THE REAL DIARY OF A REAL BOY

By Henry A. Shute

INTRODUCTION

In the winter of 1901-02, while rummaging an old closet in theshed-chamber of my father's house, I unearthed a salt-box which had beenequipped with leather hinges at the expense of considerable ingenuity, and at a very remote period. In addition to this, a hasp of the samematerial, firmly fastened by carpet-tacks and a catch of bent wire, badedefiance to burglars, midnight marauders, and safe-breakers. 

With the aid of a tack-hammer the combination was readily solved, and aneager examination of the contents of the box disclosed:--

 1. Fish-line of braided shoemaker's thread, with perch hook, to which adhered the mummied remains of a worm that lived and flourished many, many years ago. 

 2. Popgun of pith elder and hoop-skirt wire. 

 3. Horse-chestnut bolas, calculated to revolve in opposite directions with great velocity, by an up-and-down motion of the holder's wrist; also extensively used for the adornment of telegraph-wires, --there were no telephones in those days, --and the cause of great profanity amongst linemen. 

 4. More fish-hooks of the ring variety, now obsolete. 

 5. One blood alley, two chinees, a parti-colored glass agate, three pewees, and unnumbered drab-colored marbles. 

 6. Small bow of whalebone, with two arrows. 

 7. Six-inch bean-blower, for school use--a weapon of considerable range and great precision when used with judgment behind a Guyot's Common School Geography. 

 8. Unexpended ammunition for same, consisting of putty pellets. 

 9. Frog's hind leg, extra dry. 

 10. Wing of bluejay, very ditto. 

 11. Letter from "Beany, " postmarked "Biddeford, Me. " and expressing great indignation because "Pewt" "hasent wrote. "

 12. Copy-book inscribed "Diry. "

 The examination of this copy-book lasted the rest of the day, and it was read with the peculiar pleasure one experiences in reviewing some of the events of a happy boyhood. 

 With the earnest hope that others may experience a little of the pleasure I gained from the reading, I submit the "Diry" to the public. 

 HENRY A. SHUTE. 

 EXETER, N. H. Sept. 23, 1902. 

DIRY

Father thot i aught to keep a diry, but i sed i dident want to, becausei coodent wright well enuf, but he sed he wood give $1000 dolars if hehad kept a diry when he was a boy. 

Mother said she gessed nobody wood dass to read it, but father saideverybody would tumble over each other to read it, anyhow he wood give$1000 dolars if he had kept it. I told him i wood keep one regular if hewood give me a quarter of a dolar a week, but he said i had got to keepit anyhow and i woodent get no quarter for it neither, but he woodentask to read it for a year, and i know he will forget it before that, soi am going to wright just what i want to in it. Father always forgetseverything but my lickins. He remembers them every time you bet. 

So i have got to keep it, but it seems to me that my diry is worth aquarter of a dolar a week if fathers is worth $1000 dolars, everybodysays father was a buster when he was a boy and went round with GimMelcher and Charles Talor. My grandmother says i am the best boy sheever see, if i dident go with Beany Watson and Pewter Purinton, it wasBeany and Pewt made me tuf. 

there dos'nt seem to be much to put into a diry only fites and who gotlicked at school and if it ranes or snows, so i will begin today. 

December 1, 186- brite and fair, late to brekfast, but mother dident saynothing. Father goes to boston and works in the custum house so i canget up as late as i want to. Father says he works like time, but i wentto boston once and father dident do anything but tell stories about whathe and Gim Melcher usted to do when he was a boy. Once or twice when aman came in they would all be wrighting fast, when the man came in againi sed why do you all wright so fast when he comes in and stop when hegoes out, and the man sort of laffed and went out laffing, and the menwere mad and told father not to bring that dam little fool again. 

December 2. Skinny Bruce got licked in school today. I told mygranmother about it and she said she was glad i dident do enything toget punnished for and she felt sure i never wood. I dident tell heri had to stay in the wood box all the morning with the cover down, idident tell father either you bet. 

December 2. Rany. I forgot to say it raned yesterday too. I got cold andhave a red rag round my gozzle. 

December 2. Pretty near had a fite in schol today. Skinny Bruce andFrank Elliot got rite up with there fists up when the bell rung. It wastwo bad, it wood have been a buly fite. I bet on Skinny. 

December 3, 186- brite and fair. Went to church today. Me and Pewt andBeany go to the Unitarial church. We all joined sunday school to getinto the Crismas festerval. They have it in the town hall and have twotrees and supper and presents for the scholars. So we are going to staytil after crismas anyway the unitarials have jest built a new church. Pewt and Beany's fathers painted it and so they go there. I don'tknow why we go there xcept because they don't have any church in theafternoon. Nipper Brown and Micky Gould go there. We all went intothe same class. Our teacher is Mister Winsor a student. We call themstewdcats. After we had said our lesson we all skinned out with Mr. Winsor. When we went down Maple street we saw 2 roosters fiting inDany Wingates yard, and we stoped to see it. I knew more about fitingroosters than any of the fellers, because me and Ed Towle had fitroosters lots. Mr. Winsor said i was a sport, well while the roosterswere fiting, sunday school let out and he skipped acros the street andwalked off with one of the girls and we hollered for him to come and seethe fite out, and he turned red and looked mad. The leghorn squorked andstuck his head into a corner. When a rooster squorks he wont fite anymore. 

December 5. Snowed today and school let out at noon. This afternoon wentdown to the library to plug stewdcats. There was me and Beany and Pewt, and Whacker and Pozzy Chadwick and Pricilla Hobbs. Pricilla is a felleryou know, and Pheby Talor, Pheby is a feller too, and Lubbin Smithand Nigger Bell, he is'nt a nigger only we call him Nigger, and TommyTompson and Dutchey Seamans and Chick Chickering, and Tady Finton andChitter Robinson. 

December 6. Gim Wingate has got a new bobtail coat. 

December 7, 186- Got sent to bed last nite for smoking hayseed cigarsand can't go with Beany enny more. It is funny, my father wont let me gowith Beany becaus he is tuf, and Pewts father wont let Pewt go with mebecaus im tuf, and Beanys father says if he catches me or Pewt in hisyard he will lick time out of us. Rany today. 

December 8. Skinny Bruce got licked in school today. Skipy Moses was inthe wood box all the morning. 

December 9. Brite and fair, speakin day today. Missed in Horatius at thebrige. 

December 10. Clowdy but no rane. Went to church. Lots of new fellers insunday school. Me and Beany and Pewt and Pile Woods and Billy Folsomand Jimmy Gad and lots of others. Mister Winsor dident teach today, gessthey woodent let him on account of the rooster fite. 

December 11. My new boots from Tommy Gads came today. I tell you theyare clumpers. No snow yet. 

December 12. Crismas is pretty near, dont know wether i shall getennything. Father says i dont desirve ennything. You can get goozeberrysdown to Si Smiths 1 dozen for 5 cents. He has a funny sine it is

 flour meal molasses sugar coffe tea spises pork & lard salt butter ham eggs &so

December 15. Fite at resess today, Gran Miller and Ben Rundlet. Benlicked him easy. The fellers got to stumping each other to fite. MickyGould said he cood lick me and i said he want man enuf and he said if iwood come out behind the school house after school he wood show me andi said i wood and all the fellers hollered and said they wood be there. But after school i thaught i aught to go home and split my kindlings andso i went home. A feller aught to do something for his family ennyway. Icood have licked him if i had wanted to. 

December 16. Tady Finton got licked in school today. Snowed today alittle. 

December 17. Rained in the nite and then snowed a little. It was aufulslipery and coming out of church Squire Lane fell down whak and MrBurley cought hold of the fence and his feet went so fast that theyseemed all fuzzy, i tell you if he cood run as fast as that he cood runa mile a minite. 

December 18. Brite and fair. Nothing particilar. O yes, Skinny Bruce gotlicked in school. 

December 19. Cold as time. Went to a sosiable tonite at the Unitarialvestry. Cant go again because Keene told mother i was impident to thepeople. I want impident. You see they was making poetry and all sittingaround the vestry. They wanted to play copenhagin and post office andclap in and clap out, but Mister Erl woodent let them because it was inchurch. So they had to play poetry. One person wood give a word and thenthe oppisite person wood give a word that rimed with it. It was aufulsilly. A girl wood give the word direxion and then a stewdcat wood sayaffexion and waul his eyes towards the girl. And then another wood saymiss, and another stewdcat wood say kiss and then he wood waul his eyes, and when it came my turn i said what rimes with jellycake, and the girlsturned red and the stewdcats looked funny, and Mister Burley said ifi coodent behave i had better go home. Keene needent have told motheranyway. You jest wait Keene, and see what will happen some day. 

December 20. Bully skating. Went after school and skated way up to theeddy, was going to skate with Lucy Watson but Pewt and Beany hollered sothat i dident dass to. John Toomey got hit with a hockey block rite inthe snoot and broke his nose. 

December 21. Brite and fair. Nothing particular to-day. Nobody gotlicked. Old Francis had his hand done up in a sling. He said he had abile on it. I tell you the fellers were glad. 

December 22. Warm and rany and spoiled the skating. Coodent do anythingbut think of Crismas. 

December 23. Saturday and no skating. Went down to the library to geta book for Sunday. Me and Beany were sticking pins into the fellersand making them holler and Jo Parsons the libarian jumped rite over thecounter and chased us way down to Mr. Hams coffin shop. He dident catchus either. Then we went down town and Billy Swett lent me a dime novelto read sunday. It was named Billy Bolegs a sequil to Nat Tod thetraper. Sequil means the things in Nat Tod that was not finished. 

December 24. Brite and fair. Crismas tomorrow. Went to sunday school. Mr. Lovel is our teacher now. 

December 25. Crismas. Got a new nife, a red and white scarf and a bag ofSi Smiths goozeberies. Pretty good for me. 

December 26. Crismas tree at the town hall. Had supper and got a bag ofcandy and a long string of pop corn. Mr. Lovel took off the presentsand his whiskers caught fire, and he hollered o hell right out. Thatwas pretty good for a sunday school teacher, wasent it. Jimmy Gad et toomuch and was sick. 

December 27. Beany has got a new striped shirt not a false bosom but awhole shirt. Beany wont speak to me now. Lucy Watson has got a new blewhat with a fether. She wont speak to Keene and Cele eether. You jestwait Beany and Lucy and see. 

Jan. 1, 186-Had an awful time in school today. Me and Cawcaw Harding settogether. When we came in from resess Cawcaw reached over and hit me abat, and i lent him one in the snoot, and he hit me back. We was jestfooling, but old Francis called Cawcaw up front to lick him. I thoughtif i went up and told him he wood say, noble boy go to your seat, i wontlick neether of you. Anyway i knew that Cawcaw wood tell on me, and soi told old Francis i hit Cawcaw first, and old Francis said Harry i havehad my eye on you for a long time, and he jest took us up and slammed ustogether, and then he wood put me down and shake Cawcaw and then hewood put Cawcaw down and shake me till my head wabbled and he turned meupside down and all the fellers looked upside down and went round andround and somehow i felt silly like and kind of like laffin. I didentwant to laff but coodent help it. And then he talked to us and sent usto our seats and told us to study, and i tried to but all the words inthe book went round and round and i felt awful funny and kind of wabbly, and when i went home mother said something was the matter and i toldher and then i cried, i don't know what i cried for, becaus i dident akeany. Father said he wood lick me at home when i got licked at school andperhaps that was why i cried. Ennyway when father come home i asked himif he was a going to lick me and he said not by a dam sight, and he gaveme ten cents and when i went to bed i got laffin and crying all to once, and coodent stop, and mother set in my room and kept her hand on myforred until i went to sleep. I drempt i was fiting all the time. When iget big enuf there is going to be a fite between me and old Francis, yousee if there aint. 

Jan. 2, Me and Beany has made up. I told him i had ten cents and thenhe dident feel so big about his new shirt. Ennyway we went down toSi Smiths and got a dozen goozeberries and then went down to doctorDerborns and got a glass of sody water and took turns drinking it andseeing which cood gulp the loudest. Beany beat. 

Jan. 3. Brite and fair. Went down to Pewts tonite to make hayseedcigars. We made 5 kinds, hayseed, sweet firn, cornsilk, mullin leeves, and grape vine. My mouth taisted aufuly all nite. 

Jan. 4. Brite and fair. Pewt dident come to school today. I gess he wassick. My mouth taisted aufuly all day. 

Jan. 5. Clowdy and aufuly cold. Pewt came to school today and got alicking for puting gum on Nigger Bells seat. Nig set in it til it drideand then tride to get up and coodent. Then old Francis come down the ileand snaiked Nigger out and when he see the gum he asked us who put itthere. We all said we dident, but he licked Pewt becaus he had seen Pewtchooing gum. 

Jan. 6. It snowed last nite and today. Speaking in school today. I spokethe berrial of sir John More. Old Francis said he never heard ennythingwirse in his life. I hope he wont tell father. This afternoon we plugedstewdcats. 

Jan. 7. Ed Towle has got a gote. The fellers stumped me to hold himby the horns and he buted me over in the slosh. Mother said i had nobisiness to be playing on sunday. 

Jan. 8. Brite and fair. There is going to be a nigger show in the townhall tonite. Father says i cant go becaus i sassed aunt Sarah. It isuncle Toms cabbin. 

Jan. 9. Brite and fair. Beany went to the nigger show. He led one of thebludhouns in the prosession and got a ticket. Beany had on a red coatjest like the dogs. He said it was buly. 

Jan. 10. Rany. Nipper Brown is the best scolar in my class. I am thewirst. I can lick Nipper easy. 

