Mar. 13. me and Beany is going to keep store in my shed. today we made the counter of 2 barils and a board and we made a lot of flyboxes and jacobs laders and tonite we made a lot of sweet firn cigars, and hayseed and mulen leaf and cornsilk. this afternoon we went out picking up bones in a baskit. most every yard had a lot of bones in it xcept where the fellers had been. we got most a buchel. we get half a cent a pound for them down to old Gechels store they make nife handels of them and perl buttons.
Mar. 14. Beany got mad today and says he wont keep store with me. we got our flyboxes all pined up and our boxes of cigars all ready and mother said she wood give me some molases for sweatened water. so we was all ready when Beany got mad about the sine. he wanted it to be Watson and Shute becaus he is older then me, but it was my shed and my sweatened water and my board and my barils and so i said my name shood come ferst and he got mad and took half of the things and went home. i dident let him have a bit of the sweatened water. Lucy Watson was mad two and woodent speek to Keene and Cele.
Mar. 15, 186- i opened my store today and nailed up my sine fancy goods and sweatened water H. Shute. Potter and Whack and Fatty and Boog and Puzzy and all the fellers come round and i sold lots of stuff. i charge 10 nails for a sweet firn cigar, 5 nails for a rattan or grape vine cigar and 3 nails for hayseed cornsilk and mullen leaf. 3 nails for white jacobs ladders and 5 for gilt, 10 nails for flyboxes made of writing book paper, and 15 and 20 nails for gilt and silver and red paper. 15 nails for snappers that will snap good, and 15 nails for a glass of sweatened water. i had a big trade and i cood see Beany out in frunt of his house looking over. bimeby he came over and i said hullo Beany come and have a drink and a cigar. so Beany he took a glass and drunk it and lit a cigar, a sweet firn one and said how is trade, and i said they is quite a little stiring, and he said have you got mutch stock and i said most sold out but they is plenty more where that come from and Beany he said dont you want to by my stuff and i said no i gess not. bimeby Beany he said less make up Plupy and i said i aint mad and Beany he said well let the old sine rip and so he went over and got his stuff and pinned it up and we had a good trade all the afternoon. tonite we made cigars and flyboxes and snappers. Beany is a prety good feller to have a store with only he smokes and drinks two mutch.
Mar. 16. Brite and fair. i saw a blewbird today. Beany come over erly and we had a good trade. Beany smoked so many sweet firn cigars and drank so mutch sweatened water that i told him he coodent be my pardner unless he smoked cheeper cigars and only drank 4 glasses a day. 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. that is enuf for enny man.
Mar. 17. Rany today. not mutch trade. Pewt and Nipper has got a store in Pewts shed. Tomtit says he has got beter things than we have and he got all the fellers to go up there. Tomtit was mad becaus we woodent take sheet iron for pay. you cant get ennything for sheet iron down to old Getchels and if we took it for pay enny feller cood go out and pick up a old stove pipe and buy out your store.
Mar. 18. brite and fair. no i mean it is clowdy. Beany is acting prety queer. he has been talking with Pewt, and last nite he promised to come over and make cigars and he dident come and Nipper said Beany was over to Pewts. today he was prety sassy and said he would drink all the sweatened water he wanted. he was away all the afternoon.
Mar. 19. Beany dident make up enny faces behind the organ today. after church i holered at him and he woodent look round. i bet he is going to keep store with Pewt. i dont care.
Mar. 20. Beany came over this morning and said he was going to be pardner with Pewt and he wanted his stuff and his half of the iron and nails. I told him he was a mean cuss and he said he woodent be pardner with a feller whitch woodent let him drink and smoke out of the store. he said Pewt wasent so mean as all that. so we divided the stuff and Beany wanted half of what nails and iron i had taken before we were pardners. he dident get it you bet, and he dident get enny sweatened water neether.
Mar. 21. brite and fair. Medo Thirsten came up today and wanted to buy my stuff and i sold it all to him. i am glad to get out of the store so i can go of with Potter and Chick Chickering. we went up to the Eddy today. we saw some blackbirds and some robins and 3 blewbirds, and got 2 last years nests. it is almost time for flying squerels. we saw a redder today.
Mar. 22. I saw Beany today and he run out his tung at me. all rite for you Beany.
Mar. 23. it raned and was auful windy today. i sold my iron and bones today to old Getchel for 42 cents. i took out 12 cents to treet the fellers and put 30 cents with my cornet money.
Mar. 24. it was warm today and fine. I saw some wild geese flying over today. it made me feel funny to hear them holler. me and Potter and Chick went out in the woods today with our bows and arrows and bilt a fire and fride some potatose.
Mar. 25. this is the last day of vacation. Beany and Pewt have had a auful row, Beany says Pewt sold all the iron and nails and kept most of the money. Pewt says Beany drank up more then the moneys wirth of sweatened water and smoked all the best cigars i am glad of it. i gess the next time Beany will know more.
Mar. 26. sunday. nothing to do but go to church and think of going to school tomorow. i wonder if i shall get a licking this tirm.
Mar. 27. i went to school today. they isent much fun now. it is two muddy to play ennything. so the fellers all have clappers and we clap all the time. Skinny Bruce is the best one. he has some bone clappers that jest ring. Fatty Gilman has got some made of black walnut.
Mar. 28. we plaid ball a little today. it is geting prety dry in the school yard now.
Mar. 29. it snowed a little today and then melted. they wasent enuf for snow balling. my hens has begun to lay.
Mar. 30. the top of my roosters comb whitch was frose last winter when i was sick has come of and his comb is all smooth and shiny and hasent got enny picks on it.
Mar. 31. brite and fair tomorow is april fool day. i am going to get one on Beany.
Apr. 1. today i had a good one to get on Beany. i rung the doorbell of our house and mother came to the door and i stood there laffin and she laffed and said i am glad to see you sir because i want you to fill the woodbox and get me 5 pails of water. gosh i dident think it was so funny. at school old Francis woodent let us play april fools on each other but in the afternoon i went over to get Beany to come with me to get a 4 foot yardstick down to Lyfords. i was going to get Beany to ask for it and then they wood lam him, becaus they isent enny 4 foot yardstick. i jest laffed to think of Beany getting licked. well when i asked Beany he said he wood go only his father wanted him to go down to old Kellogs harness shop to get a pint of strap oil to oil some harnes, and if i wood go with him ferst he would go with me. so i said yes and we went. jest before we got there Beany said you go in and ask for it, and i will wait becaus old Kellog dont like me very well. so i went in and old Kellog was sitting straddle of a seet with big wooden nippers on it and he was sowing on a harness and he said cross like what do you want and i said i want a pint of strap oil and he said o yes i have got some good strap oil and he got down and grabed me by the coller and took down a strap and licked me till i hollered. then he let me go and when i went out rubing my legs Beany was jest laffing fit to die and he said you thought you was prety smart old Plupy to get me to go down for a 4 foot yard stick dident you. and then he ran his tung out and run of down town. i will pay Beany for that.
Apr. 2. brite and fair. i went to church.
Apr. 3. Father is going to have a garden and i have got to dig it up. Father says he is going to help me but i know how it will be. he will dig about ten minits and then he will go over to see Beanys father. i dont see why it is that jest as soon as it is time for fishing father wants to make me wirk. Pewt cought 3 pirch today.
Apr. 4. Brite and fair. last nite we went diging up the garden. father began to dig and dug about a minit and then he stoped and went in the house to change his shues, and then he come out and took of his coat and then he dug a nother minit and then he went to the fence and talked with Sam Dire and then he took of his vest and took up his spade and then he said i was doing splendid and he wanted to see Wats a minit and he went over to see Beanys father jest as i said he wood and dident come back. well i dug until mother called me in to go to bed and i got about a pan full of wirms. tonite me and father are going to dig some more. my back is lame.
