: J. Q. A. POLLARD. + </p> + <p> + A very old man, upon whom the boys were wont to play tricks, but who had + developed wonderful precision of aim with a knotted cane. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 79. Dan Ranlet; D. W. RANLET. + </p> + <p> + Boston Produce Exchange. + </p> + <p> + 80. George M. Perkins + </p> + <p> + For many years an expressman between Boston and Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 81. John E. Gibson. + </p> + <p> + Master of the Agassiz School, Boston. Residence, Jamaica Plain. I take the + opportunity to notify him that the Exeter High School holds its + quinquennial reunion June, 1903. + </p> + <p> + 82. Isaac Shute. + </p> + <p> + A retired merchant of Exeter. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 83. Major Blake. + </p> + <p> + A famous Boniface, and for many years proprietor of the Squamscott. + Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 84. Charles D. Towle. + </p> + <p> + An equally famous livery-stable keeper, who periodically fought to a + finish with Major Blake for passengers to Hampton Beach. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 85. Frank Haines. + </p> + <p> + A farmer. Residence, Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 86. "The Baby": EDWARD A. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. Who can now handle his elder brother with ease. + </p> + <p> + 87. "Frankie": FRANK F. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + Who thinks he can do likewise, but cannot. A hotel-keeper at Lakewood, New + Jersey. + </p> + <p> + 88. "Annie": Miss ANNIE P. SHUTE. + </p> + <p> + Who, by virtue of a clerkship in my office, owns the entire establishment. + </p> + <p> + 89. "Georgie" + </p> + <p> + Instructor in Latin and French in the Albany Academy, Albany, N. Y. + </p> + <p> + 90. "Nibby." + </p> + <p> + A summer visitor named Hartwell. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 91. Hiram Mingo. + </p> + <p> + A colored boy. Address not known. + </p> + <p> + 92. Joe Palmer. + </p> + <p> + A hackman with whom the boys used to ride. Address not known. + </p> + <p> + 93. John E. Gardner. + </p> + <p> + A member of an old family of merchants in Exeter. Deceased. Brother of + Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, the artist. + </p> + <p> + 94. General Marston. + </p> + <p> + A famous New Hampshire lawyer and veteran of the Civil War. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 95. Amos Tuck. + </p> + <p> + A famous lawyer, politician, financier, and Member of Congress. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 96. Mr. Gravel. + </p> + <p> + Address not known. + </p> + <p> + 97. Elkins and Graves. + </p> + <p> + Famous auctioneers at that period. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 98. Scott "Briggam." + </p> + <p> + One of the boys then, one of the boys now. Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 99. Charlie Woodbury. + </p> + <p> + Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 100. "Potter" Gorham: ARTHUR GORHAM. + </p> + <p> + Killed by an accidental discharge of his gun nearly thirty years ago. A + born naturalist. + </p> + <p> + 101. "Old Francis." + </p> + <p> + For thirty-three years principal at the Grammar School at Exeter. On his + resignation, a few years ago, a reunion was held which was attended by old + pupils from every State in the Union, to do him honor. Still hale and + hearty, and living in Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 102. Doctor Perry. + </p> + <p> + An old family physician, who has ushered more children and children's + children into the world than any man in the county, and who is beloved and + revered by every one of them. Miss Jewett, in her "Country Doctor," based + her delightful description upon Dr. William G. Perry, her uncle. Living in + Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 103. John Adams. + </p> + <p> + Who his trimmed enough carriages to set all New Hampshire awheel, and who + still practises his trade in Exeter. + </p> + <p> + 104. Nell Towle: MBS. GEORGE W. HOOPER. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. As rosy, good-natured, and musically inclined as she was in the + good old days. + </p> + <p> + 105. William Perry Moulton. + </p> + <p> + A prosperous real-estate and insurance man, who unfortunately for his + peace of mind tried to raise Bartlett pears, Concord grapes, and Astrachan + apples in the neighborhood that was infested by "Plupy" and his + associates; who frequently tracked, chased, and caught them red-handed, + but who was too kind-hearted even then to deprive them of their ill-gotten + gains. + </p> + <p> + 106. "Chris" Staples. + </p> + <p> + Who remembers the fight with Charlie Clark. + </p> + <p> + 107. Charlie Clark. + </p> + <p> + Deceased. Just before he died he read the "Diary" and sent word to the + author that he remembered the scene in which he figured and much enjoyed + the book. + </p> + <p> + 108. Mr. Ashman. + </p> + <p> + A veteran band-leader of Boston. + </p> + <p> + 109. Frank Hervey. + </p> + <p> + A veteran restaurant-keeper in Exeter. New living in Concord, N. H. + </p> + <p> + 110. "Rashe Belnap": WILLIAM H. BELKNAP. + </p> + <p> + A retired banker and real-estate man of Exeter. Town clerk of Exeter for + twenty-five years. + </p> + <p> + 111. Henry Simpson. + </p> + <p> + Periodical dealer in the late sixties. Living in Maine. + </p> + <p> + 112. Luke Maniac. + </p> + <p> + Now living in Texas. As a boy he could curve a snowball round the corner, + like T. B. Aldrich's "Binny Wallace." + </p> + <p> + 113. "Bob Ridley": GEORGE ELLIOTT. + </p> + <p> + Exeter. A right good fellow. + </p> + <p> + 114. Sam Dyer. + </p> + <p> + A rather eccentric blacksmith. Died in the West. + </p> + <p> + 115. Horace Cobb. + </p> + <p> + A good-natured, short, and extremely fat man. A native of Exeter, and last + of a very prominent family. Died several years ago. + </p> + <p> + 116. Dennis Cokely. + </p> + <p> + Address not known. I have always felt badly "to think the fight was + throwed away, and neither of them licked." + </p> + <p> + 117. Johnnie Rogers. + </p> + <p> + A cousin of the Chadwicks. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 118. Cap. John W. Chadwick. + </p> + <p> + A retired sea-captain. Father of "Poz," "Boog," "Whack," and "Willie," + "Whack's little brother." A most cultivated gentleman, whose heart was + kind, but whose word was law. Deceased. + </p> + <p> + 119. "Zee" Smith: FRANK SMITH. + </p> + <p> + Deceased in Lowell. + </p> + <p> + 120. Miss Pratt. + </p> + <p> + A laundress much patronized by students. She accumulated much property by + practising the gentle art of polishing shirts. + </p> + <p> + 121. "Old Durgin": ME. EZRA DURGIN. + </p> + <p> + A rather quick-tempered but worthy policeman, contemporary with "Old + Swain" and "Old Kize." + </p> + <p> + 122. Various "stewdcats." + </p> + <p> + Who have played their parts and gone. + </p> + <p> + 123. "Plupy," "Skinny," "Polelegs": THE AUTHOR. + </p> + <p> + De minimis non curat lex. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's The Real Diary of a Real Boy, by Henry A. Shute + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE REAL DIARY OF A REAL BOY *** + +***** This file should be named 5111-h.htm or 5111-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/1/5111/ + +Produced by Kent Fielden, and David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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