Jan. 11. Brite and fair. After school me and Beany and Pewt and FattyMelcher and Pozzy Chadwick and lots of fellers went skating on freshriver. I was skating backwerd and i got one leg in a eal hole, gosh thewater was cold and before i got home my britches leg was all froze. 

Jan. 12. Nobody got licked in school today, gess why, becaus therewassent enny school. Old Francis was sick, i went skating. 

Jan. 13. Brite and--no it was rany. Had a speling mach today in school. Cele and Genny Morrison staid up til the last and then Cele missed andset down balling, and Genny beat. I cant stop to wright enny more becausi am going to the levee with father. 

Jan. 14, 186- Went to a big levee last nite at the town hall. BillMorrill and Nuel Head and Dave Quimby and Frank Hervey got it up. Theyhad Hook and Pasons quadril band of Haverhil. Father bought a ticketbecaus he was in the custum house and has to be frends with people. Itwas splendid. Most everybody went all dressed up in blue silk and redand crokay slippers. Ham Perkins and Charlie Lane and Charley Piper andChick Randall and Dan Ranlet and Grace Morril and the Head girls andSweat girls and Carrie Towle and Sarah Clark, J. Albert Clarks sisterand the Melcher boys and they all hopped round pretty lively, i tellyou. I staid until 12 o'clock and listened to the band. I never had sogood time in my life. 

Jan. 15. I am all spekled over. Mother says she is afrade i have gotchicken pocks. I gess i have been in the hen koop to mutch. 

Jan. 16. The speckles have all gone of. Doctor Perry says i et to manydonuts. 

Jan. 18. Brite and fair. Yesterday to and day before yesterday i haveforgot. 

Jan. 19. Snowed all day. Me and Beany is mad. 

Jan. 20. Father is sick becaus he et to mutch salt fish and potato andpork. He is auful cross and hit me a bat today becaus i left the dooropen. I gess he will be sorry when i am ded. 

Jan. 21. Brite and fair. Went to church in the morning and in theafternoon greeced some paper and trased some pictures. 

Jan. 22. I had to stay in the wood-box today for whispering to Whackerwith the cover down. I like it becaus they is a peep hole in the boxand you can see the fellers and they cant see you. By and by GimmyFitsgerald whispered and old Francis put him in to and we took turnspeeping. 

Jan. 23. It raned hard all day and we had one sesion. Beany came overand we made up and plaid in the barn making fly boxes. 

Jan. 24. Nothing much today, rany in the morning and froze at night. 

Jan. 25. Brite and fair. Everything was covered with ice and when fatherstarted for the depot he tumbled down the front steps from the top tothe botom. Mother says he went bumpity bump and his hat went one way andhis dinner box went the other. I herd him swaring aufuly about that damboy, and i gess he wood have come up and licked time out of me, but hehad to hurry to get the train. 

Jan. 26. Jest as soon as the skating comes it has to snow and spoil it. 

Jan. 27. I coodent go out of the yard this afternoon becaus i dident putashes on the front steps before father fell down and so Pewt and Beanyand Whacker and Nibby Hartwell and Diddly Colket and Nipper and Prisillaand Gim Wingit and lots of the fellers came over and we had a snowballfite. Mother says she hops father wont keep me at home anutherafternoon. 

Jan. 28. Brite and fair. It never ranes Sundays so a feller cant go tochurch. 

Jan. 29. Nothing puticular today. It always seams harder to go to schoolmundays, more fellers gets licked mundays than enny day in the weak. Igot stood on the platform with my head in the corner for looking of mybook today. 

Jan. 30. Brite and fair. I have got a auful chilblane on my heel. 

Jan. 31. Brite and fair. I was glad today was wensday in the afternoon iwent skating. The students played baseball on the ice. 

Feb. 1. Brite and fair. Pretty soon it will be Washintons berthday, andthen all the boys can ring the town bell at noon and at nite. 

Feb. 2. Clowdy but no snow. Tomorror will be saterday they is only2 days in the weak that is wirth ennything and that is wensday andsaterday except in vacation. 

Feb. 3. Snowed like time all the forenoon. In the afternoon me and Pewtand Beany rolled up some big snowballs. Then tonite we put all the ballstogether and made a big snowman rite in front of Mrs. Lewises frontdoor. Then we put a old hat on it and hung a peace of paper on it andwrote man wanted on the paper. Tomorrow all the people who go to churchwill see it and laff becaus Mister Lewis got a devorse. They will besome fun tomorrow. 

Feb. 5. I coodent wright ennything last nite becaus i got sent to bedand got a licking. I tell you we got in a auful scrape. Sunday morningme and Pewt and Beany went out erly to see our snowman. He was there andwhen people began to go by they began to laff, and most of the peoplesaid it was the funniest thing they ever see and who ever put it therewas a pretty smart feller. So we said we did it and Pewt said he thoughtof it ferst and Beany said he did, and i said i did most of the werk. 

Well, pretty soon some people came along and looked at it and said itwas a shame and they went over to pull of the paper and she came out andsee it, and she took a broom and nocked it over and broke it all up. Andthen she went rite down to my house to tell father. Then she went overto Beanys house and then up to Pewts. Well after church father took meover to her house. And Beany was there with his father and Pewt with hisfather. She said she wood have us arested for it. But they talked a longtime and after a while she said if our fathers wood lick us and make ussaw and split a cord of wood she woodent say no more about it. When wewent out father said, i never see such dam boys did you Brad, did youWats, and they said they never did. So we have got to saw and split thatwood and we got licked two. 

Feb. 6. Brite and fair. Me and Pewt and Beany sawed and split some woodfor Misses Lewis. 

Feb. 7. Brite and fair. Sawed some more wood, me and Pewt and Beany. 

Feb. 8. Brite and fair. Split some more wood, me and Pewt and Beany. 

Feb. 9. Fatty Melcher and Caw-caw Harding, Chitter Robinson and MedoThurston helped saw some more wood. 

Feb. 10. Brite and fair. This afternoon Whack Pozzy and Boog Chadwick, Dutchy Semans, Nigger Bell Pop Clark, Shinny Thing and Pile Wood allcome down with saws and axes and helped us saw that wood, we workedall the afternoon and got it done and piled up before dark. Then MissesLewis asked us in and gave us some buly donuts and some sweatened waterand we sung and told stories and before we went we told her we was sorrywe bilt the snowman and she said she was sorry two. Then when we wentaway we give 3 cheers for her. 

Feb. 11. Brite and fair. I shant forget last Sunday very soon. 

Feb. 12. Rany today. I dont care becaus i havent got to saw enny morewood. 

Feb. 13. Still rany. I dont care. 

Feb. 14. Pretty cold today. Going to have a new kind of speling machtomorrow. 

Feb. 15. Got to the head in spelling today. Old Francis makes us allstand up in the ile and gives us a lot of words to spell and then wewright them down on our slates and then the head feller or girl changesslates with the foot feller or girl and so on and then old Franciswrights the words on the blackboard and then we mark each others slates. John Flanygin was the foot feller and had my slate. Well most of Johnswords was wrong. But John marked mine all write. I gess John dident knowit, but ther was 4 or 5 of my words speled wrong. I set out to tell oldFrancis but dident dass to becaus he licked me for teling that i paistedCawcaw Harding that time. So i kept still and kept at the head and Johnkept at the foot. I hope John will do it again tomorrow. 

Feb. 16. Beat in speling today. 

Feb. 17. Beat in speling today. 

Feb. 19. Beat in speling today. Old Francis is a going to give a prisetomorrow. I told father i was pretty sure to get it and he said it willbe the first one. Aunt Sarah asked him if he took many prises. And hesaid he dident get much of a prise when he got me. I gess he wont saythat tomorrow when i bring my prise home. 

Feb. 20. I dident get the prise. You see yesterday John Flanygin speltmore words write than Gimmy Fitsgerald and Gimmy went to the foot. Whenwe marked slates Gimmy marked 9 of my words wrong out of 20, and i hadto go down most to where John Flannygin was. Old Francis said he didentbeleave i had aught to have staid at the head so long as i did and i wasafraid he wood lick me and John but he dident. He said he was ashamedand disapointed in me but i gess he was not the only one who wasdisapointed. I had told Pewt and Beany i wood treat on what father woodgive me for getting the prise. Pewt and Beany was both mad, and aregoing to lay for Gimmy. 

Feb. 21, i forgot to say what the wether was most every day this weak. It has been brite and fair most of the time, only it snowed two days andraned most of one day. Brite and fair today and cold as time. 

Feb. 23, Clowdy and cold. Pop Clark had to crawl through a chair today. He went through so fast old Francis only hit him 2 bats. Tady Finton andNigger Bell both got licked. Tady dident cry or holler a bit, but Niggerhollered just like a girl. I supposed Nigger was more of a man thanthat. 

Feb. 24, Beany and Pewt got punching today in school and old Francismade them stand on the platform with their arms round each others neckall the forenoon, i bet they felt pretty cheep. Brite and fair. 

Feb. 25, i have got a new pair of britches at erl and Cutts. I gessBeany aint the only one which has good clothes eather. 

Feb. 26. Nothing particular today. Went down to old Heads shop to seethe stewdcats ride velosipedes. There is going to be a race in the townhall tomorrow night. 

Feb. 27. Father said i cood go to the velosipede race if i woodent misssplitting my kindlings for a week. I did miss them twice but motherdident tell him and if he dont ask her before tonight i am all right. 

Feb. 28. Last night went to the velosipede race. It was jest ripping. I got down before the door opened. Bob Carter came pretty soon but hewoodent let us in until the ticket man came. Mr. Watson was the ticketman and he let me and Beany and Shinny Thing in free. They had a lotof seats in the center of the hall, and the rest round the edges, anda open track around the hall. On the platform set Bill Morrill and DaveQuimby and John Getchell and Eben Folsom. Most of the fellers in therace were stewdcats and most of the stewdcats and the girls had theseats in the center of the hall. The stewdcats who were to race wereStone and Stuart and Lee and Clifford and August Belmont and Swift andNichols and George Kent and Cutler and Johnny Heald and Gear and Burlyand Bob Morison. The townies were Charlie Gerish and Doctor Prey. Eachfeller rode round the hall twice to get going like time, and then DaveQuimby hollered go and he had to ride around the hall until he had rid aquarter of a mile. 

When the stewdcats rode all the other stewdcats yelled and the girlswaved their handkerchiefs and the band played and the excitement wasdreadful. 

After a while Doctor Prey came out and all the townies got up andcheered and the band played the star spangled banner, because Doctorfit in the war, and Doctor took of his hat and bowed and then rode roundlike time. He rode faster than most every one of them except Stone andStuart and Lee and Clifford and Belmont and Swift. I guess if Doc hadentfit so hard in the war he wood have beat them all. And then CharlieGerish came out and all the townies hollered again and Charlie made hislegs go so fast that they coodent hardly see them, and jest before thelast time around his velosipede slipped and Charlie went fluking overthree settees. He jumped on his velosipede again and went around withhis britches all torn but he dident get around quite quick enuf to beatStone, then the townies yelled and said it was a cheat and the stewdcatshissed, and some of the townies said they could lick the stewdcats, andthe stewdcats said they wasent man enuf and it looked as if there was agoing to be a row when Charlie Gerrish got up and said he was beat fairand there wasent anything to get mad about, and that he would like toshake hands with the stewdcat which beat him, and he wood like to racehim another time but he coodent then because he hurt his leg, and thenthey shook hands and every one felt buly, and the stewdcats said hoorayfor Charlie and the townies hollered hooray for Stone, and Bill Morrillmade a speech and give the prise to Stone and the band played and weall went home. I bet Doc. Prey and Charlie Gerrish can lick any twostewdcats in the hall. 

Mar. 2. I went to a show in the town hall tonight. It was a singing showcalled the haymakers. It was splendid. Mr. Gale got it up. They havebeen practising all winter. Alice Gewell was a dary maid and CharlieLane was a katydid, and lots of others sung. It was splendid. 

Mar. 3. Cloudy but no rane. Went down to Langley's store for some jujupaste, saw a fite. Old Kize tried to arest Bill Hartnit and Bill lammedtime out of him and after a while old Swain came up and arrested him. 

Mar. 4. Brite and fair. Went to church to-day, the fernace smoked so thepeople had to come home. They say they will have it fixed before nextSunday. I hope not. 

Mar. 5. School closes tomorrow. I got kept after school tonight forwhispering to Cawcaw. 

Mar. 6. School closed today and we voted for prises. Mr. Gordon give 4prizes for the 2 best fellers and 2 best girls for the term. So we votedfor them. Most of the fellers wanted to vote for Jenny Morrison becauseshe was the prettiest girl there and can go the greeshun bend betterthan enny girl in the school. And most of the girls dident like JennyMorrison and wanted to vote for Dora Moses and Mary Luverin, and thegirls wanted to vote for Lees Moses because he was polite to them andrather go with the girls than the boys and we holler at him, but he canfite for i saw him lick Gim Erly one day, and Gim Erly can rassle betterthan enny one but Jack Melvil. Well most of the fellows wanted to votefor Tady Finton or Pop Clark or Skinny Bruce because they never getmad or cry when they are licked and make lots of fun, but we knew theycoodent get the prize for they are all the time raising time and gettinglicked and so we voted for Honey Donovan and Moses Gordon, and when thevotes was counted Dora Moses and Mary Luvering got the prizes for thegirls and Mose Gordon and Nigger Bell for the boys. That was all writeabout Dora Moses and Mary Luverin because they was the best girls andalways went together, but we dident like it very well about Mose andNigger, only we thought that so long as Mose's father give the prizesMose ought to have one. I gess most of the girls must have voted forNig, because they was mad with Lees Moses. I know what they was mad attoo. 