Apr. 5. Brite and fair. last nite father told me to cut the eyes out of a lot of potatose to plant. so this noon and after school me and Keene and Cele cut out the eyes of the potatose. we raced to see which wood beet, i had a sharp spoon handel, Keene a darning needle, and Cele a pen-nife. we had 3 cups to put the eyes in and when we got the eyes all dug out we counted the eyes. Cele had 176 Keene 158 and i had 143. jest as we got done father came home, so we showed him the eyes and i wish you cood see him. i woodent dare to wright what he said. if i talked like he did he wood have sent me to bed for a year. i gess he wood have licked us all but mother laffed and laffed and said we dident know enuf about farming. so we only got sent to bed.
Apr. 6. brite and fair. i hoped it wood rane today so we coodent dig. but it dident. if they had been a circus it wood have raned like time. last nite we dug some more. father started all rite but jest then he said he had got to go down town with mother. so i dug until Beany and Pewt came over and then we begun to plug peaces of dirt at Charly Dire and after a while somebody broke a window in Sam Dires house. Pewt said it was me and Beany said it was Pewt. father came home and sent me to bed. he give Sam Dire 25 cents for the window. ennyway Pewt broke it.
Apr. 7. brite and fair.
Apr. 8, 186- it raned today. i am glad of it.
Apr. 9. it raned today. i am glad of it. i went to church.
Apr. 10. tonite me and Beany and Whack finished diging all the rest of the garden. when father came home he went out and steped on a rake that was lying down with the sharp points up and ran it into his foot and he came limping into the house swaring auful, but he wasent much hurt and isent going to have enny garden. ennyway he left the rake there himself.
Apr. 11, 186- Brite and fair. father is going to have some geese. he went to Dal Gilmors and Dal said you cood keep geese for nothing becaus all they et was grass and father says he can raise geese on grass until October and then kill them and sell them and make lots of money. ennyway they was grass enuf becaus we want going to have enny garden since father steped on the rake. Dal Gilmor has got a old goose whitch is more then 30 years old. i bet he is tuf.
Apr. 12. Brite and fair. father came home tonite erly and we begun to make a geese pond. we took a baril and cut it in 2 and made 2 tubs. then we dug a hole in the garden and put in 1 tub and filled it with water. it made a buly pond. next saterday father is coming home erly and we are going to hampton falls to get sum geese eggs.
Apr. 13. Rany Franky fell out of bed last nite. father said it was my falt. the baby had the crupe. father says something is always the matter.
Apr. 14. clowdy but no rane. beany has got a dog, it is black and tan, not 2 dogs but jest 1. his name is Gip and he can fite.
Apr. 15. still clowdy. Frank Hanes has got a dog like Beanys. his name is Dime, i bet he can fite.
Apr. 16. brite and fair. i put some minnies in the geese pond today. it was after church and i got them yesterday. they wood have dide in the tin pail, so it wasent rong to put them in Sunday. tomorow we are going down to get the geese eggs.
Apr. 17. brite and fair. i am wrighting this in bed. it has been a prety tuf day i tell you. father coodent come home erly becaus he had to wirk, so he give me fifty cents and me and Beany went down to hampton falls after the geese eggs. well we got them and started home. we had Beanys fathers horse and we saw a old black horse by the side of the road and Beany said i wood like to plug him with a geese egg, i said praps they is a roten egg there. so we shook the eggs till by and by they was one whitch ratled. then Beany choze to plug him and he let ding at him and the egg hit him a paister rite in the side and broak and spatered him all over with yellow, and he kicked up and ran away before i cood get a nother egg. then we went on till we saw 2 cows and we shook the eggs again till we got 2 whitch ratled and when we went by we stood up in the wagon and let ding at the cows. i hit one rite in the frunt of her head and the yellow ran down over her nose and Beany hit the other in the side and then a man holered at us and we licked the horse and drove of lively. then we saw a cat sitting in a barn door and we both let ding at her but dident hit her and both eggs smached agenst the barn and the cat ran into the barn and a man came out with a tin pail in his hand and a little stool in the other and holered at us and we licked up the horse again. after that we dident plug enny more for they was only 7 eggs left and they only ratled a little. when we got home Beany let me out and i told father about the eggs being roten, he was prety mad and said i had aught to have shook them before i took them. he asked me what i did with the roten eggs and i said i threw them away and jest then Mister Watson Beanys father came over with Beany and 2 men and it was the same man whose horse we pluged with roten eggs, and the man who holered at us when we plugged the old cows. the man grabed me by the coller and told father i was the wirst boy in the town and if father dident lick me out of my skin he wood, and father said hold on there, they aint nobody going to lick my boy unless he licks me ferst, and he walked up to the man prety quick, and the man let go my coller and father said if they is any licking to be done i can do all that is necesary, and the man said we are going to have him arested, and father said what has he done and the man said these two boys have been throwing rocks at my horse and have cut a big gash in his side and he is all over blud, and the other man said we had been pluging rocks at his cows and had cut one on the head and one on the side well me and Beany said we only threw geese eggs at them and the blud was the runny part of the eggs and we crossed our throtes and hoped to die if it wasent so, and father said to the man did you xamine the gash and he said he was so mad when he see the horse that he hitched up the other horse and followed us and told his hired man to look after the horse and brogt the other man to. so father said to Beanys father to hich up his horse and we wood go down and see if we had lied to him and he said if i had lied to him he wood give me the wirst licking i ever had. well jest as we were going to get in the wagon the man whitch had the tin pail and the stool in his hand come driving up and said we had been pluging roten eggs at his barn and father said he wood be cussed if he ever saw such boys, and me and Beany said we dident mean to hit the barn but we pluged at the cat and dident hit her. then the other men told him about the horse and cows and he said it was only roten eggs and then they felt beter, and they said they was willing to let us of with a good licking, but father said he woodent lick me for ennybody else, but he wood pay them for their truble and they said they wood settle for fifty cents each and i had to pay it out of my cornet money. i only had one dollar and 30 cents but Aunt Sarah give me 20 cents. i beleive i had rather got a licking for it will take me 6 weaks to ern so much money and i wood have got over a licking as soon as i got to sleep. then father sent me to bed. i wonder if Beanys father licked him. i shall know tomorow.
Apr. 18. Brite and fair. Beany dident get licked.
Apr. 19. Brite and fair. i bet father cood have licked those 3 hampton falls men together easy.
Apr. 20. Brite and fair. i shall never get that cornet.
Apr. 21. i had some fun today. they wasent enny school today becaus old Francis had to go to a funeral or something. so i bilt a nest for my hens.
Apr. 22. Brite and fair. father aint going to have enny geese. tonite we got a old yellow hen of Sam Dire and set her on 7 eggs in the horse-stal, and then we had super. nothing hapened at super xcept that Keene got sent to bed for sticking out her tung at father when she thought he wasent looking but he was, becaus he woodent let her go over to see Lucy Watson Beanys sisters new hat. well after it was dark father said i forgot to pay Sam for his hen and he started rite acros the garden to go over to Sam Diars and it was dark and i herd a auful splash and thumping round and feerful swaring and i knew father was in the geese pond. i woodent dass to wright down what he said, if i had said what he did he wood have sent me to bed for a year. well he came limping home and swaring into the house and he made me get a lanten and we went out to the barn and he took the old hen by her hind legs and swung her round jest as we fellers do when we plug apples on a stick and pluged her way over in Sam Diars yard and then he took the eggs and pluged them as far as he cood and told me to fill up the pond tomorow or he wood lick me. then we went in and mother and aunt Sarah nearly killed themselves laffin and father said i spose you wood laff if i killed myself and when i went up to bed i laffed easy and Keene and Cele were laffing under the bed close. bimeby i herd father laffin and then we all laffed loud. jest think i had to pay a dollar and a half of my cornet money for pluging 5 eggs and father pluged 7 eggs and a old hen and dident have to pay ennything, ennyway it was fun to see him.
