each others back. you take some chork and chork the inside of your hand
and your ferst and last finger and then you wet your fingers and make
eyes and nose and mouth in your chorky hand and then you wate til a
feller comes along and then you lam him one on the back and it makes the
funniest cats head on his back you ever see with eyes and nose and mouth
and 2 long ears whitch your fingers made. i got 5 on my back today and i
got 1 on Beany and 2 on Pewt and 1 on Pop Clark and 1 on Nipper Brown.
Feb. 5. it snowed this morning and we dident go to church i dug some
paths and read Billy Bowlegs in the afternoon, after super it snowed
again and is snowing now. i bet they will be some deep drifts tomorow.
Feb. 6. brite and fair. it has cleared off. everything was jest as white
and they wasent hardly a track in the snow. i had to dig sum paths, and
i got up erly and dug a path down the frunt steps and out to the road so
father cood get into the hack. Jo Parmer said it was prety tuf slaying.
my Hoppy Gad boots have been greesed and they dont leak a bit. me and
Pewt and Beany had sum fun diving. we tide scarfs round our heds and
necks and div from our steps into a snow drift. and we cood go in way
out of sight. we tide our britches down over our boots, it was more fun
than diving in the river. after we div one drift all down we tride
another, and bimeby Beany he said come on fellers here is a buly drift
down by the shed and we went down and Beany said i chuse first dive and
he clim up on the shed and said 1 to make ready, 2 to prepare, 3 to be
going and 4 to be there, and then he div rite into the swill bucket. it
was under the snow and Beany coodent see it, and when he came up he was
all swill and he was mad and said i knew it all the time, and he went
home and aint going to ever speak to me enny more. i coodent see the old
bucket enny more than he cood. it is jest like Beany to get mad at every
little thing. i bet he wood laff if i div in the swill bucket.
Feb. 7. Brite and fair. Beany woodent speek to me today. all rite Beany
you jest wait and see.
Feb. 8. Brite and fair. it was buly snowballing. we was pluging
stewdcats today and Pacer Gooch came along. so we got behind trees and
Pewt peeked jest in time to get one rite in the eye. he had aught to
know beter than peek out when Pacer is pluging snowballs.
Feb. 9. me and Fatty Melcher are making some arrow rifles down to his
shop. we are going hunting for rabbits saterday. brite and fair.
Feb. 10. brite and fair. tonite father brougt a magasine home tonite. it
is the young folks. we all wanted it so we took turns. ferst Cele read a
story and then i read a story and then Keene, we all read it out loud.
Cele read amung the glass blowers. Keene read the story of a bad boy.
and i read around the evening lamp. they was all buly stories.
Feb. 11, 186- this afternoon me and Fatty Melcher and Potter Goram went
hunting. we had our arrow rifles and Fatty had a ax and Potter a hachet
in his belt and i had a nife. we had a buly time. we went up to the eddy
and then went across the river on Gilmans side. we saw 2 patriges and 1
rabbit and some blewgays. we dident hit them but we came prety near
them. then we bilt a fire and et our donnuts and then we tracked a
rabbit into a pile of bushes. when we turned over a log we scart out a
field mouse and killed it. tonite Potter came down to the house and we
read young yagers.
Feb. 12. it raned hard all day. Keene and Cele had to go to church and
so i had to go two. they wasent many there. it ranes now.
Feb. 13. it raned hard all nite. i cood hear it agenst the window and
hear the wind blow. it is comfertible to be in bed and hear the rane.
only i forgot my kindlings and i had to get up before six oh clock this
morning.
Feb. 14. Beany nearly got killed today. he was spliting wood with his
new ax and he was standing rite under a closeline. Beany feels prety big
about his new ax and he had got so that he can grunt jest like men who
chop wood all the time. so Beany he swung the ax over his head and it
hit the closeline and bounced rite up in the air and came rite down on
Beanys head and he fell down whack and laid there till his father came
out and lugged him into the house. they thought he was ded but he
wasent. I went over today to see him, he was setting in a rocking chair
by the stove with his head rapped up in a towel. i sent Beany a
valentine today. he dident send me one but i gess it was because he was
sick.
Feb. 15. brite and fair. Beany is better today. i went over and split
his kindlings for him.
Feb. 16. brite and fair and buly snowballing. Gimmy Watson, Beanys
brother said if Beanys head hadent been jest like the choping block it
wood have killed him. Gimmy is mad becaus Beany calls him Gami. He can
lick Beany alone and can lick me alone but me and Beany together can
lick him.
Feb. 17. they was a fire down on franklin street today and Bob Carter
got all squirted over and his close frose to the ladder he was on.
Feb. 18, 186- it snowed today, and then it raned.
Feb. 19. we have vacation in about 2 weeks.
Feb. 20. i shall be glad when spring comes. i wet my feet most every
day.
Feb. 21. we are going to have a school xibision at the end of this tirm
and old Francis says he is going to give prises to the best scholars.
Nipper and Pricilla and all the other good boys are studying hard so as
to get the prises. i woodent take one of their prises if they wood give
me one. i woodent give 2 cents for their old prises.