Then the first class give old Francis a present of some books andwhen he turned over the leaves there was twenty dollars there, and oldFrancis was surprised and made a fine speech, and the people all clappedbecaus he made such a good speech. I heard him saying it over the nightbefore when i was kept after school. No school for 2 weeks. 

Mar. 7. When my father was a boy he was the best fiter in this town. 

Mar. 9. Went down to Fatty Melchers today to make a violin, we cut apiece of wood the shape of a violin then take some horsehairs and strechthem over a brige and you can play a tune on them. In school i learnt toplay on a piece of india rubber. You pull a piece of elastic out of yourcongres boot and hold it in your teeth and pull it tite and snap it withyour fingers and you can play tunes that you can hear but no one elsecan. Old Francis saw me snapping the elastic and came and took it away. I have got plenty more in my boot. I am saving money to buy me a cornet. When i get enuf i am a going to play in the band. +++

Mar. 10. Plesent day. Old Si Smiths big white dog and a bull dog had anawful fite today. Neether licked and they had to squert water on themto seperate them. They dident make no noise, only jest hung write on toeach others gozzles. My aunt Sarah said it was dredful, and she staid tothe window to see how dredful it was. 

Mar. 11, 186- Went to church in the morning. The fernace was all write. Mister Lennard preeched about loving our ennymies, and told every oneif he had any angry feelings toward ennyone to go to him and shake handsand see how much better you wood feel. I know how it is becaus when meand Beany are mad we dont have eny fun and when we make up the one whois to blam always wants to treet. Why when Beany was mad with me becausi went home from Gil Steels surprise party with Lizzie Towle, Ed Towlessister, he woodent speak to me for 2 days, and when we made up hetreated me to ice cream with 2 spoons and he let me dip twice to hisonce. He took pretty big dips to make up. Beany is mad if enny of thefellers go with Lizzie Towle. She likes Beany better than she does ennyof the fellers and Beany ought to be satisfied, but sometimes he acksmad when i go down there to fite roosters with Ed. I gess he needentworry much, no feller isnt going to leave of fiting roosters to go withno girls. Well i most forgot what i was going to say, but after church iwent up to Micky Gould who was going to fite me behind the school house, and said Micky lets be friends and Micky said. Huh old Skinny, i canlick you in 2 minits and i said you aint man enuf and he called me anockneed puke, and i called him a wall eyed lummix and he give me apaist in the eye and i gave him a good one in the mouth, and then werassled and Micky threw me and i turned him, and he got hold of my newfalse bosom and i got hold of his hair, and the fellers all hollered hithim Micky, paist him Skinny, and Mister Purington, Pewts father pulledus apart and i had Mickys paper collar and necktie and some of his hairand he had my false bosom and when i got home father made me go to bedand stay there all the afternoon for fiting, but i gess he dident likemy losing my false bosom. Ennyway he asked me how many times i hit Mickyand which licked. He let me get up at supper time. Next time i try tolove my ennymy i am a going to lick him first. 

Went to a Sunday school concert in the evening. Keene and Cele sungnow i lay me down to sleep. They was a lot of people sung together andMister Gale beat time. Charlie Gerish played the violin and Miss Packerdsung. I was scart when Keene and Cele sung for i was afraid they wouldbreak down, but they dident, and people said they sung like night horks. I gess if they knowed how night horks sung they woodent say much. Fatherfelt pretty big and to hear him talk you wood think he did the singing. He give them ten cents apeace. I dident get none. You gest wait, old mantill i get my cornet. 

Went to a corcus last night. Me and Beany were in the hall in theafternoon helping Bob Carter sprinkle the floor and put on the sordust. The floor was all shiny with wax and aufully slipery. So Bob got us toput on some water to take off the shiny wax. Well write in front of theplatform there is a low platform where they get up to put in their votesand then step down and Beany said, dont put any water there only jestdry sordust. So i dident. Well that night we went erly to see the fun. Gim Luverin got up and said there was one man which was the oldest voterin town and he ought to vote the first, the name of this destinkuishedsitizen was John Quincy Ann Pollard. Then old mister Pollard got up andput in his vote and when he stepped down his heels flew up and he wentdown whak on the back of his head and 2 men lifted him up and lugged himto a seat, and then Ed Derborn, him that rings the town bell, stepped uppretty lively and went flat and swore terrible, and me and Beany nearlydied we laffed so. Well it kept on, people dident know what made themfall, and Gim Odlin sat write down in his new umbrella and then theysent me down stairs for a pail of wet sordust and when i was coming upi heard an auful whang, and when i got up in the hall they were luggingold mister Stickney off to die and they put water on his head and luggedhim home in a hack. They say Bob Carter will lose his place. Me andBeany dont know what to do. If we dont tell, Bob will lose his place andif we do we will get licked. 

Mar. 12. Mister Stickney is all write today. Gosh you bet me and Beanyare glad. 

Mar. 13, 186- brite and fair. Mr. Gravel has bought old Heads carrigeshop. He is a dandy and wears shiny riding boots and a stove pipe hatand a velvet coat and goes with Dan Ranlet and George Perkins and JohnyGibson and the other dandies. I went down today and watched Fatty Walkerstripe some wheels. 

Mar. 14. Clowdy. Elkins and Graves had an oxion to-night. Beany got tencents for going round town ringing a bell and hollering oxion. I wentwith Beany and it was lots of fun. Beany wouldent treet. He says heis saving money for something. I know what it is it is a valintine forLizzie Tole. It was mean of Beany not to treet becaus i did as muchhollering as he did. 

Mar. 15. The funniest thing hapened to-day you ever saw. After brekfastme and father took a walk and then went and set down on the big schoolsteps. Father was telling me some of the things he and Gim Melcher usedto do. Father must have been a ripper when he was young. Well ennywaywhile we was talking old Ike Shute came along through the school yard. Ike wears specks and always carries a little basket on his arm. He cantsee very well, and father said to me, now you jest keep still and youwill see some fun and when Ike came along father changed his voice sothat it sounded awfully growly and said where in the devil are you goingwith that basket, and Ike was scart most to deth and said only a littleway down here sir and father said, move on sir and move dam lively andi nearly died laffing to see Ike hiper. Well after a while i see Ikecoming back with old Swane and old Kize the policemen. I tell you i wasscart but father only laffed and said you keep still and i will fix itall right. So when they came up he said to old Kize what is the troubleFilander and he said Mr. Shute here has been thretened by some drunkenrascal, and father looked aufuly surprised and said that is an infernalshame, when did it happen Isak, and Ike said about fifteen minits agoand father said we have been here about as long as that and i dident seethe scoundrel. How did he look Isak, and Ike said i coodent see him verywell George but he was a big man and he had a awfu deep voice and fathersaid did he stagger enny and Ike said i coodent see wether he did ornot but i cood tell he was drunk by his voice. So old Swain and old Kizewent down behind the school house and off thru the carrige shop yardto see if they cood find him, and me and father walked home with Ike toprotect him and father said now Isak if ennyone insults you again jestcome to me and if i can catch him i will break every bone in his body, and father and Ike shook hands and Ike shook hands with me and then wewent home and father began to laff and laffed all the way home and thenhe told mother and aunt Sarah and they said it was a shame to play sucha trick upon him and father laffed all the more and said Ike hadenthad so much exercise for a year and it wood do him good and give himsomething to think about. Ennyway they said it was a shame to teech mesuch things, and father said he would rather i wood be tuf than be likeIke, and Aunt Sarah said i never wood be half as good as Ike for henever did a wrong thing in his life, and father laffed and said hedident dass to for his mother wood shet him in the closet. It wasaufully funny, but i gess they was right. I shall never be half as goodas Ike. I wonder if old Swane and old Kize have caught that man yet. 

Mar. 16. Pewt dreened 18 marbles and 2 chinees out of me to-day. We wasplaying first in a hole. School today. Sailed boats in the brook in J. Albert Clark's garden and got pretty wet. 

Mar. 17. Scott Briggam has got some little flying squirrels. He is goingto get me one for thirty-five cents. I am going to take it out of mycornet money. 

Mar. 18. Father wont let me play marbles in ernest. It aint enny fundreening a feller and then giving them back. I bet father didnt when hewas a boy. 

Mar. 19. Scott Briggam brought my squirrel today and i paid him 35cents, 3 ten cents scrips and five cents. I have got it in a bird cage. 

Mar. 20. My squirrel got out of the cage last nite and father found himin the water pail drownded. Father got up in the night and got a dipperand drank some water out of that pail, he dident eat any brekfastbecause he was thinking that the squirrel might have been in the pailthen. I wonder if it was. Ennyway 35 cents of my cornet money has goneup. 

Mar. 23. School today. Went down to Pewts to draw pictures. CharlieWoodbury can draw the best, then Pewt, and then me. Beany dont liketo draw. We was talking about what we was going to be when we grew up. Charlie Woodbury is going to be a picture painter, Pewt is going to be alawyer, Potter Gorham and Chick Chickering are going to stuff birds fora living, Beany is going to be a hack driver, Gim Wingit is going to runa newspaper, Cawcaw Harding is going to be a piscopal minister becaus hesays they only have to read their speaches out of a book, Nipper Brownis going to be a professer, Priscilla Hobbs is going to play a organ inthe baptis church. Prisil can play 3 tunes now on a little organ. I amgoing to be a cornet player like Bruce Briggam. Cornet players can go toall the dances and fairs and prosessions and are invited in and treatedwhen people are married and they serrinade them at night, and they don'thave to work either. 

Mar. 25. Almost as warm as summer, went to church and Sunday school. Beany has got a job blowing the organ for Kate Wells. He only let thewind go out 2 times today. It was funny becaus when the organ stoppedMister Wood who was singing let out an auful hoot before he knowed whathe was doing Beany will lose his job if he does it again. 

Mar. 29, 186- The toads has come out. Fine warm day. Me and PotterGorham have been ketching toads this afternoon. They sit in the pudlesand peep. Folks think it is frogs but most of it is toads. Potter got23 and i got 18. Tonite i put my toads in a box in the kitchen after thefolks went to bed. In the night they all got out of the box and began tohop round and peep mother heard it and waked father and they lissened. When i waked up father was coming threw my room with a big cane and alittle tin lamp. He had put on his britches and was in his shirt tale, and i said, what are you going to lick me for now i havent done nothingand he said, keep still there is some one down stairs and mother saiddont go down George and father said, lissen i can hear him giving awhistle for his confedrit, i will jump in and give him a whack on thecokonut. I had forgot all about the toads and you bet i was scart. Wellfather he crep down easy and blowed out his lite and opened the doorquick and jest lammed round with his club. Then i heard him say what inhell have i stepped on, bring a lite here. Then i though of the toadsand you bet i was scarter than before, mother went down with a lite andthen i heard him say, i will be cussed the whole place is ful of toads. Then mother said did you ever. And father said he never did, and it wassome more of that dam boys works and he yelled upstairs for me to comedown and ketch them. So i went down and caught them and put them out allbut 2 that father had stepped on and they had to be swep up. Then allthe folks came down in their nitegounds and i went up stairs lively andgot into bed and pulled the clothes round me tite, but it dident doenny good for father came up and licked me. He dident lick me very hardbecaus i gess he was glad it wasent a berglar and if it hadent been forme it might have been berglars insted of toads. 

Mar. 30. Brite and fair, went out with Potter Gorham. Saw some toads 2robins and a blewbird. Gosh it makes a feller feel good to see birds andtoads and live things. 

Mar. 31. April fool day tomorrow. I am laying for Beany. Old Francislicked 5 fellers today becaus they sung rong when we was singing speekkindly it is better far to rule by luv than feer. 

April 1. Auful cold and rainy. I was going to wright a love letter toBeany and sine Lizzie Toles name to it but i told father about it forfun and he said that it was fourgery and that i cood be prostecuted andsent to jale. So i dident. Tonite me and Beany rung five door bells forapril fool. 

April 2. Been trying to get rid of some warts. Pewt says if you hooka piece of pork after dark, rub it on the warts and say arum erum irumorum urum and nurum 3 times turn round twice and throw the pork thru awindow, then the warts will all be gone the next day. Me and Beany isgoing to try it tomorrow. 

April 3. Brite and fair. Dident get a chance to hook the pork. 

April 4. The band played in the band room to-nite. It was warm enuf tohave the windows open and we cood hear it. I sat out in the school yardtil 10 oclock to hear it and father came out and walked me home. Beanywas mad becaus i cared more for the band than for getting rid of thewarts. 

April 6. Dident wright anything last nite, was too scart. I never wasso scart in all my life before. Me and Beany came awful near getting injale. We dident know where to hook the pork. I went to our cellar butfather was down there making vinigar all the evening, then we went toBeanys cellar but Mister Watson was sitting on the cellar door. So Beanytold his father that a man was looking for him to see about a horse andMister Watson started down to the club stable. Then Beany hooked thepork and rubbed it over his warts and then i rubbed it over my warts andwe said arum erum irum orum urum and nururn 3 times jest as Pewt said, turned round twice and i plugged the pork right threw a gaslite jestthen the gasman came along, he yelled at us and jumped out of his wagonand went for us. We ran down threw the school yard as fast as we coodhiper. There is a hollow in the corner of the school yard by BillMorrills back yard and there is a little hole in the bottom of the fencewhere the fellers crawl threw when the football goes into his garden. We skinned threw that hole jest in time. The gasman tried to crawl threwbut he coodent, then he clim the high fence but while he was doing thatwe ran across the carrige factory yard and down by the old brewery upBow street and home. I went to bed pretty lively and so did Beany. Goshbut we was scart. 

April 7. One of Beanys warts has gone. 

April 8. Brite and fair. My warts have not gone. 

April 9. Brite and fair. My warts have not gone. 

April 10. Clowdy but no rane. My warts have not gone. 