Apr. 23. Brite and fair. i filled up the geese pond. it was sunday but it was after dark.
Apr. 24. Brite and fair. when father came home i told him i had filled up the geese pond and he asked me where the tub was and when i said i had filled it up he said i was a loonatic and dident know enuf to go in when it raned. so he made me dig out the tub and fill in the hole. i tell you i have to wirk prety hard.
Apr. 25. Brite and fair. today old man Thirsten Medos father came to the house and told mother someone had pluged roten eggs at his barn. mother dident know what to say for a minit for she dident want to tell about fathers falling into the geese pond, so she said she was very sure i hadent done it but she wood speak to father about it, so when father got home old man Thirsten came up to the house and said George that cussid boy of yours has been pluging roten eggs at my barn and father said this time Kimball, his name is Kimball, he dident do it for he was with me all the evening til he went to bed. so father and old man Thirsten went down to see the barn and it was all spatered with yellow. then old man Thirsten said he wood give a dolar to know who the scowndril was whitch pluged those eggs, and father said i wish you cood Kimball, it is a outrage, and father looked auful funny, jest as he did when he scart old Ike Shute that time on the high school steps. when we went home father kept laffing, and when he told mother she said it was a shame and he aught to make it rite with him, and so father bought a sawhoss of him, he sells sawhosses, and i have got to use it. somehow i always get the wirst of it.
Apr. 26, 186- it raned like time last nite but it was brite and fair when i got up. what do you think, me and Beany are going to by a horse of old Nat Mason. he lives down Stratam road and he has a old troter that can go like time.
Apr. 27. brite and fair. me and Beany saw old Nat today. we aint got enny chink. if i hadent paid that money to those hampton falls men for pluging roten eggs at there cows i should have sum. all i can rase is thirty five cents and Beany can rase fifteen cents. Fatty Gilman most always has lots of chink.
Apr. 28. me and Beany saw Fatty today. he wants to go in with us becaus he says his folks want to use old Chub so mutch that he dont get enny chance to use him. but Fatty he hasent got enny chink eether. enny way we are going to see old Nat tomorrow and peraps he will let us have it on tick.
Apr. 29. brite and fair. today was saterday and this afternoon me and Beany and Fatty went down to see old Nat. he was in a old house smoking a old pipe made out of a corn cob. so Fatty he asked him to show us his old plug, only Fatty dident say old plug but said Mister Mason can we see your troting horse, and old Nat he got up and went to a little barn and opened the door and holered get up lady Clara and she tride to get up and coodent, and old Nat swoar and kicked her and then she coodent get up, and then he clim over her and puled her head up into the rack and then he took a stick and hit her sum more and swoar sum more and then she got up. then Beany he asked old Nat what made her not get up and he said that troting horses most never laid down more than once or twict a weak and sum of the best troters never laid down. he said Dexter and Flora Tempel never was knowed to lay down. then Fatty asked him to let us see her trot and he hiched her into a buggy and we set on the fence and old Nat he drove of most walking. bimeby we herd the old wagon ratling and old Nat he came down the street just fluking. I never saw a horse go so fast. i tell you old Nat he had to pull to stop her. she breethed prety hard and jerky, but Nat he said it was hickups becaus she had et too mutch. Fatty he asked how old she was and old Nat he said she was bout 12 but that she wood be good til she was 30. Then we asked how mutch he wood sell her for and he said he wanted 5 dolers for her but he wood let us have her for 2 dolars and fifty cents and we could have the wagon for 2 dolars and fifty cents two, and he wood throw in the harnes. but we dident have the money and so we tride to swap and bimeby he said if i wood give him my gun and Fatty wood give him his silver pensil case and Beany give him his 6 bladed nife he wood trust us for a month. so we give him the things and he give us the horse. only we coodent take her then becaus we have got to find a place to keep her. none of us dass to tell our folks about it. we woodent let Fatty know about it if we hadent suposed he had plenty of chink.
Apr. 30. brite and fair. after church today we went round to see if we cood get a place to keep our horse. we asked Noot Crumet but Noot he said he dident have enny place to put her unles he give her his room and he told us to go to Bucher Haly and see if we coodent get a chanse to put her in his smoke house for we cood keep her longer there than enny where else and so we went to him and he chased us out of his yard. then we went to Charles Flanders but he dident have but one room and his shed wasent big enuf to keep a gote, and then we went over to old Jethrow Simpsons and Jethrow he said if we wood help him haul wood enuf to fill his shed we cood keep her in his barn as long as we wanted to and have enuf hay two.
May 1. it was may day today and we dident have enny school. so me and Beany went up to Fattys and got him and we went down to old Nats. We wood have run all the way only Fatty got tukered out. When we got there old Nat made us promise to give him a hat or a pair of old boots becaus he kept lady Clara over Sunday. Fatty he said they was lots of old hats at home and so we went way back and got a old tall bever hat and then old Nat hiched up lady Clara and we piled in. Fatty he drove ferst becaus he said we coodent have got her unless he had got the old tall bever. so Fatty he drove up as fur as ass brook and then Beany he drove as fur as the old brick meeting house and then i drove as fur as the hall place where Jethrow lives. we all had to stand up when we drove becaus the ranes is two short. when we got there old Jethrow was there and he had a dingel cart and we hiched lady Clara into it and went up to Jady Hill for sum wood. we wirked till 12 oh clock and then we run home to dinner and run back agen. i took all the meal i had for my hens most 2 quarts and i fed her. it is Fattys tirn next to get meal for her. then we wirked til six oh clock and we were allmost ded we were so tired. well when we asked old Jethrow whitch stal we shood put her in he told us to take our old plug and get out or he wood lick us. jest think of that. well we dident know what to do. so we waited til most dark and then Beany said we had beter go to the next house becaus they was a big shed there. so i said i wood ring if Fatty wood ask and so i rung the bell and a woman came to the door and Fatty told her all about it and she said old Jethrow was a meen old skin flint and we cood put our horse in her shed and cood keep her their as long as we wanted to. so she give us a lantern and we went out and they was a buly place and we made a stal with 2 boards and put a lot of saw dust under her and give her a pale of water only we dident have enny hay. well bimeby Beany said that he cood see the hay sticking out of the cracks in old Jethrows barn, and we went over and looked and we cood see plenty of hay there. so Fatty he said we had ernt that hay and we aught to have it, and Beany said so two, and Fatty said he woodent steal ennything but this hay was ours and we had ernt it. so Fatty and Beany puled out a board and held it open while i puled out enuf hay and then we fed lady Clara and went home. ennyway the hay was ours and it wasent stealing to take it.
May 2. brite and fair. this morning i got up erly and went over to the barn. Beany he was there and Fatty he came after i had got there. lady Clara was laying down and woodent get up. i gess she was prety tired. so we fed her and Fatty brogt some otes. so we curred her down as far as we cood reech and brushed her and then we went home. at brekfast mother asked me what made me smel so barny and i said i had been helping Fatty curry his horse. at noon we fed her agen and tonite we got her up and curred her other side. we dident drive her today.
May 3. rany as time. we cant drive lady Clara today. we curred her 2 times.
May 4. tonite we drove lady Clara. We went down Newmarket road. we took tirns driving. one of the wheals come of and we had to get out and walk home holding on the wheal.
May 5. Ed Adams give us a nut and we fixed the wheal. we had a ride tonite. i tell you lady Clara can go. we beat Gim Lovering tonite. he dident know who we was becaus it was two dark but we knowed him. we beat him and then we waited for him to come up and then we beat him agen. we did that 3 times, and Gim he was mad.
May 6. my hens dont lay enny now. i gess i dont give them enuf to eat. it is prety hard to keep a horse and hens two. we dident drive tonite becaus it raned. it was brite and fair yesterday.
May 7. today was sunday and we coodent drive lady Clara. tomorrow nite we are going to lay for old man Churchil with his troter. i bet we can beat him.
