Chapter III: Part 3

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.