April 11. Rany. I have got 2 more warts. I gess i hadent ought to havebroke that gaslite. 

April 12. I have got another. 

April 13. Bully day. Me and Potter Gorharn and Chick Chickering went outafter toads today. I got 14 but i dident take them home you bet. 

April 15. Brite and fair. We all went to church today to see the Lanes. They come from New York and when they go to church everybody goes to seethem. There was a boy with them named Willie. I bet i cood lick him. 

April 16. Nothing particular today. Dont feel very well, kind of headakyand backaky. 

April 20. Have been sick for 4 days. Went to school monday and had tocome home. When i got home i fell down on the steps and mother and auntSarah came out and got me in the house and put water on my head andrubbed my hands, and then the Doctor came and said, well Joanna, children are a good deel of truble and then he felt of my rist and saidhum, and then he looked at my tung and said hum again, and then he prideopen my mouth and looked down my throte and said hum, and then he pulledoff my close and looked me over rite before mother and aunt Sarah andsaid well he aint spekled eny. Then he said what have you given himJoanna and mother said, nothing, and the docter said, all right give himsome more, and mother said i havent given him enything docter, and thenhe walked around the room and picked up some things and looked at themand then he gave me some of the wirst tasting stuff i ever took. Then hesaid i gess he will be better tomorrow, and then he looked at some morethings and went home. I dident sleep very well that nite but was aufulhot and my head aked fearful. Mother was in my room every time i wakedup, and Sarah too. Next day i had the docter again he looked at somepictures and things and told mother to give me some more. I always feelbetter when the docter comes in. He dont scare a feller to deth. 

Well the next day i felt a little better and tried to sit up and havemy britches on, but i had to lay down again my head aked so, and afterawhile my head felt better and as i laid there i could look out of thewindow and it seamed as if little chains that you could see through likeglass, were floating up and down they were about an inch long. Well iwached them till i almost went to sleep and jest as i was most asleep iheard Beany out in the street holler, say Pewt, did you know that Plupyis going to die, and Pewt said course i did, why dont you tell me somenews, and Beany said i heard he swalowed a peach stone and Pewt said itwas liver complaint, and then i heard some one say, you boys shet up. 

Gosh you bet i was scart. I hadent thought of dying. I began to howl andholler for mother. She came running in and i told her i was going to dieand i told her about breaking the gaslite and a lot of other thingsand she told me the docter said i was getting better and i wood sit uptomorrow. Well i better then and wished i hadent told mother about thegaslite becaus i knew she wood make me tell father. Well mother setby my bed all the afternoon and read me some out of Billy Bolegs, jestthink of her doing that, so when supper time came i et a lettle tost andhad some current jelly. When father come home mother told him about thegaslite and all he said was i wood have to pay for it out of my cornetmoney. I thought he wood keep me in for a month. I gess mother must havetalked to him. 

That nite father slep on a lounge in my room. I went to sleep most assoon as he come in. After awhile i dremp i was tied on a sawlog jestgoing nearer and nearer to the saw and the saw was a going skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo. Well i tride to pull away but i coodent moveand i tride to holler and i coodent make a yip, and jest before the sawsawed into me i woke up. Gosh you bet i was glad, but the funny part wasthat i could hear the saw going skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo, skratch-zoo, and what do you think it was. It was father snoring. Gosh you ought tohave heard him. Well at first i laffed, but by and by i wanted to go tosleep and father snoring so loud i coodent till mother came in and toldhim to go to bed and she laid on the sofa all nite. The next day i setup and had my britches on and set up to the window all day. I saw Beanyand Pewt and i nocked on the window and waved my claw at them. I amgoing out tomorrow. 

April 22. I went out today. It was real warm. I dident go to churchbecaus i had been sick. I let my rooster out to fite J. Albert Clark's. They were fiting good when i looked up and there was father looking overthe fence. He made me stop the fite and shet my rooster up. I wonder ifhe wood have stoped them if i hadent been there. I got 2 eggs today, the old brama that i swaped for with Ed Tole and a bolten gray that JohnAdams give me. 

April 23. I went to school today. I dident have to resite becaus i hadbeen sick. If i dont get wirse i can goto Mis Packerds concert tomorow. Hope it wont rane. 

April 24. Brite and fair and it dident rane tonite, so i went to theconcert. All the girls was flowers. Keene was a crocuss and had to comeout and sing first becaus the crocuss is the first flower that comesout. She sung i am the first of all the flowers to greet the eyes ofspring. 

Jenny Morison was a tuch me not and set in the top of a rock andsung tuch me not, tuch me not let me alone. Nell Tole was a piny or asunflower i have forgot whitch. Jenny Morison and Keene and Nell Toleare the best singers for their size in town. Father thinks Keene cansing the best. He feels pretty big about Keene. I told him so one dayand he said he had to becaus i dident amount to enything. I think JennyMorison can sing the best but dont tell him so for he wood give me abat. 

April 25, 186- Cant go down town for a week becaus i sassed J. AlbertClark, that is J. Albert Clark says I sassed him but i dident. Beany hadbeen working for J. Albert raking up leaves in his garden. J. Albertwas a going to give him 10 cents for it and me and Beany was a going todivide up on goozeberries and juju paist, but Beany dident dass toask J. Albert for his pay because he had raked all the leaves under J. Alberts front steps and he was afraid J. Albert wood find out about itand not pay him. Beany wanted me to ask him but i dident dass to becausei let my rooster out to fite J. Alberts last Sunday and J. Albert dontbelieve in fiting roosters. Last night he was setting on his steps withsome company and he had on his best lavender britches and his best blewcoat. 

So Beany said, tell you what Plupy, you set on your steps and i will seton my steps and we will holler across the street about the money that J. Albert owes me. So Beany he went across the street to his steps and hehollered over, hi there Plupy have you got any chink, and i holleredback, no Beany i havent got a cent, and Beany he hollered i shood have10 cents if J. Albert Clark wood pay me what he owes me, and i holleredwhy in time dont he pay you, and Beany hollered i gess he hasent got anychink, and i hollered he has probably spent all his chink in buying themlavender britches, and Beany he hollered, well if J. Albert Clark needsthe money more than I do he can have it. Well while we was holleringmister Head and the Head girls who was setting on their steps got up andwent into the house laffing, and the company at J. Alberts all laffed, and J. Albert came down and beckoned to Beany and Beany he went runningover to get his 10 cents and J. Albert he said, Elbridge, that is Beanysname, Elbridge you cood have your money enny time if you had asked mefor it decently, but now i shall not pay you for a week and i shall notimploy you enny more. Tell you what, Beany came over to my steps feelingpretty cheap and we was talking about it when mother called me in andsent me up stairs, and said she wood tell father as soon as he camehome. So i went up stairs and looked out of the window jest in time tosee Beanys father lugging Beany in by the neck. Well that nite afterfather got home he jawed me and said i coodent go down town for aweek and made me go to J. Alberts right before the company and ask hisforgiveness, and Beany had to to. J. Albert was a pretty good fellow andsaid it was all right, and dident want our fathers not to let us go downtown, but father said i must learn to be respectable to my elders. Goshwe dident know J. Albert was a elder. We knowed elder Stevens and elderStewart and deacon Gooch and we always was respectable to them, and ifwe had knowed that J. Albert Clark was a elder we woodent have sassedhim for nothing. 

April 26. Yesterday and day before it was brite and fair, and yesterdaywas as warm as summer. Today, it was cold and it snowed a little. Jestenuf to make the ground look as if it was covered with salt. The birdslooked all humped up. I bet the frogs hind legs is about froze. It israining now. If i was a frog i woodent come out of the mud until summer. Perhaps they cant stay under more than six months. 

April 27. Warm again. 2 eggs today. I have got another hen. WillyamPerry Molton gave it to me. It is a leghorn and his other hens lickedit and made its comb bludy and so he gave it to me. It was on the nesttoday but did not lay. I went to church. Mr. Cram preeched. He talkedall about birds and flowers and i liked it. 

April 28. Brite and fair. All 3 hens were on the nest but dident lay. 

April 29. No eggs today. Mother said the hens cackled all the morning. Brite and fair. 

April 30. I dont see what the mater is with my hens. I havent got 1 eggthis week. Father said there was a rat in the koop. I got a steel trapof Sam Diar and tonite i set it in the koop. I put a peace of cheeze onit. Tomorrow morning i ges mister rat wont steal any more eggs. 

May 1. What do you think. This morning i got up to get my rat and ifound that my best hen, the bolton gray that John Adams gave me hadtried to pick the cheeze out of the trap and the trap had caught her bythe neck and killed her. I felt most bad enuf to cry. I thought i coodget up before the hen did. I went to the may brekfast today. It wasmay-fair day and they had a brekfast. Me and Pewt, Beany, Whackerand Pozzy Chadwick, Micky Gould, Pop Clark, Prisilla Hobbs, ChickChick-ering, Potter Gorham, Pile Wood, Curly Conner and all the fellerswere there. We had a good time and et till just before school time andwe had to hiper so as not to be late. 

May 2. No eggs today. Both hens went on the nest. I am going to lay forthat rat with my bowgun. 

May 3. What do you think. This noon i set in the hen koop 1 hour. Thebrama went on the nest and set a while and came off and cakled, then ilooked and she had lade an egg. I left the egg there and hid behind abarrel and got my bowgun ready for the rat. Well the leghorn hen went onthe nest and i suposed she was a going to lay, but she broke rite intothat egg and began to gobble it up. I was so mad that i let ding at herwith the bowgun and just then she stuck up her head and the arrow tookher rite in the back of the head. Well i wish you cood have seen her. She hollered one little pip and then went rite out of the nest backwardsand flapped round awful. I picked her up and she was dead. I dident meanto kill her, i only wanted to make her jump and learn her not to eateggs. O dear, i dont know what father will say when he finds it out. 

May 5, 186- Saw a bully fite today. Cris Staples and Charlie Clark. Charlie is visiting his uncle J. Albert Clark, the feller that wesassed. That is he said we did but we dident. Charlie is a city feller, he lives in Chelsy and think he knows a pile about things and gets madif we call him names. Now every feller who amounts to anything hasa nickname, and some of them have 2 or 3. My nicknames are Plupy andSkinny and Polelegs, and Beany is called Bullethead and sometimes Fatty. I told Charlie that if i called him Charlie the fellers would call himsissy or Mary and he better agree to let me call him bulldog or tomcator diddly or gobbler or some nickname whitch wood mean something. Buthe said he would lam the head off of enny feller which called him names. Well you jest see what trouble he got into for not having a nickname. Hewould have knowed better than that if he hadent lived in Chelsy. 

Well today me and Charlie was setting on his steps. Beany was madbecause i was going with Charlie and he had gone riding with his fatherand he felt pretty big because his father let him drive. Well while wewere setting there along came Cris Staples who carries papers for Laneand Rollins store, and Cris hollered over, hullo Polelegs. Charliehadent heard enyone call me Polelegs. And i said, i woodent stand thatif i was you Charlie, now less see you lam the head off of him, andCharlie he started across the road and walked up to Cris and said whoin time are you calling Polelegs and Cris wasent going to back down andsaid, you, and Charlie said jest drop them papers and i will nock yourface rite off, and Cris dropped his papers and they went at it. It wasthe best fite i have seen this year. They fit from Mr. Head's down toGim Ellisons corner, and Cris licked time out of Charlie, and Charliebegan to yell and give up and then Cris let go of his hair and told himhe was to smart, and that it was me he was calling Polelegs and not him, and he better not be so smart another time, and Cris he picked up hispapers and went off with a great slit in his jacket and his necktieway round on one side, and Charlie came home howling and Aunt Clark, Charlie's grandmother came out and said, that is what you get Charliefor quareling. See how much better Harry feels, and i said, yes mam. Charlie is never going to speak to me again. 

May 7. Beany was pretty mad when I told him about the fite because hedident see it. I gess he will find it don't pay to get mad with me. Isaw Charlie today but he dident speak. He has got a black eye. Cris hasgot a funny looking nose on one side. 

May 8. Chitter Robinson went in swiming today. I bet it was cold. 

May 9. Went down to the high school yard tonite to hear the band play. They have got a new leader a Mister Ashman of Boston. He can play thecornet with 1 hand. I went down today to pay the gasman for the gaslitei broke. It cost 1 dollar and i have only got 87 cents for my cornet. Sometimes i dont believe i shall ever get that cornet. Scott Brigam canblow a bugle. A bugle is like a cornet only a cornet has 3 keys and abugle is all covered with flappers and curly things where you put yourfingers. Rashe Belnap can play a cornet splendid but he dont play veryoften. Frank Hirvey plays one that goes over his shoulder way behind hisback. Gosh i wish i cood get a cornet. 

May 10. Father has found out about my killing that hen. He dident getmad but said i ought to have cut her head off and she wood be good toeat, but i supose it is to late now for it is almost a week ago and iburried her the next day. 

May 11. Me and Potter Gorham went mayflowering today. I got a bunchand sold them to a student named Chizzum for 35 cents. I put it with mycornet money. I have now got $1. 22. I can get a cornet for 25 dollars asecond hand one. I am afraid i shall never get that cornet. 