May 8. i have missed in my lesons most every day, and so has Fatty and Beany. today i swaped a hen for a buchel of meal for lady Clara. we drove her tonite but we dident find ennyone to race.
May 9. brite and fair. if Beany dont shell out more meal he wont drive lady Clara agen.
May 10. Beany got a peck of meal today at old Si Smiths. he charged it to his father.
May 11. we had a buly ride tonite we raced 4 fellers and beat them.
May 12. brite and fair. tonite we coodent get lady Clara up. we are going to try agen tomorrow and drive her in the day time.
May 13. rany agen. we got lady Clara up this morning. Beany and Fatty pulled in front and i licked behind. this afternoon one of our wheals broak down. Ed Adams give us a nother wheal. it went on all rite only it isent as big as the other wheals and it makes the wagon go one sided a little. we had a good ride today. we have to be pretty careful in tirning around a corner becaus the wagon is one sided.
May 14. today was sunday. father told me if i smelt so of the barn he woodent let me go up to Fattys agen. i bet he wood be mad if he knowed i oned a horse.
May 15. there was a fite in school today. i dont care mutch about fites now. i had ruther race horses. tonite we raced with a big white horse and beat him esy. we all had to pull on the ranes to stop lady Clara.
May 16. brite and fair. Beany is behind 5 feeds and me and Fatty had to make it up. last nite lady Clara lost a shue. so this morning before school we walked every where we drove last nite and Beany found the shue way down to long meter Dows on Hamton road. Beany he said if we wood call it square about the feeds he wood get Gim Elerson to nale on the shue. so we did and Beany got Gim to nale on the shue. Beany he raked up Gims front yard to pay him. Beany is a prety good feller. Fatty had company to his house and we dident go to ride tonite. it was two bad.
May 17. rany as time. we coodent go to ride today. it always ranes jest when a feller wants to do some thing.
May 18. it raned all yesterday and last nite and today. i bet it will rane a week. we are having prety tuf luck.
May 19. at last it has stoped raning. i thaught i never shood wright brite and fair agen. we had a buly ride tonite after we had tide up the bridle with sum rope. lady Clara fell down and we had to unharnes her and get her up. she broak the bridle and skined her gnees and we put on sum wheal greese. Beany was standing up driving when she fell down and it draged him rite over the dasher and on top of lady Clara. tomorow they is going to be a ministers meeting in the upper church and there aint enny school tomorow. so we are going to drive all day. after school we washed the harness and got a load of sawdust at the hub mill, and curred lady Clara. we have got most all the hay we can reech. when we cant reech enny more i dont know where we can get enny more unless Fatty can get sum.
May 21. Brite and fair. i had a feerful day yesterday. i feel so bad i cant hardly wright ennything. but i will try to wright it all down. in the morning me and Beany and Fatty we hiched up lady Clara and drove round town. sum of the fellers holered at us but we dident care. they was lots of ministers in town. they was mostly long tailers with white necktis. so in the afternoon we hiched up agen and drove up to the depot. old woodbridge Odlin was there wating for the 2 oh clock trane. he had a baruch with a driver and his new span of black horses with cliped tails. and he had on his long tailed black coat and a shiny bever hat. well we dident wate for the trane but we drove through Winter street and out to Front street. when we came to Lincoln street old Woodbridge Odlin came along with his baruch filled with old ministers with bever hats and specks and white necktis, and the driver hit the horses and away they went lickity larup. well Beany he was driving and he leened over and hit lady Clara a paist with the whip and she went after them like chane litening, and we all began to yell and the black horses went faster. well they was 2 rods ahead and when we got to Whackers house we was most up to there hind wheel, and when we got to doctor Gorams office we was jest even. the old ministers was bouncing around and holding on to the sides, and old Woodbridge had lost his hat and was standing up yelling sumthing at the driver, and his whiskers were blowing way behind him. it makes me most die to think of him but i dont feel mutch like laffin. well when we got to Elliott street we were ahead of them and then the driver began to pull up his horses becaus all the people was yelling and waving there hats like time. well lady Clara was breething so she sounded like a big sawmill saw, and when we tride to stop her she woodent stop so we all tride together but we coodent pull her in a mite she had her tail sticking rite up in the air and the more we pulled the faster she went, when we went thru the square Fatty holered to run her over string brige and up factory hill so we cood stop her, and we pulled as hard as we cood but when she came to the corner she tirned around into Water street and over went the wagon and we came out jest fluking. well we want hurt mutch and we run after her as fast as we cood. we found pieces of the wagon and harnes all over the street and when we got to the barn she was there all rite. lots of people came to see about it, but when they found that nobody was hurt they went away. they wasent ennything of the harnes left but the bridle and the wagon was everywhere along the street. Well when father came home somebody had told him about it and he made me tell him all about it, where we got her and how we fed her and everything, and when i told him about the hay i thought he was going to lick time out of me he was so mad, and he said he never knowed i cood steal, and i said i only hooked it and he said what is the diference and i said stealing is taking sumthing that you know belongs to sumbody else, and hooking is taking sumthing that belongs to you and sumbody else wont let you have. i suposed everybody knowed that. well he dident lick me, but after super he got mister Watson, Beanys father and we all went over to see lady Clara and what do you think, when we got there she was ded. i gess she had broak something inside of her. i tell you me and Beany felt prety bad and Fatty did when we told him. well then father and mister Watson Beanys father told us to go home and go to bed and so we went. so tonite i herd father telling mother about it and he said he give old Jethrow a dresing down that wood tech him not to cheet a boy agen. he said if Jethrow hadent been a old man he wood have nocked his head of.
May 22. brite and fair. i shal never own a horse agen.
May 23, 186- brite and fair. my hens are laying buly now. i gess they dident have very good cair when me and Beany and Fatty was keeping Lady Clara. i tell you a feller witch keeps a horse cant pay mutch atention to ennything else.
May 24. brite and fair. tonite me and father went down to old man Collins. he wants to sell father his cow. he says she gives 20 quats of milk a day. father says the milk we get of the milk man is all chork and water.
May 25. rany as time. father ofered 30 dolars for old man Collins cow. he wants 35 dolars. she has got auful long horns. old man Collins said she had auful big milk vanes. father said they was varrycose vanes and she want wirth 30 dolars but he wood give it to help out a old man. old man Collins he said if she kep on giving milk the way she was a giving it they wood have to milk her in a tub. then father he said he gessed she give so mutch milk that it want good for ennything and old man Collins he said you cood take the creem up by one corner and lift it out like a old pair of linen britches. they dident trade tonite.
May 26. brite and fair. tonite me and father went down to old man Collins agen. father said he was going to trade for that cow only i must shet up and not say ennything. he said you jest wach me and you will lern sumthing about trading. so i wached him. well we went down and father said well mister Collins how do you feel about trading tonite. and old man Collins he said, i gess you are two late George fer i have sold her to a man in Hamton Falls. and father said what did you get for her and old man Collins he said i told him he cood have her for 35 dolars and he ofered me 33 dolars and 50 cents and i said the first man whitch ofers me 35 dolars gets her, and i gess he will be up tomorow morning. then father he said have you made the trade and old man Collins he said he hadent made enny trade but he had kind of let the man understand he cood have her for 35 dolars. then father he said he wood give 35 dolars and old man Collins he said he dident know about selling her xcept to the Hamton Falls man but if father wood give him 37 dolars he cood give the Hamton Falls man 2 dolars if he came up and was disapointed. so father he give old man Collins 37 dolars and we got a roap and tide it round her horns and led her home. when we got home we tried to get her in the barn, father he went ahead and she folowed him in and all of a suddin she backed out lively and father came out jest fluking, holding on to the roap and taking feerful long stradles. he looked so mad that i dident dass to laff. well father held on like a good feller and bimeby she stoped. then father said so so and held out sum meal in a pail and got her in the barn and tide her to a post. then he give her sum hay and we went in and he told mother she had beter make sum araingments to sell sum milk for we was going to have 20 quats every day. then mother she said if the cow gives milk like my hens lade egs they woodent be mutch milk to sell, and father said you jest wait til morning. then we went down to old Gechels store and father he bougt the bigest milk pail he cood find.