May 12. Rany last nite and this morning. In the afternoon it cleared up. Gosh i wish you cood see the licking Beany got tonite. Me and Beany wentout to go up to see Pewt and make some sweet fern sigars. Beany cameover for me and went up to Pewts. On the way Beany went up an rung hisdoorbell and we hid behind the fence and Mister Watson, Beany's father, came out holding a light and shading it with his hand. The wind blew thelite out and in going in again he hit his head an awful bump againstthe door. Me and Beany nearly died laffing only we tride not to lafftoo loud. Well we went up to Pewts and Pewt had been sent to bed forsomething and so we started back and met a man who said is this youElbridge, it was pretty dark and Beany said yes and Mister Watsongrabbed us both by the collar and said, so you are the boys who rung mydoorbell and then he give Beany a rap on the side of the head and beganto shake him round lively and while he was shaking Beany up i put forhome. I hid behind the fence and i cood hear him say i will learn youto asosiate with that misable Shute boy and wast your time ringingdoorbells, and Beany was saying, o father i will never do it again. Inearly died laffing to hear Beany a rattling round on the sidewalk. Ihope Mister Watson wont tell father. I gess he wont for he gets over hismad pretty quick. Every time i think of Beanys legs flying round in theair i giggle rite out and when i think of Mister Watson bumping his headi nearly die. Sometimes i think it pays to be tuff. 

May 13, 186- Keene and Cele have got some new crokay slippers. You betthey feel pretty big about it. 

May 14. Nothing particular today. 

May 15. Went in swimming today. The water was pretty cold but i swumacros the river twise. 

May 16. The suckers have come. Potter Gorham caught three yesterday. Meand Potter was going yesterday after school but father woodent let mebecaus i dident split my kindlings. 

May 17. The band played tonight. Father made me go to bed at nine but icood hear it becaus my window is jest acros the road. They are playing anew peace. It is the woodup quickstep, they say Ned Kendall cood play iton a bugle better than ennybody. Old Robinson cood and Mister Ashman canplay it splendid. It goes

 ta-ta tata, ta-ta tata, ta-ta tata tatatatatatata. Ta-te-ta-te-tiddle iddle-a ta-te-ta-te-tiddle iddle-a ta-te-ta-te-tiddle-iddle-a tiddle-iddle-iddle-iddle-ata

it is the best peace they play except departed days. That always makesme feel like crying it is kinder sad like. I hope i can get my cornetsome day. 

May 19. Had a auful toothake today and had to go down to docter Pitmanand he pulled it out. I tell you it hurt. Docter Pitman said the rootsmust have reached way to the back of my neck. Beany went with me andthen told all round that i hollered. You jest wait Beany. 

May 21. Erly this afternoon me and Fatty Melcher got some real segarsat Henry Simsons store and went down behind old man Churchills store andsmoked them. We were both auful sick and laid there all the afternoon. When i went home i walked wobbly and mother asked me if i was sick andshe put me to bed and was going to send for the docter, but father camein and when he found out what aled me he laffed and said it served merite. Then after supper he set out on the steps rite under my window andsmoked a old pipe and i cood smell it and i thought i shood die. Thenmother asked him to go away and he laffed and said all rite, but hegessed i had enuf for one day and she said she gessed so and i gess sotoo. He said if it hadent made me sick he wood have licked me. 

i dont see why it is so, father swears sometimes when he hits his thumwith a hammer and once when he was in the dark he was walking towardsthe door with his arms out to feel for the door, one arm went on oneside of the door and the other arm on the other side and he hit his nosea fearful bump rite on the ege of the door, and i wish you cood haveheard him swear, well if i swear he licks me, and he smokes and if ido he says he will lick me and he dont go to church and if i dont go hesays he will lick me. O dear i gess i wont smoke enny more. 

May 22. Went in swimming today twise, once down to the raceway and onceup to the gravel. 

May 23. Went butterflying with Chick Chickering today, it is a littleearly for them, but we got two blew and black ones and three little redones. Me and Chick are making aquariams. Chick has got a splendid glassone. I made mine out of a butter firkin. I sawed it off half way andthen washed it out with soft soap and rensed it 2 or 3 times and then iput in some white sand and stones and i have got some little minnies andkivies and a little pickerel. It looks splendid and i change the waterevery 3 days. 

May 24. Nothing particular today. 

May 25. I can swim under water from the big tree on Moulton's side ofthe river at the gravel to the tree on the bank on Gilman's side. I wentin 3 times today. 

May 26. My rooster is sick. He has et something. He sits all humped up. I went in swimming 2 times today. 

May 27. My rooster is pretty sick. I tride to give him some kiann peppertonite. Father said kiann pepper was good for sick hens, so i held hismouth open and give him a spoonful. When i let him go he kept his mouthopen and sorter sneezed pip-craw pip-craw pip-craw, and then he wentto the water dish and began to drink. I think he is better because hehadent drank any water for 2 days before. He was still drinking when iwent away. I gess he will be a lot better tomorrow. 

May 28. What do you think, this morning when i went out to feed my hensi found my rooster dead. He had drank up all the water and he was allpuffed up. I felt pretty bad. Father says i gave him enuf kiann pepperfor a horse. He aught to have told me. He was a pretty good rooster too. I am having pretty tuff luck. 

May 29. I read over my diary today. I have forgot to tell whether it wasbrite and fair or rany, i cant say now. 

May 30, 186- Nothing particular today. Brite and fair. 

May 31. Brite and fair. Went up to Whacker Chadwicks today after schoolto help him plant his garden. We had about a bushel of potatoes to plantand it was fun to sit round a basket and cut up the potatoes. After awhile Gim Erly and Luke Mannux cume along and we began to plug potatoesat them, they plugged them back and we had a splendid fite, me and Whackand Pozzy and Boog Chadwick on one side and Gim Erly and Luke Mannux andBob Ridly on the other. Luke Mannux hit me twice rite in the back of thehead. I am going up tomorrow to help them some more. Went in swimmingonce to-day. 

May 32 no i mean June 1. I went up to Chadwicks after school. CaptinChadwick was there and they wasent enny pluggin potatoes. Went inswimming. 

June 2. Rany. Beany is mad with me. I dont care. 

June 3. Went to church today. 

June 4. Clowdy but no rane. Went up to Chadwicks today and sawed wood. Boog and Pozzy fit while me and Whack sawed wood then we went in swimingdown to Sandy Bottom. Some body tide some hard gnots in my shirt. Iforgot to split my kindlings tonite. 

June 5. Brite and fair. Beany is still mad. 

June 6. Brite and fair. I know what Beany is mad about. He thinks i toldabout his getting a licking. I dident tell. He can stay mad if he wantsto. 

June 7. Father has bought a horse of Dan Randlet. I rode up to Brentwoodwith Sam Diar to get it. It is the prettiest horse i ever saw. I rodeit down from Brentwood and it goes jest as easy as sitting on a springboard. When i got home Beany got over his mad and came over and i gavehim a ride. Me and Beany never were mad so long before. 

June 9. Rany. This afternoon me and Beany and father went to ride withthe new horse. Her name is Nellie. 

June 10. Brite and fair. We keep Nellie down to Jo Hanes stable. FrankHanes is learning me how to clean her off. She nipped my arm today andmade a black and blew spot. Went in swimming today. 

i have to get up every morning and harnes Nelly and drive father to thedepot. I like it because i always race with the men coming down frontstreet. There is George Dergin and Fred Sellivan and Gim Wingit and ican beat them all. I dont tell father that i race. I rode Nellie thisafternoon with Frank Hanes and Ed Tole. I dident go in swimming today. 

June 11. Brite and fair. Nellie kicked me today. I gess i scrachedher today to hard with the curycomb. It dident hurt me much. I went inswimming twise. 

June 12. Brite and fair. Me and Chick Chickering went bullfroging today, we got 3 dozen hind legs and sold them to Mr. Hirvey for 30 cents andtook our pay in icecream. 

June 13. Rode Nellie this noon. I have to go to the half past five trainevery nite for father. I like to drive but i dont like to go every nite. 

June 14. Rashe Belnap and Horris Cobbs go in swimming every morning atsix o'clock. I got a licking today that beat the one Beany got. Lastsummer me and Tomtit Tomson and Cawcaw Harding and Whack and Poz andBoog Chadwick went in swimming in May and all thru the summer untilOctober. One day i went in 10 times. Well i dident say anything about itto father so as not to scare him. Well today he did go to Boston and hesaid i am going to teech you to swim. When i was as old as you i coodswim said he, and you must lern, i said i have been wanting to lern toswim, for all the other boys can swim. So we went down to the gravil andi peeled off my close and got ready, now said he, you jest wade in upto your waste and squat down and duck your head under. I said the waterwill get in my nose. He said no it wont jest squat rite down. I cood seehim laffin when he thought i wood snort and sputter. So i waded out alittle ways and then div in and swam under water most across, and when icame up i looked to see if father was supprised. Gosh you aught to haveseen him. He had pulled off his coat and vest and there he stood up tohis waste in the water with his eyes jest bugging rite out as big ashens eggs, and he was jest a going to dive for my dead body. Then iturned over on my back and waved my hand at him. He dident say anythingfor a minute, only he drawed in a long breth. Then he began to lookfoolish, and then mad, and then he turned and started to slosh back tothe bank where he slipped and went in all over. When he got to the bankhe was pretty mad and yelled for me to come out. When i came out he cuta stick and whaled me, and as soon as i got home he sent me to bed forlying, but i gess he was mad becaus i about scart the life out of him. But that nite i heard him telling mother about it and he said that hediv 3 times for me in about thirty feet of water. But he braged about myswiming and said i cood swim like a striped frog. I shall never forgethow his boots went kerslosh kerslosh kerslosh when we were skinning homethru cros-lots. I shall never forget how that old stick hurt either. Ennyhow he dident say ennything about not going in again, so i gess i amall rite. 

June 15, 186- Johnny Heeld, a student, came to me and wanted me to carrysome tickets to a dance round to the girls in the town. There was about1 hundred of them. He read the names over to me and i said i knew themall. So after school me and Beany started out and walked all over townand give out the tickets. I had a long string of names and every timei wood leave one i wood mark out the name. I dident give the Head girlsany because they told father about some things that me and Beany andPewt did and the Farmer girls and the Cilley girls lived way up onthe plains and i dident want to walk up there, so when i went over toHemlock side to give one, i went over to the factory boarding house andgive some to them. They was auful glad to get them too and said theywould go to the dance. Some people was not at home and so i gave theirtickets to the next house. It took me till 8 o'clock and i got 1 dollarfor it. I dont beleive those girls that dident get their tickets willcare much about going ennyway. I gess the Head girls wont want to tellon me another time. 

June 16. Dennis Cokely and Tomtit Tomson had a fite behind Hirvey'sresterent today. Hirvey stopped them jest as they were having a goodone. Thats jest the way. I dont see why they always want to stop a fite. All fellers fite for is to see which can lick, and how can they tellunless they fite it out. 

June 17. Brite and fair. They is going to be a big cattle show here thisfall. They are going to have it in a field up by the depot. They aregoing to have horse trots and shows and everything. We are going to haveno school. It dont come for an auful while yet. Charles Taylor is goingto have Nelly to ride. 

June 18. Me and Mickey Gould had a race horseback. He had one of BenMerril's little black horses, we raced way round Kensington ring. I coodbeat trotting and he cood beat running. When i got home Nelly was soswetty that father told me not to ride her for a week. 

June 19. Went up to Chadwicks after school. Boog and Whack got Williefiting with Johnny Rogers. Willie licked him. Willie is Whack's littlebrother. He is a auful cunning little feller. He can fite too. All theChadwick's can fite. 

June 20. Brite and fair. I am going fishing tonite with Potter Gorham. 

June 21. Brite and fair. Went fishing today with Potter Gorham. I cought5 pirch and 4 pickeril. I cleaned them and we had them for supper. Father said they was the best fish he ever et. I also cought the biggestroach i ever saw, almost as big as a sucker, and i cant tell what idid with him. I thought Potter had hooked him for fun, but he said hedident, and we hunted everywhere for him. I dont know where i put thatroach. 

June 22. The students had their dance last nite. They had a auful time. Some of the girls which dident get no tickets was mad, and the studentswhich wanted them to go was mad and they went to Johnny Heeld and givehim time. Then he went round and told them how it was and give themtickets. Well the nite of the dance everything was all rite until lotsof people came which hadent been on the list, but which we had giventickets. Well the students dident want to let them in and they were mad, and Chick Randal hit a student named Pendry rite in the nose and nockedhis glasses off and Nichols nocked Johnny Lord way acros the entry andthey was going to have a big fite when Bob Carter and 2 or 3 men stopedit. Today Johnny Heeld came down to the house and said i had got thingsall mixed up and father made me give back the dollar. But he told JohnnyHeeld he hadent ought to have let me try such a hard job. Gosh, i amglad father thinks it was a mistake, and dont know that i did it onpurpose. 

June 23. There is a dead rat in the wall in my room. It smells auful. 

June 24. Rany. Most time for vacation. The smell in my room is fearful. 

June 25. More trouble today. It seems as if there wasent any use inliving. Nothing but trouble all the time. Mother said i coodent sleep inthat room until the rat was taken out. Well father he came into my roomand sniffed once and said, whew, what a almity smell. Then he held hisnose and went out and came back with mister Staples the father of thefeller that called me Polelegs. Well he came in and put his nose up tothe wall and sniffed round until he came to where my old close hung. Then he said, thunder George, this is the place, rite behind thisjacket, it is the wirst smell i ever smelt. Then he threw my close in acorner and took out his tools and began to dig a hole in the wall, whilefather and mother and aunt Sarah stood looking at him and holding theirnose. After he dug the hole he reached in but dident find ennything, then he stuck in his nose and said, it dont smell enny in there. Thenthey all let go of their nose and took a sniff and said murder it iswirse than ever it must be rite in the room somewhere. Then father saidto me, look in those close and see if there is ennything there. So ilooked and found in the poket of my old jaket that big roach that ilost, when i went fishing with Potter Gorham. It was all squashy andsmelt auful. Father was mad and made me throw the jaket out of thewindow and wont let me go fishing for a week. Ennyway i know now whatbecame of my roach. 

June 26. Keene and Cele are going to sing in the Unitarial quire. Fathersays he will give them some bronze boots. Mother got them some new netsfor their hair today. Girls has lots more done for them than fellers. 

June 27, 186- Brite and fair. School closed today. We dont have ennymore school til September. Snapcrackers have come. 8 cents a bunch atold Langlys store. Lane and Rollins sell them for 10 cents. Torpedos 8cents a bunch. Pin wheels 1 cent each. Pewt is going to have a cannon. Father wont let me have a cannon. He says i dont know enny more than tolook into it and blow my head off. 

June 28. Clowdy but no rane. 4th of July pretty soon. Father says whenhe was a boy all they had for fireworks was balls of wool soaked intirpentine whitch they lit and fired round. I am glad i did not livethen. 

June 30. Clowdy but no rane. Went in swimming 3 times today. I am goingbullfroging monday. 

June 31. No July 1. Went to church today. 

July 2. I went bullfroging today. Thunder storm today. 

i have got 10 bunches of snapcrackers and some slowmatch. I spent adolar of my cornet money. I gess i shall never get that cornet. I hopeit wont rane the 4th. 

July 3. Nite before 4th. Pewt and Beany can stay out all nite. Fathertook my snapcrackers into his room and said if i get up before 5 i canthave enny. 

July 4. I am to tired to wright ennything. I never had so much fun in mylife. I only got burned 5 times. 1 snapcracker went off rite in my faceand i coodent see ennything til mother washed my eyes out. Zee Smithfired a torpedo and a peace of it flew rite in the corner of my eye andmade a blew spot there. I fired every one of my snapcrackers. It took meall day. 

July 5. Brite and fair. I dident wake up today til 10 o'clock. I waspretty sore and my eyes felt as if they was sawdust in them. 

July 6. Brite and fair. Father staid home today. I wanted him to gofishing but he woodent. 

July 7. Father told me i cood go fishing and stay all day. I dont knowwhat had come over him becaus most always he raises time when i gofishing and dont come home erly. So i went and cought 3 pickerels and 4pirch and 2 hogbacks and went in swiming 2 times. Well as i was a cominghome 2 or 3 people met me and said they was company at my house, so wheni got home i skined in the back way so as not to see the company til igot on my best britches, but i met father in the door and he told me togo rite up to mothers room and see the company. So i skined up to herroom holding my hand behind me becaus i had tore my britches aufulgetting over a fence and i dident want the company to see. Well whatdo you think the company was. It was the homliest baby you ever see, it looked jest like a munky and made feerful faces and kinder squeakedlike. Mother was sick and they was a old fat woman who told me to goout, but mother said she wanted to see me and she kissed me and asked meto kiss the baby. I dident want to but i did it becaus mother was sick. Mother asked me how many fish i caught and what kind and i told her andsaid she shood have some for her supper, but she said she gessed shewoodent have enny jest then. 

then i went down stairs and father did i like the baby and i said it washomly, and he said it was 10 times as good looking as i was and he saidhe was glad that when the baby grode up it woodent have Beany and Pewtto play with and woodent be tuff like me, and then Aunt Sarah said shegessed me and Beany and Pewt wasent enny tuffer than father and GimMelcher were when they was boys, and then father laffed and told me togo to bed and i went. That was a auful homly baby ennyway. 

July 8. Nothing particular today. You bet that baby can howl. Went tochurch. 

July 9. Brite and fair. Most every morning we go up in mothers room tosee the old fat woman wash the baby and hear it howl. It turns black inthe face. I bet it will be a fiter. 

July 10. I have got a new nickname. It is yallerlegs. That is becausfather bought me a pair of kinder yellow britches, and made me wearthem. I bet he woodent like to be called yallerlegs. 

July 11. Brite and fair. Went in swiming today to a new place. We callit the stump. It is up by the eddy. 

July 12. A thunder storm. In the afternoon went fishing but dident get abite. Pewts father says fish wont bite after a thunder storm. 

July 13. A auful hot day. Tonite i went up to the depot to see MajerBlake and Charles Tole fite over passengers to the beach. 

July 14. I am going to the beach to stop with Beany in his fathers tent. It is called hotel de pig. 

July 15. I gess i will go tomorrow. 

July 16. Me and Beany went to the beach and stopped all day and allnite. We had a bully time. 

July 17. Another hot day. Went in swiming 4 times. My back is allburned. 

July 18. Me and Beany got in the newsleter today. The paper said theSiamese twins was at the beach stoping at Watsons tent. Pewt was madbecaus we got in the paper and he dident and told all round that itdident mean me and Beany but Rashe Belnap and Horris Cobbs. 

July 19. Hot as time. Nothing particular today. 

July 20. Hot as time. Nothing particular today. 

July 21. Auful hot. Big thunder shower and litening struck a tree infront of Perry Moltons house. 

July 22. Went to church. Beany let the wind out of the organ and itsqueaked and made everybody laff. Keene and Cele sing in the quire. Father feels pretty big about it. 

July 23. I got stung by hornets today. I went in swiming at the eddy andwhen i was drying my close i set rite down on a stump where there was anest of yellow bellied hornets. They all lit on me and i thought i wasafire for a minit. I ran and div rite off the bank and swam way outunder water. When i came up they were buzing round jest where i wentdown. When i came out the fellers put mud on my bites and after a whilethey stoped hurting. I tell you the fellers jest died laffing to see merun and holler. 

July 24. Brite and fair. I was all sweled up with hornet bites butthey dident hurt enny, i looked jest like Beany when he had the mumps. Everyone laffed at me. 

July 25. I got a fishhook in my leg today. Me and Fatty Melcher wasa fishing when we got our lines tangled, i hollered first cut, but idident have enny nife and Fatty woodent let me have his nife. So we gotjerking our lines kinder mad like and all of a suddin the hook got intomy leg. Gosh you bet it hurt. Me and Fatty got the hook out but it bledsome. The worst of it was there was a wirm on the hook and when we gotthe hook out they wasent enny wirm there. Fatty says people sometimesdies from having wirms in them. I bet this one has crawled way in. Itmay grow inside of me. Something is always hapening to me. When i gothome i went down to docter Derborns store and bought some wirm medicineand swalowed sum. It was auful bitter. It cost 20 cents out of my cornetmoney. 

July 26. Brite and fair. I was all rite today except my leg was stiffmother asked what made me lame and she put on a peace of pork. I toldher about the wirm and she said the pork wood draw him out if he wasthere but she gessed he dident go in. When i told her about the wirmmedecine she jest set down and laffed. So i gess i needent wory abouthaving wirms. I went down to doctor Derborns and tride to get him totake the medicine back but he said he woodent. I think he is pretty meannot to. 

July 27. I coodent go in swiming today on account of my leg. All thefellers went in and i had to set on the bank and see them. 

July 28. Coodent go in swiming today either. My leg is nearly well. Mother took off the pork today. It was all white where the pork was. Ican go in swiming Monday. I went down to the library tonite. It is thefirst time i have been down since Joe Parsons chased me out. I gess hehas forgotten it. I got out Bush Boys to read. It is a splendid bookabout shooting lions and zebras and gerafs and everything. 

July 29. I tried to have father let me stay away from church todaybecause my leg was sore but he said all rite you can stay, but i gessthat leg will be too sore to let you go in swiming this week. So i wentto church and dident limp enny. This afternoon i set under the appletree and read Bush Boys. Father and mother went to ride with Nellie. Itis the first time mother has been out. Aunt Sarah took care of the baby. They gess they will name it Edward Ashman Shute. I gess it is namedAshman after the leader of the band. I am going to tell him tomorrow andsee if he wont sell me a cornet on trust. Brite and fair. 

July 30. Brite and fair. I told father i was going down to see Mr. Ashman, and he said if you ever do i will lick you. The babys name isEdward Ashton Shute and not Ashman. I woodent name him for enny cornetplayer. It is pretty tuff luck. If i cood have got that cornet i woodenthave minded a licking. Went in swiming today. 

July 31. Franky had the croop last nite. I waked up and heard him coughauful funny and kinder as if his throte was tite. I called mother andshe came in and hollered for Aunt Sarah and father and they rushed roundlively and gave him egg and sugar and put hot cloths on his throte tilhe howled and after he cood howl he was all well. Aunt Sarah took him inwith her the rest of the nite. Father said i was a brick to wake up andcall them. I dont know when he has called me a brick before. Went inswimming 3 times to-day. 

Aug. 1. Brite and fair. Annie tumbled down the front steps from the topto the bottom. She howled and mother thought she was about killed butshe was so fat that she dident hurt her. 

Aug. 2. Father came home early to-day and took mother and Aunt Sarah andKeene & Georgie to ride. Me and Cele staid to look after the house. Celewent up stairs to look after the baby and when she was gone i got Annieand Franky fiting. It was the funniest fite i ever saw. They jest pushedeach other round and tried to claw each other. While they was fitingCele came down stairs and pulled them apart and boxed their ears andmade them go in different rooms. She jawed me and said she wood tellfather. When father came home she told on me and father sent me to bedat six o'clock. You jest wait Cele and you will find out. 

Aug. 3, 186- brite and fair. The fellers played a pretty mean trick onme tonite. They played it on Nibby Hartwel last nite. Nibby is visitinghis aunt and comes from the city and is pretty green like most folksfrom the city. You see if i hadent got sent to bed becaus Cele told onme i wood have been there and seen them play it on Nibby. Well last niteall the fellers was out. Whack and Boog and Pozzy and Pewt and Beany andNipper and Cawcaw and Pile and Chick and Micky and Pricilla and Fatty. Nibby he was there too. They wanted to play lead the old blind horseto water and i was to be the blind horse. They said they had some funplaying it the nite before, that was when they played it on Nibby but idident know that. Well you blindfole a feller and give him a rope anda swich and the other fellers get on the other end of the rope and thefeller nearest you has a bell and rings it and you pull and if you canpull him up to you, you can paist time out of him with your swich, onlyif you pull off your blindfole all the fellers can paist time out ofyou. Well they blindfoled me and hollered ready and i began to yank andpull and the feller rung his bell and he came pretty hard at first buti kept yanking and bimeby he come so quick that i nearly fell over backwards and i felt him and grabed him and began to paist time out of himwhen he grabed away my swich and began to paist me, and that wasent fairand i pulled off my blindfole and who do you suppose it was, well it wasWiliam Perry Molton and he was mad. They had tied me to his door belland i had yanked out almost ten feet of wire. When i saw who it wasgosh i began to holler and he stoped licking me. I gess he never lickedanyone before because he dident know just how to lay it on. Well whenhe found out how it was he let me go but he said he shood have to dosomething about the boys distirbing him so. It was a pretty mean trickto play on a feller. We are going to try and play it on Pop Clarktomorrow nite. 

Aug. 4. Brite and fair. Me and Hiram Mingo had a race today to seewhitch cood swim the furtherest under water. I beat him easy. He canlick me but i can beat him swiming. 

Aug. 5. Nothing particular today. Only church. 

Aug. 6. The baby was sick today had the doctor. 

Aug. 7. The baby was sicker. I dident go in swiming. 

Aug. 8. The baby is better today. I went in swiming 5 times. 

Aug. 9. Raned all day. The baby is all rite. I went bullfroging withChick Chickering. 

Aug. 10. Nellie is sick. Joe Hanes cut a hole in her and put in a onionand some braded hair and then father took her out to pastur. I cant rideher for a month. 

Aug. 11. Brite and fair. Mister Watson, Beanys father got throwed off ofhis horse today and renched his rist. The horse coodent have throwed himbut the gert broke. Mister Watson can ride splendid. 

Aug. 12. Brite and fair. No more church this month. Bully. 

Aug. 13. Brite and fair. I went down to Ed Toles and me and Ed rode onthe hack with Joe Parmer. 

Aug. 14. Ed Tole and Frank Hanes are mad. Frank hollered over to Ed, Ed Tole fell in a hole and coodent get out to save his sole, and Edhollered back Frank Hanes aint got no branes. And then they was mad. 

Aug. 15. Wiliam Perry Molton has got some ripe apples in his back yard. Me and Pewt helped him ketch some hens today and he said we cood havesome apples if they was any on the ground. They was only 2 wirmy onesbut before we left 5 or 6 fell off i gess it was because Pewt pushed meagenst the tree. They was pretty good apples too. 

Aug. 16. Rany. I went fishing with Potter Gorham. Caught 3 roach and 5hornpowt. We et them for supper. Father said i can clean fish mostas well as he can. He says he will come home some day erly and go afishing. 

Aug. 17. John Gardner has hung up a Grant and Colfax flag. They will besome fun this fall. 

Aug. 18. Brite and fair. Today i went fishing with Fatty Melcher. Wecaught some ells and some hornpowt. Ells and hornpowt can live a longtime out of water and so when i got home i put 5 that were alive in therane water barril. 

Aug. 19. Brite and fair. It is fun to sit round all day Sunday and nothave to go to church. 

Aug. 20. Brite and fair. I had to spend the whole morning in going tothe river for water for washing. It was wash day and when mother went tothe rane water barril there was 5 dead hornpowt floting on the top. Shemade me tip the barrel over and get water from the river. They was somefun for Beany helped me and he stood in the hand cart and filled thetubs and all of a sudden i let go and the old cart flew up and Beany andthe tub and the pail and everything went rite in. Beany isent going tospeak to me ever again. 