May 27. brite and fair. this morning me and father got up erly and we went out to feed the cow and i piched down the hay and father he set down and begun to milk her, he brougt out the big pail and a little one to use after he had filled the big one. well the ferst thing he did was to aim a streem rite in my eye. then he milked in the pail and it made a funy sound, well he kep milking and bimeby it stoped coming, and he squeazed away as hard as he cood and he coodent get a drop and bimeby he give up and said he gessed it was becaus she was in a new place and was loansum. when we went into the house and straned it thrugh a siv they wasent quite 2 quats. mother she laffed and asked what he had done with the other 8 quats and father he said you wait til tonite. then he et his brekfast and went to boston and i et mine and drove the old cow to pasture. i found a robins nest in a pine tree and took one eg. it is all rite to take one becaus the old bird cant count.
May 28, 186- brite and fair. last nite after super father milked the old cow again. he only got 2 quats and a half. he was prety mad and he said he wood get even with old man Collins sum day. tonite he met old man Collins and he asked father if she milked esy and father said yes and he asked father how mutch she give and father said she give more than he wanted. that want a lie for father dont like milk. i bet father will get even with him sum day. nothing else today but church.
May 29. brite and fair. i have to go to pasture 2 times every day. i like to go in the woods but i dont like to have to go. today i found a nest in the barn with 15 hens egs. i gess mother wont say mutch about my hens now.
May 30. Rany. Beany has gone to Bideford to see Tom Cleves. i hope Tom will come with him when Beany comes home. i went up to Whacker Chadwicks tonite. Beany has been sick he et two mutch pork.
May 31. today it was hot and we had a thunder shower. it raned when i was driving the old cow from pasture and i made her run from old Nat Gordons way home. Sam Dire said she wood give bludy milk, so when father milked her i wached and it want a bit red. so i gess she is all rite.
June 1. brite and fair. today we had a great time at brekfast. father was home becaus sumtimes he gets tired. we had boiled egs for brekfast and mother she boiled the egs i found in the nest. well we set down to the table and father he helped us to egs and bisket and he took up a eg and held it over his glass and hit it a paist with his spoon and it went off jest like a pop pistol and father he said thunder Joey the infernal thing is roten and we all held our nose and ran away from the table and you never smelt such a auful smel. well mother she made me take the egs all out behine the barn and throw them away and i did and when i got there i had sum fun pluging them at J. Albert Clarks big apple tree and i hit it most every time and every time i hit it the eg popped like a pistol. then i went in to brekfast and mother was burning some coffy in a duspan to take away the smel of the roten eg. well while we was eating brekfast J. Albert Clark he came in and said i had beter come out and clean of his apple tree and burn a rag and father made me take a pail of hot water and clean it of. J. Albert needent have been so fusy for it wood have all dride in a little while.
June 2. brite and fair. i wish that old cow was ded. Beany hasent got back yet.
June 3. brite and fair. i am in bed. i aint sick only i havent got enny close to wair. tonite after father had milked the old cow i thougt i wood try it. so i got a tin diper and went out and set down and began to squeaze and she kicked me rite thrugh the barn door and rite into the manure pile. when i got up i was all covered and Aunt Clark was in her back garden and she saw me and asked me if i was hurt and i said i wasent and she said for mersy sakes dont come near me but go round to the pump. well i went round to the pump and mother and Aunt Sarah and Aunt Clark pumped on me and threw pails of water on me and scraped me with peaces of shingle, and when they had got me prety clean mother made me go in the barn and take of my close and then she put me in a tub in the kichen and washed me in warm water and soped my head and then sent me to bed. i have got to wair my best close tomorow and i cant go out of the yard. i wish that old cow was ded. father said it sirved me jest rite.
June 4. Brite and fair. Beany has got back. tonite he came over and told me about the fun he had at Bideford. we was going to ring doorbells tonite but i had to stay in the yard and it was sunday two.
June 5. Brite and fair. today Scotty Brigam let me take his bugle and i lerned to make 2 notes. my mouth was all sweled up and my face aked. it aint so esy as a tin whissle but i can make more noise on it. i gess i shall never get that cornet.
June 6, 186- i have to pay all the money i can ern to get corn for my hens.
June 7. Brite and fair in the morning and clowdy but no rane in the afternoon. tonite me and Beany rung doorbells. we dident get cougt but we came prety near it.
June 8. Rany. Tonite the old cow kicked father and nocked him rite of the stool and spilt about a quat of milk all over him. buly. i wanted to tell him it sirved him rite but i dident dass to.
June 9. Clowdy but no rane. father has sold the old cow to Eben Garland the bucher. buly. Aunt Sarah asked mother what she gessed he wood have next and mother she said she gessed he wood by a gristly bear for he had bougt most everything but that. he says he gesses he will have sum sheap for they cant bite or kick and dont eat mutch.
June 10. brite and fair. the baby had the croop last nite. the minit he coffed croopy father and mother jumped out of bed and father he fell over a chair and that waked us all up. then he tride to lite a lamp and he coodent find the maches and he swoar round feerful. well mother she lit the lamp and they all went tearing round and they got sum hot water and made the baby eat some eg and sugar and put hot close on his neck and prety soon he was all rite. then they give me the rest of the eg and sugar. then we all went to bed and i lay and laffed to think of father tumbling over the chair and swaring. Ennyway the baby is all rite.
June 11. i hate to go to church. we have all got to be vaxinated. sum peeple in the next town have got the small pocks. Beany has been and Pewt two. Beany says the doctor takes a nife and cuts a hole in your arm and then puts on a big scab whitch has come of somebodys arm whitch has been vaxinated, and that stops the blud. but he says that if the scab dont fit you bleed to deth. so i asked father about it tonite and he said that Beany lied about it, but he says if you are vaxinated with the scab of a redheaded person your hair will turn red, and if he has warts or frekles you will have warts two and frekles. father said once when he was a boy he knew a feller whitch was vaxinated with a scab of a cock-eyed man and bimeby the feller began to squint and he kep on squinting wirse and wirse and bimeby he was cock-eyed two. and father he said he knew another feller whitch had a wooden leg and he sent his scab to another feller to be vaxinated and that feller began to limp and he always walked stifleged. i gess father was fooling. ennyway i hope i shant be vaxinated with Skinny Bruces scab, becaus he is redheaded. father he said he was going to get a scab of Horis Cobb for me and perhaps i wood have a little fat on me and not be so spindel shanked. i wish i cood get a scab of Gim Erly or Tady Finton and i cood lick time out of Pewt.
June 12. brite and fair. Beany has a auful sore arm. he dont dass to rassle or fite or do ennything.
June 13. brite and fair. Pewt has got one two. tomorrow nite the doctor is coming.
June 15. brite and fair. last nite after super the doctor come and he went into the parlor and father and mother and Cele and Keene and me and Georgie and Annie and Frank and the baby was all in the setting room. well ferst father went in and he was only in there a few minits and he dident holler enny and then he come out laffing, and i asked him whose scab he had and he said he dident know but it must have been from sum minister becaus he had been thanking the lord it was all over. then mother she went in and father told her he had got the scab of old Mike Casey for her. mother is english and she dont like the irish and father said it to plage her. well she went in and then Aunt Sarah went in and Keene and Cele and they dident holler eether. then my tern came and i went in and it dident hurt a bit only sort of smarted tickly like. i asked the doctor whose scab i had and he said Bruce Brigams. buly. Bruce Brigam is the best cornet player in town. i bet i can play like time if i ever get a cornet. then the rest of them went in and none of them hollered xcept the baby and he always hollers when ennything is the matter. father told Cele that he got old Nigger Tashs scab for her and he gessed she wood begin to turn prety dark culored before a week or 2. Aunt Sarah told Cele he was fooling.