Aug. 21, 186- Gosh, we are having fun now. What do you think. They isgoing to be a big mass meeting this fall. Ben Butler and Jake Ely andlots of old pelters are going to be here, and they is going to be 4 or5 bands and lots of fun. Well before that comes they is going to be lotsof political meetings and the first one is to be next week, and fatheris going to make a speach. Gim Luverin and Bil Morrill and GeneralMarsten and Tom Levitt, and he is a ripper to holler. And they wantfather to make a speach. Father says he must work for the party andperhaps he can get his salery rased. So he has been a riting every niteand mumbling it over to hisself and last nite he said he had got it. Tonite he is a going to speak it to us. 

Aug. 22. Last nite father studed his speach over and let us stay upto hear it. He stood up and looked auful stirn and put one hand in thebuzum of his shert. I coodent help laffin, but he told me to shet upor i cood go to bed and so i shet up. I tell you it was fine. It begunMister Moddirator had i supposed, or for 1 moment dremp that i a humbleoffis holder under this glorious government, wood have been called uponto speak, i shood have remained at home with my wife and my children. 

i said, if you dont want to make a speach why dont you stay at homethat nite, and he said 1 more word from you sir and you go to bed. So idident yip again. 

then he went on like this, were it not that a crool axident in my erlyyouth, in my far away boyhood days prevented me from voluntearing anddesecrating my life to my countrys welfare, in the strugle jest endedi wood have poared out evry drop of my blud to have maintaned her ownerand the owner of her flag. Mother began to laff and said George howcan you tell such feerful stories, you know you were scart most to dethbecaus you was afraid you wood be drafted. 

father said they was a lot of old fellows traveling round the countryand talking that way who coodent have been drug into the war with a oxchane. Then he stood on the other leg a while and said, it is peculiarlyaproprate that Exeter, the berth place of Lewis Cas, the educater ofWebster, the home of Amos Tuck, of General Marston shood be fourmostin the party strife, and as for me i wirk only for my partys good, mycountrys good, without feer or hope of reward. They was a lot more toit, and some of it you cood hear about a mile he hollered so. 

Aug. 23. We are all going the nite of the rally. Mother says she wont gofor she wood be ashamed to hear father tell such dredful stories. AuntSarah dont want to go because she is afraid father will brake down. Butshe has got to go with me and Keene and Cele and Georgie. 

Aug. 24. Father practised his speach tonite and we all hollered andclaped at the fine parts. He has got a new pair of boots. They hurt liketime and he only wears them nites when he is practising his speach. 

Aug. 25. Father licked me tonite becaus i spoke some of his speach toBeany. He was auful mad and said i was the bigest fool he ever see. Thefellers have got up a Grant Club. Pricilla cant belong because he is ademicrat. 

Aug. 26. Father called me and Beany out behind the barn tonite and gaveus 10 cents apeace if we woodent say anything about his speach. Aftersupper father practised again but he dident holler so loud becaus he wasafraid some body wood hear him and mother dident want him to wake up thebaby, and it was sunday too. 

Aug. 27. It has been brite and fair all the week and hot as time. I haveto go to the river for soft water because it hasent raned eny since ihad to tip over the rane water barril. I have got a little tirtle as bigas a cent. Father went down to General Marstons office tonite to arrangeabout the rally. He came home and practised about an hour. I gess hewood have practised all nite if the baby hadent waked up an hollered. 

Aug. 28. We are all getting ready for the rally. Keene and Cele andGeorgie have got some new plad dresses. Father has got a pair of graybritches and a black coat. Mother said the rally was a good thingbecaus it was the first time she had seen father dressed up since he wasmarried. 

Aug. 29. They was a big thunder shower last nite. We all got up in thenite and went into mothers room. Mother sat on the fether bed and allthem that was scart cood set there. I wasent scart. Father said it wouldbe jest the cussid luck to have it rane the nite of the rally. 

Aug. 30. We had the last practise tonite, father put on his best closeand new boots and the girls had on their plad dresses and i had on a newpaper coller. We all set down and father came in and stood up. I tellyou he looked fine. Well he begun, mister modderater had i suposed orfor 1 moment dremp, and then he forgot the rest. I tell you he was mad. I wanted to laff but dident dass to. Well after a while he rememberedand went through it all rite, and then he went over it 2 times more. Gosh what if he shood forget it tomorrow nite. He is going to wrightsome of it on his cufs and he practised tonite making jestures so as tobring his cufs up so that he cood read it. 

Aug. 31. The rally is tonite. Father woke us all up last nite holleringin his sleep. He dremp about the speach. This morning he went to Bostonwithout eating his brekfast. I gess he is begining to be scart. I am agoing to make his boots shine today. Gosh what if he shood brake down. Igess i am getting a little scart too. Brite and fair. 

Sept. 1. Last nite father came home and the first thing he did was tosend me down to miss Pratts for his shert. It was all pollished andshone like glass. Then he asked if i had blacked his boots and then heet supper. He dident eat much though. He said Mr. Tuck came down fromBoston with him. Mr. Tuck was a going to make a speach first and then hewas going to introduce Gim Loverin as chairman and then Gim Loverin wasa going to call on father. Father said he bet 5 dollars he wood call himGim instead of mister modderator. Father was pretty cross at supper. Igess he was getting scart. The baby began to cry and father asked motherwhy she dident choak the squawling brat and mother sorter laffed andput the baby into fathers lap and said i gess you had better choak him. Father laffed and began to toss the baby up and down. He likes the babyand while he was playing with it he was all rite. But after supper hewas cross and said he hed an auful headake. Then he went practising hisspeach again so as not to call the modderator Gim. Well we got ready andwent down erly to get some good seats so as to hear father and see himcome in with them that was to set on the platform. We wanted to go downwith father but he said he coodent bother with us. But before we went hecame down stairs with his new close on and he looked fine but his facelooked auful white. He said he had a headake but as soon as he gotstarted to speak it wood all go off. So we went down. Cele had her haircurled and Keene had a new red silk ribbon on her hair becaus her hairwont curl and Aunt Sarah had on a new dolman with beeds on it and somelong coral earrings and they all looked fine. Aunt Sarah took Georgie bythe hand becaus she was the littlest and me and Keene and Cele followedon. 

When we got there the band was playing in front of the town hall andaunt Sarah said i cood stay out and hear it and then said i cood sitwith Gim Wingit and Willy Swet if i wood behave. I said i wood and welissened and after the band went in we went too. Most all the seats weretaken and we got some bully seats way up in front. I looked for fatherbut coodent see him becaus the speakers hadent come in. Well jest assoon as we got in the policeman was up in front and he said they hasbeen to much whisling and stamping and the next one that whisles orstamps will get put out. Well they was old Swane and Brown and Kize andDirgin and every body kept quiet. After a few minits the band began toplay hale to the chief and the speakers came marching up the middle ile. I looked for father but he wasnt there. Evrybody began to clap and stampand Gim and Willy asked me where my old man was. I stood up to see if hewas there and jest then i saw the policeman a rushing at me. He grabedme by the collar and shook me round till i dident know which end my headwas on and he draged me down the ile and threw me out. As we were goingdown the ile i saw Aunt Sarah running down the other ile as fast as shecood go with her bonnet on the back of her head and Keene and Cele andGeorgie following along all bawling. She got out in the entry jest ashe was going to put me out of the front door and she grabed me away fromhim and said you misable cowardly retch to treat a boy that way. He saidi whisled and she said he dident and you knew it only you dident dasstake ennyone else. 

Then she told us to come home and we went home as fast as we cood allbawling. When we got home mother was sitting up alone and aunt Sarahstarted to tell her and Keene and Cele and Georgie all bawled and younever heard such a noise, and father was in bed with a headake andhollered out what in time is the matter. And she told him and iheard him jump out of bed and in a minit he came out buttoning up hissuspenders. Mother said where in the world are you going George, andhe said things is come to a pretty pass if a boy cant go and hear hisfather make a speach without being banged round by a policeman. I amgoing down to knock the heads off every policeman there. And he reechedfor his vest. Mother said George, dont you go near the hall, and fathersaid he cood lick anny 2 men on the police force easy and he would showthem how to slam people round and he reeched for his coat, and Keene andCele and Georgia began to bawl again to think he wood get hurt and auntSarah and mother said you had better not go George, and father said hewood give them more fun in 5 minits than they had seen in a politicalrally in 5 years and he reeched for his boots and mother said what willthey think of you after you have sent word that you are too sick tomake a speach, to see you come rushing into the hall and go punching thepolicemen and father had got on 1 boot and when she said that he beganto look kinder sick and said, thunder that is so. And then his headakegot wirse and he gave me a twenty five cent scrip and Keene and Cele andGeorgie ten cents each and he went to bed and so did we. 

i wonder if his head aked really so he coodent make a speach or if hewas scart. I bet he was scart. 

school commences monday. Father hasent asked once about my diry, so iaint going to wright enny more. 

THIRTY YEARS (OR MORE) AFTER

On looking back over the pages of the "Diary" it appears to me that somesort of an amende honorable is due to those citizens now living, and therelatives and friends of those now dead, whose names have appeared inthe "Diary" and who have, so to speak, been handled without gloves. ThatI have been neither mobbed, nor horsewhipped, nor sued, nor prosecuted, but that I have enjoyed many a good laugh with--and have received manypleasant words from--the victims, and their friends, is good evidencethat they, and their more fortunate brothers who have not been thereinmentioned, have taken the "Diary" in the very spirit in which it waspublished, that of affectionate and amusing retrospect. And it is indeedwith affection that I recall those men, at that time in their prime. That I could not then understand the reason why they did not fully enterinto and appreciate the spirit that prompted me and my boon companionsto transgress so many rules, laws, and statutes is not surprising. Boysseldom can understand it. But, although I now fully appreciate it, Ioften wonder at the spirit that prompted so many of those men in afteryears to show me so many kindnesses, so much encouragement, and suchgreat forbearance. 

So many inquiries have been made of me about that cornet, thesoul-filling ambition of my early years, that I feel that theuncertainty in regard to that delightful instrument ought to be clearedup. I never did save up enough money to buy a cornet. I haven't to thisday. But many years afterwards, when my ambition had been turned intoother and equally profitless channels, upon the death of a dear friendhis beautiful cornet was sent me. I have it now, as the neighbors andthe members of my family can testify fully and with deep feeling, ifcalled upon. 

H. A. S. 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

A good many years ago, during my college days, it was my custom and thatof my room-mate, Brown of Exeter, to make our room the gathering-placefor Exeter boys, both "stewdcats" and homesick Exeter youths thenfilling positions in Boston. It happened that frequently undergraduatesfrom other towns and cities came in at these Saturday evening gatheringsand it was a matter of wonder to them that we had so much to talk aboutin relation to our native town; and it was their frequent remark that"either Exeter is a remarkable place, or you are a remarkably loyal setof fellows. "

That Exeter is a remarkable place is an axiom, and no better evidence ofthe fact can be found (were evidence necessary to sustain an axiom) thanin the loyalty that every citizen displays, and the sincere love thatprompts every one who has ever come under the spell of our dear old townto revisit her at every opportunity. 

Where else could a diary of this nature, dealing with actual personsand actual events, be published and be received with such absolutegoodnature and even enthusiasm by the persons now living who arementioned therein?

It is therefore with affection as well as amusement that I appendthe following brief biographical sketches of persons mentioned in the"Diary, " preserving as nearly as possible the order of their appearancein the book. As many readers of the "Diary" have expressed a desire toknow more of the subsequent histories and achievements of those thereinmentioned, it is hoped this information will satisfy a curiosity andinterest which, to a loyal son of Exeter, appear quite natural:--

1. Father. GEORGE S. SHUTE. 

A native of Exeter. For twenty-six years a clerk in the Boston NavalOffice. Still living in Exeter, an old man with a young tongue; in fact, the quickest man at repartee in Exeter. 

2. Mother. 

My mother died in the winter of 1896. No words can do justice to herqualities. "A sweeter woman ne'er drew breath. "

3. "Gim" Melcher. 

An old friend of my father's. Died in Maiden a few years ago. 

4. Some of the men who were "wrighting fast" in the Custom Housewere the following:--

GEORGE DAVIS, of Lexington, who a year ago celebrated his fiftiethconsecutive year of service in the Naval Office; COLONEL IVORY POPE, of Cambridge; BENJAMIN A. SIDWELL, of East Boston; JACOB A. HOWE, ofMaiden; FRANK HARRIMAN, a brother of the late Governor Harrimanof Concord, N. H. HIRAM BARRUS, of Reading, Mass. Deceased; C. C. WHITTEMORE, of Portsmouth, N. H. ; CHARLES MUDGE, of Maiden; MATTHEWF. WHITTIER, of Medford, a brother of the poet Whittier, and anewspaper-writer of considerable prominence, writing under the pen-nameof "Ethan Spike"; and TRISTRAM TALBOT, of Newburyport, with otherswhom the writer does not now recall. A few years later the writer spentseveral of his college vacations as deputy clerk in the same NavalOffice, and made pleasant acquaintances with all of the above-named men. He found them very competent clerks, courteous gentlemen, and the beststory-tellers that he ever knew, and recollects those vacations as verypleasant periods in his school life. Some of them still hold positionsin the Custom House. 

5. Charles "Talor": CHARLES TAYLOR. 

A great friend of the family. Died in Exeter about ten years ago. 

6. "Beany": E. L. WATSON. 

In business at Williamstown, Mass. Attained his boyhood ambition andmarried Lizzie "Tole, " Ed's sister. 

7. "Pewter": C. E. PURINGTON. 

My near neighbor, a decorative painter, who early displayed talent inthis direction. 

8. "Skinny Bruce": WM. J. BRUCE. 

A tinsmith of Exeter who still thinks he could have licked FrankElliott. 

9. Frank Elliott. 

A successful mechanic in Boston, who is confident that he could havelicked "Skinny" Bruce. 

10. "Nipper": JOHN A. BROWN. 

Exeter. Chairman of the School Board. Trustee of the Seminary. Trusteeof the Library. My room-mate at Harvard. 

11. "Micky" Gould. 

I do not know what became of "Mickey. " Wherever he is, there is agood-natured, jolly man. 

12. Mr. Winsor. 

Address not known. How he could throw a snowball. 

18. "Ed" Towle. 

Exeter, N. H. With a keen memory for old days. 

14. "Dany" Wingate. 

A very prominent man. The father of J. D. P. And C. E. L. Wingate of theBoston Journal. Died at Exeter many years ago. 

15. "Whacker": COL. A. M. CHADWICK. 

Lowell, Mass. 

16. "Pozzy": AUSTIN K. CHADWICK. 

Lowell, Mass. 

Two of the best known and most respected citizens of Lowell. Dignifiedand sedate, but just touch on old Exeter days and watch their eyestwinkle and their tongues loosen. 

17. "Pricilla": PROF. CHARLES A. HOBBS. 

Boston. Has written some dreadful mathematical works, and revisitsExeter often, but not often enough. 

18. "Pheby": CHARLES A. TAYLOR. 

Has inherited the very qualities that made his father so good a friend. 

19. "Lublin. "

Address not known. 

20. "Nigger" Bell. 

So called because his hair was so very white. Professor of Chemistry ina Western University. Died recently in Maiden. 

21. Tommy Thompson: R. G. THOMPSON. 

New London, Conn. 

22. "Dutchy": DR. WILLIAM A. SEAMANS. 

New York City. Fullback on the Harvard '77 eleven. There are severalex-principals of the Exeter High School who will remember Thompson andSeamans in very clear and vivid colors. 

28. "Chick" Chickering: PROF. JOHN J. CHECKERING. 

Flushing, L. I. Commissioner of Public Education of New York State. 

24. "Tody": TIMOTHY FINTON. 

Exeter. An expert wood-worker with a leaning for politics. 

25. "Gim" Wingate: JAMES D. P. WINGATE. 

Winchester, Mass. The business manager of the Boston Journal. 

26. "Skipy": H. C. MOSES. 

Exeter. For many years in the wholesale wool business in Boston. One ofthe keenest sportsmen and best wing shots in New Hampshire. 

27. "Pile": JOHN G. WOOD. 

Chicago. Manager of the McKay Cordage Factory in Chicago. Promises toreturn to Exeter when he has made his "pile" ($100, 000). From presentindications, the prospect is favorable. 

28. Billy Folsom: WM. H. FOLSOM. 

Exeter. Member of the firm of E. Folsom & Co. Brass Works. One ofHarvard's greatest pitchers. 

29. "Hoppy" Gadd. 

A very eccentric but sterling citizen, who could make cowhide bootswhich, like the panels in the "one-horse shay, " "would last like ironfor things like these. " Died in Exeter a few years ago. 

30. "Si" Smith. 

The man with the "funny sine. " Died in Exeter nearly thirty years ago. 

31. "Gran" Miller and "Ben" Rundlet. Addresses not known. 

32. Squire Lane. 

Died in Lynn. 

33. Charles Burley. 

Died in Exeter. For many years Treasurer of Phillips Exeter Academy, andSuperintendent of the "Unitarial" Sunday School. 

34. "Keene": MY SISTER, MRS. C. E. BYINGTON. 

Exeter. A very able and accomplished woman. The one to whom all membersof the family go when in trouble. 

35. Lucy Watson. 

Mrs. Frank Conner of Lynn. 

36. "Curley" Conner: MR. FRANK CONNER. 

Lynn. Husband of the aforesaid. 

37, "Jo" Parsons: MR. JOSEPH S. PARSONS. 

Boston. An expert bookkeeper. 

38. "Billy" Swett: MR. WM. SWETT. 

Jamaica Plain. I remember him as one of the most polite and affable boysI ever met. 

39. Mr. "Lovel, " who said, "o hell": C. LOVELL, 2d. 

One of the best amateur actors and jolliest men I ever knew. Diedrecently. 

40. John Flanagan. 

Exeter. A tinsmith and co-laborer with "Skinny" Bruce. 

41. "Gimmy" Fitzgerald. 

Died at Exeter thirty years ago. 

42. "Old" Head: OREN HEAD. 

Many students will affectionately remember him. Deceased. 

43. "Bob" Carter. 

The old janitor of the Town Hall. Gruff, but very kind-hearted. Deceased. 

44. "Wats": IRVING M. WATSON. 

Father of "Beany, " and pleasantly like him. 

45. John Getchell. 

A liberal, free, and kind-hearted Exeter merchant. Deceased. 

46. Eben Folsom. 

Uncle of "Billy, " and head of the firm of which Billy is a member. 

47. "Charlie": DR. C. H. GERRISH. 

48. "Doc" Prey: DR. J. E. S. PRAY. 

Gentlemen both, of whom the writer can say everything good. 

49. Alice "Gewett, " who was "a dairy maid": Miss ALICE JEWELL

Instructor of singing in the schools of Exeter. 

50. "Old Kize": PHILANDER KEYES. 

A policeman of thirty years ago. Deceased. 

51. "Bill" Hartnett. 

Who used to make it lively for the last mentioned. A man of many goodqualities notwithstanding. Deceased. 

52. "Old" Swain. 

A contemporary of "Old Kize, " and a co-laborer in the same vineyard. 

53. "Mister" Gordon: HON. NATHANIEL GORDON. 

A retired lawyer of Exeter. 

54. Dora Moses. 

55. Mary "Loverin": MRS. MARY LETHBEIDGE. 

Two beautiful girls and inseparable companions, whose deaths wereuntimely and irreparable. 

56. "Cele": My sister, CELIA E. SHUTE. 

Exeter. A stenographer, and a writer of short stories for magazines. 

57. "Caxcaw" Harding: PROF. B. F. HARDING. 

Boston. An early advocate of those methods of instruction that result in"mens sana in corpore sano. "

58. "Doctor" Dearborn. 

A most eccentric old apothecary. Died in Exeter a few years ago. 

59. "Aunt Sarah": Miss SARAH F. SHUTE. 

Exeter. The favorite aunt of a large family, all of whose geese areswans. 

60. "Fatty" Melcher: F. A. MELCHER. 

Boston. So named because he was not fat. 

61. "Genny" Morrison: MRS. JOHN J. JOYCE. 

Andover, Mass. By not appearing at our Grammar School Reunion "Genny"disappointed five hundred people. 

62. J. Albert Clark. 

Exeter. One of the proprietors of the Exeter Machine Works. He hasalways had a very kindly interest in "Beany" and "Plupy, " in spite ofthe many annoyances he suffered at their boyish hands. 

63. "Bill" Morrill: MR. WM. B. MORRILL. 

For many years selectman of Exeter. Died in 1878. 

64. "Dave" Quimby. 

Every student will recollect him. Died at Exeter recently. 

65. "Chitter"': JAMES ROBINSON. 

A truckman in Boston. 

66. "Boog" Chadwick. 

A New York broker, whose "heart's in the highlands;" to wit, Exeter. 

67. "Pop" Clark: WILL CLARK. 

Roxbury, Mass. A born comedian and a delightfully entertaining man. 

68. "Shinny" Thyng. 

One of the few Exeter boys who continues his father's business at theold stand. If more did the same, the prosperity of country towns wouldbe assured. 

69. "Gim" Erly. 

Lives somewhere in the West. 

70. "Honey" Donovan: WILLIAM DONOVAN. 

Providence. 

71. "Mose" Gordon. 

A Texas cattle-man. 

72. Mr. Lamed. 

Unitarian clergyman. Deceased. 

73. "Gil" Steels. 

A merchant in Denver. 

74. "Mis Packer A": MRS. MARY PACKARD. 

A famous local singer, now living in California. 

75. "Gim Loverin": JAMES M. LOVERING. 

A very shrewd politician. Deceased. 

76. "Old Mister Stickney": JUDGE W. W. STICKNEY. 

With whom I studied law. Deceased; not, however, because of that fact. Judge Stickney was a sound lawyer and an upright, kind-hearted man. 

77. "Ed" Dearborn. 

The old bell-ringer. Deceased. 

78. John Quincy "Ann" Pollard: J. Q. A. POLLARD. 

A very old man, upon whom the boys were wont to play tricks, but who haddeveloped wonderful precision of aim with a knotted cane. Deceased. 

79. Dan Ranlet; D. W. RANLET. 

Boston Produce Exchange. 

80. George M. Perkins

For many years an expressman between Boston and Exeter. 

81. John E. Gibson. 

Master of the Agassiz School, Boston. Residence, Jamaica Plain. I takethe opportunity to notify him that the Exeter High School holds itsquinquennial reunion June, 1903. 

82. Isaac Shute. 

A retired merchant of Exeter. Deceased. 

83. Major Blake. 

A famous Boniface, and for many years proprietor of the Squamscott. Deceased. 

84. Charles D. Towle. 

An equally famous livery-stable keeper, who periodically fought to afinish with Major Blake for passengers to Hampton Beach. Deceased. 

85. Frank Haines. 

A farmer. Residence, Exeter. 

86. "The Baby": EDWARD A. SHUTE. 

Exeter. Who can now handle his elder brother with ease. 

87. "Frankie": FRANK F. SHUTE. 

Who thinks he can do likewise, but cannot. A hotel-keeper at Lakewood, New Jersey. 

88. "Annie": Miss ANNIE P. SHUTE. 

Who, by virtue of a clerkship in my office, owns the entireestablishment. 

89. "Georgie"

Instructor in Latin and French in the Albany Academy, Albany, N. Y. 

90. "Nibby. "

A summer visitor named Hartwell. Deceased. 

91. Hiram Mingo. 

A colored boy. Address not known. 

92. Joe Palmer. 

A hackman with whom the boys used to ride. Address not known. 

93. John E. Gardner. 

A member of an old family of merchants in Exeter. Deceased. Brother ofElizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, the artist. 

94. General Marston. 

A famous New Hampshire lawyer and veteran of the Civil War. Deceased. 

95. Amos Tuck. 

A famous lawyer, politician, financier, and Member of Congress. Deceased. 

96. Mr. Gravel. 

Address not known. 

97. Elkins and Graves. 

Famous auctioneers at that period. Deceased. 

98. Scott "Briggam. "

One of the boys then, one of the boys now. Exeter. 

99. Charlie Woodbury. 

Deceased. 

100. "Potter" Gorham: ARTHUR GORHAM. 

Killed by an accidental discharge of his gun nearly thirty years ago. Aborn naturalist. 

101. "Old Francis. "

For thirty-three years principal at the Grammar School at Exeter. On hisresignation, a few years ago, a reunion was held which was attended byold pupils from every State in the Union, to do him honor. Still haleand hearty, and living in Exeter. 

102. Doctor Perry. 

An old family physician, who has ushered more children and children'schildren into the world than any man in the county, and who is belovedand revered by every one of them. Miss Jewett, in her "Country Doctor, "based her delightful description upon Dr. William G. Perry, her uncle. Living in Exeter. 

103. John Adams. 

Who his trimmed enough carriages to set all New Hampshire awheel, andwho still practises his trade in Exeter. 

104. Nell Towle: MBS. GEORGE W. HOOPER. 

Exeter. As rosy, good-natured, and musically inclined as she was in thegood old days. 

105. William Perry Moulton. 

A prosperous real-estate and insurance man, who unfortunately forhis peace of mind tried to raise Bartlett pears, Concord grapes, andAstrachan apples in the neighborhood that was infested by "Plupy"and his associates; who frequently tracked, chased, and caught themred-handed, but who was too kind-hearted even then to deprive them oftheir ill-gotten gains. 

106. "Chris" Staples. 

Who remembers the fight with Charlie Clark. 

107. Charlie Clark. 

Deceased. Just before he died he read the "Diary" and sent word to theauthor that he remembered the scene in which he figured and much enjoyedthe book. 

108. Mr. Ashman. 

A veteran band-leader of Boston. 

109. Frank Hervey. 

A veteran restaurant-keeper in Exeter. New living in Concord, N. H. 

110. "Rashe Belnap": WILLIAM H. BELKNAP. 

A retired banker and real-estate man of Exeter. Town clerk of Exeter fortwenty-five years. 

111. Henry Simpson. 

Periodical dealer in the late sixties. Living in Maine. 

112. Luke Maniac. 

Now living in Texas. As a boy he could curve a snowball round thecorner, like T. B. Aldrich's "Binny Wallace. "

113. "Bob Ridley": GEORGE ELLIOTT. 

Exeter. A right good fellow. 

114. Sam Dyer. 

A rather eccentric blacksmith. Died in the West. 

115. Horace Cobb. 

A good-natured, short, and extremely fat man. A native of Exeter, andlast of a very prominent family. Died several years ago. 

116. Dennis Cokely. 

Address not known. I have always felt badly "to think the fight wasthrowed away, and neither of them licked. "

117. Johnnie Rogers. 

A cousin of the Chadwicks. Deceased. 

118. Cap. John W. Chadwick. 

A retired sea-captain. Father of "Poz, " "Boog, " "Whack, " and "Willie, ""Whack's little brother. " A most cultivated gentleman, whose heart waskind, but whose word was law. Deceased. 

119. "Zee" Smith: FRANK SMITH. 

Deceased in Lowell. 

120. Miss Pratt. 

A laundress much patronized by students. She accumulated much propertyby practising the gentle art of polishing shirts. 

121. "Old Durgin": ME. EZRA DURGIN. 

A rather quick-tempered but worthy policeman, contemporary with "OldSwain" and "Old Kize. "

122. Various "stewdcats. "

Who have played their parts and gone. 

123. "Plupy, " "Skinny, " "Polelegs": THE AUTHOR. 

De minimis non curat lex.