June 16, 186- Brite and fair. my arm is all rite.
June 17. Rany and thunderry. my arm begins to ich a little only i cant scrach it.
June 18. still rany. all our arms begin to ich. Annies arm is the wirst. we dident go to church today. That is one good thing. I never knew it to rane before on sunday.
June 19. brite and fair. every one of us is cross as time. i took hold of Georgies arm today and she began to ball and said i did it purpose. i keep hiting my arm agenst things all the time. somehow i never hit the well one. that is always the way with things.
June 20. brite and fair. father is cross two. last nite he grabed me by the arm to shake me and it hurt so i hollered like time, and then he let me go and said he forgot about my arm.
June 21. brite and fair. Annie is in bed sick with her arm. She always has things the wirst xcept mother, only mother says she hasent enny time to be sick.
June 22. brite and fair. my arm is still auful sore and the wirst of it is becaus i cant go in swimming.
June 23. Brite and fair. All our arms is better. John Johnson who rings the town bell has gone away for a week and Beanys father is going to ring it. He has to ring it at 7 oh clock in the morning and at 1 oh clock in the afternoon and at 9 oh clock in the nite except Saturday nites when they ring it at 8 oh clock so that peeple can get there baths before bedtime. Me and Beany are going to lern to ring it.
June 24. Rany. me and Beany went up to the church today to see Beanys father ring the town bell, he let us pull it a little, it is prety esy. then we went up at 1 oh clock and at 9 oh clock.
June 25. Rany again. most of our scabs has come of. i dident go up to see Mister Watson ring the bell this morning becaus i dident get up in time, it was sunday. Beany he dident neether, but we did tonite. Beany can ring it prety well.
June 26. Brite and fair. jest think, Beanys father is going to Portsmuth tomorrow and Beany is going to ring the bell and he is going to let me help him. Beany is a prety good feller. mother sent of the scabs today to peeple whitch wanted them. nobody wanted mine. father said it was becaus i was such a tuf feller.
June 27. Brite and fair. gosh if we dident have a auful time today. in the morning me and Beany went up to the church and rung the bell, we had a good time and rung it jest so many rings jest as mister Watson, Beanys father told us to, then me and Beany both got kep after school, and when we got out we asked Noot Crummet what time it was and he said it was jest 1 oh clock and that the town bell had jest struck and then me and Beany jest put for the church as tite as we cood hiper, and we was prety near tuckered out when we got there and we both grabed hold of the roap and begun to ring the bell. well we only rung it a few times before we herd sumone holler fire, and then more peeple begun to holler and we looked out and we saw Charles Fifield and Charly Batcheldor and Chick Randall and Jimmy Josie jest putting it for the ingine house, and Beany said buly they is a fire, and we begun to ring the bell as hard as we cood and holler fire. then the Methydist bell begun to ring and then the upper house bell, and Charles Tolls horses came galoping down to the fountain ingine house with Mat Sleeper driving. And Mager Blakes horses went by jest lickety larup for the Torrent ingine house with old Brown driving, and then Flunk Ham came piling into the church and said, give me that roap and he puled like time, then sum peeple came runing in and said where is the fire, and Flunk he said we dident know, and then we herd the ingine and went out and they was the Torrent and the fountain and lots of men, and they said where in hel is the fire and nobody knowed where it was. and then Chick Randall he asked Flunk what he was ringing the bell for and Flunk he said he found me and Beany ringing it. then they asked us what we was ringing it for and we said we was ringing it for Mister Watson Beanys father, because he was going to ring it for Mister Johnson, and he had to go to Portsmuth and so he told Beany to ring it, and then old Brown he said us was fools and asked us if we dident know enuf to tell time and he said it was only 20 minits past 12 oh clock when the bell begun to ring, and some of the peeple was mad and said we had aught to be arested, and then we said that Noot Crummet told us it was 1 oh clock and then sum of them begun to laff and said it was a good one. Ennyway me and Beany run home as quick as we cood and the peeple went of two. well tonite father said if he had got into so many scrapes when he was a boy as me and Beany did he wood have been in jale. and Aunt Sarah laffed and said she gessed she cood tell a few things if she wanted to and father he said he cood two but he gessed he woodent. Ennyway he said Gim Melcher and Charles Talor led him into a good many scrapes and Aunt Sarah she said she gessed me and Beany and Pewt want a sercumstance to father and Gim Melcher and Charles Talor.
June 28. brite and fair. it is most fourth of July again. they is going to be a band concert on the square. i shant have as mutch money as last year. ennyway i bet i will have a good time. i went in swiming 4 times today. i coodent go in while my arm was sore. Annie is most well but cross as time.
June 29. brite and fair. i went in swiming 5 times today. tomorow me and Pewt is going pikerilling. Pewt is a good feller to fish. fourth of July is coming next week.
June 30. today me and Pewt went fishing. We got Charles Flanders little blew bote. it is the esiest bote to row i ever rowd. Pewt cougt 4 pikeril and 5 kivies and 3 pirch. i cougt 2 pikeril and 2 kivies and 4 pirch and 1 sucker. we cougt sum minnies and shiners for bate but we dident call them ennything. we div of the bank at the eddy, once Pewt sliped and come down all guts, it nocked the wind all out of him.
July 1. brite and fair. today is the first day of July, and we had my fish fride for brekfast.
July 2. brite and fair. i bougt 5 bunches of snapcrackers and 2 bunches of canon crackers and sum slow mach and put them in a box in my room. tomorow is the nite before fourth. Pewt is going to have a pistol and Beany a canon. father he says if he hears of me fooling with a gun he will lick me and send me to bed for a week. ennyway he dident say ennything about a pistol or a canon.
July 3. gosh i was scart today. this morning i went up to my room to look at my snap crackers. i got the box on the floor and was counting them when i looked out of the window. i saw old Miss Hartnett hanging out sum close on the line, i thougt i cood make her gump and i wanted to try jest one canon cracker to see if they was good ones. well i lit one and pluged it down behind her, and jest as she was reaching up with her mouth full of close pins it went of bang, and she hollered love of God and went rite over backwards. i thougt i shood die and jest then one went of bang rite in the room and then they all begun to go of bang bang bang and i grabed the box up and pluged it out of the window and mother came up jest hipering and the room was full of smoke and i was stamping out the burning paper. well when i got it out she was prety mad with me and made me clean the room and wash the floor and windows. ferst i went out and picked up my snapcrackers. they were all rite but all the canon crackers but 2 had went of. Mother she asked me how they got afire and i said i was fooling with them and they got on fire and i had to plug them out of the window. then she said that was what fritened Miss Hartnett so and i said was she fritened and she said she was so fritened that she fell over backwards and i said is that so. mother dont know i did it on purpose whitch is prety good luck for me, so she only made me keep my snapcrackers in the yard. so i put them in a hole in the apple tree. gosh, you aught to hear Miss Hartnett tell about it.
July 7, 186- brite and fair. i have been in bed 3 days. on the fourth i got bloan up with Pewts canon. i had fired all my snapcrackers but 2 bunches whitch i had saved for nite, so me and Pewt we was fixing the canon, ferst we wood put in sum powder and then we wood put in sum wet paper for a wod and then we wood put in sum grass and then put in the ramrod and pound it down with a rock. then we wood put a fuze of a snap cracker in the tuch hole and lite it and put for the other side of the street and it wood make an auful bang and tern 2 or 3 sumersets. Well we had lots of fun and bimeby i was poaring out sum powder out of the powder horn and all of a suddin they was a flash of litening and the next i knew i was in bed and father and mother and Cele and Keene and docter Perry and aunt Sarah and aunt Clark and Georgie was in the room, and i said what is the matter and mother began to laff and then to cry and Docter Perry he said you had better take her out and let her lie down, but mother she said she wood be all rite and docter he said you needent wurry Missis Shute, you coodent kill this boy with brik. well my eyes smarted and i felt like the room was spinning round but it dident hurt enny. well that nite i coodent go to the band concert but they pushed my bed up to the window and i cood hear it prety good. the next day i had sum buly gelly and oranges and Cele and Keene read to me and in the afternoon Beany came in to see me. Beany he burnt his hand on the fourth and Pewt he burnt of one eyebrow and so we all had a prety good fourth. Yesterday Boog and Puzzy came down and fit for me until mother came up. i am all rite now and tomorow i can go in swiming. it was the babys berthday today. he was just 1 year old. he is a auful fat little baby, when i was sick mother wood let him sit on the bed.
July 8. brite and fair. i went in swimming today. the water was jest as warm as if it came out of the kittle. next monday i am going bull froging with Cawcaw Harding.
July 9. brite and fair, nothing today but church.
July 10. me and Cawcaw had a prety good time today. we cougt 3 dozen bull frogs legs. we got sum old busters. it is auful funny to catch them. they will bite a bare hook, so we swing the hook by them and they gump for it and then they kick and almost tern rong side out trying to get of of the hook. then we grab them by the legs and whak their heads over the side of the bote and their inside comes out and sumtimes lots of hard water snales comes ratling out and sumtimes they has fishes and sumtimes other bull frogs or stripers. then we cut of there legs. me and Cawcaw always kill them ferst. sum fellers cut of there legs ferst, that is prety cruil i think. Cawcaw he thinks so two.
July 11. brite and fair. today i went in swiming up to sandy bottum. Whack and Boog and Puzzy were there and got to pluging green apples. Whack got behind a tree and jest as he peeked out Boog pluged a hard one and took Whack rite in the mouth. then Whack got mad and said he cood lick Boog and Puzzy together, so Boog and Puzzy piched in and had a good fite and punched time out of Whack. While i was waching them fite, sumbody tide gnots in my shert sleavs so tite that i coodent get them out so i had to go home without my shert on. it was prety lucky i had my jaket on.
July 12. Today i went up to Whacks and we et sum green currents with shugar on them and then et sum green apples and then we went in swimming down to sandy bottum. i dont feel very well tonite, i have got a bely ake.
July 13. i have been sick all day, mother made me take a big spoon full of caster oil.
July 14. i am beter today, it raned all day and tonite they was a thunder shower, it struck a tree in Gilman field.
July 15. i went up to Whacks agen today. i dident eat enny green apples or green currents you bet. Whack and Boog and Puzzy did and they give little Willie sum. they never have the bely ake. i never see such fellers.
July 16. i have got a velosipede, it ways 90 pounds. i have got so i can ride it down hill, last nite i was riding it up by Gim Odlins and it ran rite into a tree and i came of rite over it and scrached my hands and nocked the skin of my gnees. today was sunday and i coodent ride it but i set on it.
July 17. Hot as time today. Docter Gerrish and Docter Perry and J. Albert Clark have all got buly velossipedes, they have spring backs but mine is solid iron back and when i go over a bump or a stone it most ratles my teeth out. Beany he can ride two, but Pewt cant.
July 18. feerful hot.
July 19, 186- we fellers is going to have a swiming mach. they is going to be prises for the feller whitch can dive the best and for the feller whitch can swim the fastest and for the feller whitch can swim the furtherest under water and for the feller whitch can flote the best without wigling his arms and legs. i bet i will beat sum of the fellers. most of the fellers can beat me rassling or nocking of hats or running or gumping but i bet i will show them sumthing when we come to race in swiming. i practised today diving until my head aked feerful.
July 20. the race is to be next Wensday. They is Pewt and Beany and Fatty Gilman and Fatty Melcher. Boog and Whack and Puzzy was going to race but they wanted to have it at sandy bottum and we fellers wanted to have the diving mach at the oak and the swiming under water at the gravil becaus it is wider there, and so they was mad and woodent come in. Ennyway sandy bottum isent wide enuf and you cant tell whether a feller is swiming one foot on bottum. today i went in 7 times. ferst i practised swiming fast bullfrog fashion. next i practised side stroak next i practised swiming under water. i swum 5 times acros at the gravil. then i practised floteing, but i cant flote without keeping my hands moving. ferst my feet sink and when i get straight up and down my head goes under. then i div until my head aked like time agen. i feel prety tired tonite.
July 21. rany as time. i only went in swiming 2 times today and i dident dive enny. i only practised swiming fast and floteing. i coodent flote. in every boys book of sports and amuzements it says throw yourself on your back and throw your head back and hold your breth and you will not drownd until asistance reeches you. so i tride it today but i coodent hold my breth more than 1 minit and as soon as i let out my breth down i went unless i kep my hands moving. so what the man whitch rote that book said aint so unless asistance comes in 1 minit.
July 22. brite and fair and hot as time. Pewt thinks he is going to beat me swiming. i gess he will find out.
July 23. today was sunday and i coodent practise swiming or diving, darn it.
July 24. brite and fair. i only went in swiming 2 times today, once this morning and once this afternoon, but i staid in all the morning and all the afternoon so i coodent go in more then 2 times. the race is day after tomorow.
July 25. brite and fair. today we went up to Pewts and we aranged about the prises. Pewt was to give the prises. the prise for swiming fast was a bag of erly apples from Pewts garden. the prise for swiming under water was a gewsharp and the prise for the best diver was a cain fishing pole and the prise for floteing was a arrow rifle. we all give 5 cents eech to buy the cain pole. the gewsharp was one whitch Pewt had and the arrow rifle Pewt had made. So Pewt he said as long as he give 2 of the prises he was to have the say about whitch beat.
July 26. brite and fair. the fellers plaid a meen trick on me today. the meenist i ever see. i wont ever speak to enny of them agen. this morning we had the race. ferst we had the fast race. we started at the oak and swum down to the gravil. i was as far as from here to Beanys house ahead. so i got the apples. Fatty Melcher was next and Pewt was next and Beany and Fatty Gilman got tired and went ashore. next we had the floteing mach. Fatty Gilman floted the longest and then Beany becaus he was fat two and then Pewt and then Fatty Melcher and then me. i was the wirst and the fellers all howled at me. so Fatty Gilman he got the arrow rifle. i dont cair. then we went back to the oak to have the diving mach. after we had div Beany and Fatty Melcher they said i div the best and Pewt and Fatty Gilman said Pewt div the best. then Pewt giv himself the prise becaus he had the say. i was prety mad. then we went down to the gravil to have the swiming under water mach so i went ferst and i swum from the going in place on Moltons field to the elm tree on old Nat Gilmans side and when i come up and looked round they wasent enny feller ennywhere. so i swum back prety lively and my close was gone and the apples and the gewsharp and the fellers two. so i dident know what to do. i thougt they had hid the close and i hunted in the buches but i dident find them. so i wated a long time and bimeby i heard sum oars and i looked and i saw a bote with a feller and 2 girls, so i coodent holler and i hid behind a tree. so they went by and then i come out and i walked back to the oak and when i got there i found sum girls picking dasies and i lay down behind the fence and just then a hornet stung me 2 times and i yelled and gumped rite up and danced round before i thougt and then i see them and i hipered back to the gravil, they hipered two the other way you bet. well i set there in the shade for a long time until i got kind of cold and then i set in the sun. i thougt sum of the fellers wood come in swiming, but nobody come. i knowed if i wated til dark i cood get home all rite, only i wood get a licking for scaring the folks most to deth for they wood think i was drownded. well jest then i heard sum fellers talking up by the oak and i went up and there was Potter Goram and Chick Chickering. they had been fishing and had cougt sum buly pikeril. well i holered to them and they come down where i was and i told them about the meen trick the fellers had plaid on me and Potter he said he wood go home for sum close and he give me his jaket and then he hipered acres the field and me and Chick began to fish and i cougt a pirch and a eal and Chick he cougt 2 roach. then Potter he come back with my best close and so i coodent fish enny more. so i went home in my best close. when i went by Pewts he holered Plupy has got on his best close. i dident say ennything. so when i got home mother asked me about it and i told her, it want telltaily eether. so mother she told me to go up to Pewts for my close and i said if Pewt took them he cood bring them back and Beany and Fatty two. so at super father he asked me why i had got on my best close and i told him and he said if Pewt dident bring those close back in about 5 minits he wood go up and boot him down to our house and back agen and jest then Mister Purington came into the yard holding Pewt by the ear. Pewt he had the close and Mister Purington he nocked at the door and he asked for me and when i come to the door he made Pewt give me the close and then he told Pewt to tell me he was sorry for what he had done and Pewt he dident want to say it but Mister Purington most lifted Pewt of the ground by the ear and then Pewt he said he was sorry kind of mad like and Mister Purington lifted him up agen til Pewt he stood on his tip toes and his face was all onesided and his eyes all squinty and then he had to say it over agen polite. and then Mister Purington he led Pewt home all the way by the ear. i thougt i shood die. it sirved Pewt jest rite. father laffed when i told him how the hornet stung me and how the girls hipered.
July 27. brite and fair. Pewt cant go out of the yard today. i dident speak to Beany.
July 28. brite and fair. i am going with Potter and Chick Chickering instead of Pewt and Beany. we went butterflying today.
July 29. brite and fair. nothing to wright today.
July 30. thunder storm rite after church. i wish it had been rite before.
July 31. tonite a man come down to see father and said i had gumped up behind a fence without my close on and scart his girls. he was stoping at the beach and they come up to Mager Blakes hotel. well father called me in and i told the man all about it and bimeby he begun to laff and he said it was a prety meen trick on me and he shook hands with me and he was glad i dident do it a purpose only he was sorry i got stung.
Aug. 1. me and Potter and Chick went fishing. Chick fell of little river brige with his close on. Potter caugt a whacking snaping tirtle. he gave it to Sam Dire and he cut his head of after it was cut of it wood bite a stick. Sam says it wont die til the sun goes down. he says that if you cut a snake in 2 peaces it will come together agen and heel up and be as good as ever. me and Potter is going to try it.
Aug. 2. big thunder shower last nite. we all got up and lit lamps and set round in our nite sherts. we lit all the lamps we cood find so we coodent see the litening. father kept telling funny stories, but mother and Aunt Sarah was scart and told him he hadent aught to joke when enny minit he mite be struck by litening. father he said he dident beleave the litening wood strike him enny quicker for not being scart of it then it wood if he gumped and holered o lord every time it litened. well after a while it only litened way of and we went to bed.
Aug. 3. i havent spoke to Beany yet or to Pewt eether.
Aug. 4. this morning it was Friday. we have fish chowder Fridays. i dont like it and so i drink milk and father wanted the milkman to go down celler to try some of his vinegar. mother hangs the wash boiler and the tin pans and iron kittles in the celler way and when ennyone whitch is tall goes down celler he has to stupe down so not to nock down the pans and kittles. so father he was down celler and he holered for the milkman to come down and when he went down he hit his head aginst the boiler and nocked it down and all the kittles and pans tumbled down on his head and went banging down into the celler and you never heard such a feerful noise. father was mad as time, but after the milkman was gone we all laffed as if we wood die. mother and Aunt Sarah had to set down they laffed so. mother said it made more noise then the thunder did last nite.
Aug. 5. me and Cawcaw Harding has got a new way of fishing for pikeril when we are in a bote. one of us padles the bote and the other skips for pikeril. when you try to pull a pikeril into a bote most half of the time he goes over the bote into the water, so when me and Cawcaw fishes when the feller which is skiping gets a bite he lets him have it a minit and the feller whitch is padling the bote padles towards the shore and then the feller whitch is skiping gumps rite out as soon as the water aint over his head and gives a big yank, and the pikeril goes saling into the field. sumtimes when it is woods the line gets tangled all up in a tree and we have to shin up the tree or cut it down to get the pikeril. we get prety wet but we dont cair. we always ring out our close when we get done fishing and they is most dry when we get home. today the bigest pikeril we caugt got up in a tree and we coodent shin up the tree and we coodent plug him down with rocks so we had to leeve him there. we got 12 pikeril. we are going monday.
Aug. 6. brite and fair. today after sunday school Beany he came over and we made up. this was the longest time i ever was mad with Beany. i am glad we aint mad enny more. father let me go to ride with Mister Watson and Beany this afternoon. we went down to the beach and took our lunchun. when we was coming home me and Beany got most asleep and our legs got asleep two, so Mister Watson he told us to get out and walk a little and we wood be all rite and when we got out he whiped up his horse and drove of lively and made me and Beany walk most a mile. we kep awake after that you bet. i had a good time.
Aug. 7, 186- clowdy but no rane. me and Cawcaw went fishing agen today in the bote ferst i padled and he skiped and then he padeled and i skiped. when we got up by the cove i got a bite and Cawcaw he padled the bote towards the shore and i gumped out lively and gumped into a deep place and went down way under. when i came up Cawcaw was nearly ded he laffed so. well i held onto my pole and swum to the shore it was only 3 stroaks and i sloshed up the bank and yanked that pikeril way into the buches. he was a big one. Cawcaw did it purpose. sumtime i am going to rock the bote sudding when Cawcaw is standing up skiping and he will go into the river kerswash.
Aug. 8. hot as time. me and Beany rung sum more doorbells tonite. we dident get cougt.
Aug. 9. brite and fair. Potter Goram can stuf birds, so they look jest like they was alive. he stufed a red winged blackbird so good that the cat et it and dide. and then Potter he skun the cat and stufed her. i can skin the cat on the horizondle bar, that is another way.
Aug. 10. me and Beany rung sum more doorbells tonite. we rung old Heads doorbell and then we tiptode round by the side of his house into Gim Ellersons yard and laid down behind the current bushes. well jest as old Head come piling out mad as time Pewt and Fatty Melcher come rite by and old Head grabed for them and Fatty he run and Pewt got cougt and old Head he jest lammed Pewt with his cain and Pewt holered he dident do it and old Head said he did and then he give Pewt sum good bats and sent him home balling. me and Beany most dide only we dident dass to laff out loud. jest then father come out to see what Pewt was holering about and he said what is the matter Orrin and Mister Head he said sum cussid boy has been ringing my door bell most every nite and i cougt him tonite and licked him good. and father he said who was it, and Mister Head he said it was Brad Puringtons boy, and father said i am glad it wasent my boy and mister Head he said i am glad two but i gess your boy woodent be meen enuf to ring doorbells and father he said i gess he woodent eether and then they went in and me and Beany we tiptode up Maple street and down town and then back home jest as if we had been down town all the time. that was a good one on Pewt. it made me think of the time Mister Watson Beanys father licked Beany when we rung his doorbell and he came to the door with a lamp and the wind blowed the lamp out and Mister Watson he bumped his head on the door.
Aug. 11. brite and fair. i cant help laffing every time i think of Pewt getting licked. it is a good one on Pewt.
Aug. 12. brite and fair. tonite me and Beany tride the same trick on Nipper. we saw Nip go down town and we rung Bill Greenleefs bell 2 times before Nip come back. we hid in old Ike Shutes porch and peeked out of a little window. Bill he come out and run round the side of the house and then he run up street and looked behind trees and fences and swoar terible. me and Beany near dide. he was so mad that he staid up til nearly 10 oh clock waching. we cood see him peeking out of the window and we dident dass to go home til after 10 oh clock and i got licked for being late. if Nipper had only come home when he had aught to Bill wood have cougt him and licked him and we wood have got home all rite. we will pay Nip for this.