Feb. 22. today is Washington's berthday and we can ring the town bell at
1 oh clock and at 5 for a hour. i went down both times and Ed Derbon let
us take turns in ringing the bell. only 2 can ring at a time. when me
and Fatty Melcher was ringing the bell went over and it pulled us way
up to the ceeling. most of the fellers staid out in frunt of the church
and pluged snowballs. bimeby some stewdcats came along and we pluged and
hit a stewdcat named Lee rite in the back of his head and he said we
have stood enuf from these townies and he and Stone and Clifford and
Winsor, who was our sunday school teacher until he saw the rooster fite,
and Belmont came over the fence and charged us and we pluged as hard as
we cood and they pluged two and we ran behind the church and they
follered us and jest lammed us and washed Beanys face and rolled Pewt in
the wet snow, and jest then Boog and Whack and Puz and Zee Smith came
piling in and paisted time out of them and then the stewdcats charged
them and throwed Whack in a drift and Zee got one in the back that made
him lay down and grunt before he cood get his breth, and then all the
stewdcats from Toles house piled out and piched in and they was giving
us time when Bozzaris Wadly see the fite and jumped of a load of wood
and Pacer and Stuby Gooch and Scotty Briggam and Kibo Marston and Skinny
Bruce and Frank Elliott herd us hollering give it to the stewdcats and
came running over and then we had jest a buly fite and i tell you the
snow balls jest flew and Fatty Gilman got one rite in the eye and Pheby
Talor got one rite in the mouth jest as he was hollering stewdcat and it
filled his mouth with snow and old Woodbrige Odlin was coming out of the
bank and he got one in the leg and one in his old plug hat and it nocked
it of and he went over to the hotel and i gess he told old Brown becaus
he and Swane and Potsy Dirgin the poliseman came over and made us stop,
it was the best snow ball fite i ever saw. we are going to lay for the
stewdcats next saterday at the libary. old Bozzaris Wadly was the best
fiter we had and nobody knowed he cood fite. when the stewdcats wood
charge us he wood not run a bit but wood jest stand and plug and once
when Clifford tride to put him over he coodent do it. it was a buly
fite.
Feb. 23. Brite and fair. Gosh what do you think i am going to get a
prise in school. last nite i had to go down to old Tom Connors store to
get some carosene and old Francis was going down town with Perry Molton
and they was talking about who was the best fellers in school and who
they was going to give the prises. i lissened and old Francis said
Potter and Nipper and Pricilla was going to have prises, only he dident
call them Potter and Nipper and Pricilla, but Arthur and Jonny and
Charlie, then he said they is one boy who is as smart as enny of them
only he dont study much and i had to shake him up laitly and he is doing
better now, then Perry he said who is it, and old Francis said i gess i
wont tell you his name for he may disapoint me, but he lives on Court
Street. i tell you it made me feel all tremly. it coodent be Pewt or
Beany becaus they miss there lesons most every day and they aint enny
other fellers living on Court Street so it must be me, becaus old
Francis shook me and Medo Thirsten up day before yesterday and Medo
lives on South Street. Gosh wont father be sirprized i nearly got a
prise once when Fliperty Flannygan marked my words all rite and i wood
have got it if it hadent been for Gimmy Fitsgerald. but this time i am
going to get it. i bet the folks will think i am quite a feller.
Feb. 24. Brite and fair. i dident miss in school today. tonite i staid
in and studied. Pewt and Beany come round and were mad becaus i woodent
come out.
Feb. 25. Rany. i got 9 xamples rite today out of 10, but i missed in
speling. it aint often i miss in speling.
Feb. 26. i took a book today to church and studied.
Feb. 27. Rany again. i dident miss in ennything today. i told mother
today that i was going to get a prise if i dident disapoint him. so she
told father tonite and he said he dident beleive it. he said he had
nearly a buchel of prises he got in school and he give them to the
fellers to ware in a torchlite percession and they kept them. he said he
give all his prise books to the sunday school. he said when he put on
all his meddles and walked out they gingled jest like slaybells and
glitered so they scart horses. aunt Sarah laffed and said the only
prises he wore were black and blew ruler marks that old mister Ellis
give him and he got enuf of them to, and she said tell Harry what you
left the Academy for, and he said the teachers were down on him becaus
he lerned faster than they cood teech, and aunt Sarah said Doctor Sole
wood tell a diferent story, and father said that Doctor Sole was a
wirthy man but he dident forgive ennyone which was smarter than he was.
then father said you talk very strangly Sarah for one of your years and
i shall ask the Coart to apoint me as gardeen over you as a person of
unsound mind. then father said he had never told ennyone why he left the
Academy so suddin, but it was becaus he broak his jaw in 3 places
talking Greke to Doctor Sole. well he kept us laffing all the evening
and when i went to bed he give me 10 cents so i gess he feels prety good
about my prise.
Feb. 28. clowdy but no rane. i only missed in Geogerfy today. Aunt Sarah
is going to exibision day to see me get my prise. Keene and Cele are
going two. i dont dass to tell Beany. he come over tonite to get me to
come out and see him set his dog onto Mister Heads cat and was mad when
i told him i had got to study. Beany he says i will get so i cant fite
or have enny fun i am geting so good. Beany will get a good punch if he
says much.
Mar. 1, 186- brite and fair. father is going to the school exibision.
Mar. 2. Brite and fair. tonite father lerned me a speach to say when old
Francis gives me the prise. i dont want to say it but he says i have got
to. this is my speach. Mister Francis i thank you very kindly for this
beautiful present, whitch i value for the honor whitch has been confered
on me, and i trust that i shall so conduck myself that you may never
regret it.
Mar. 3. Brite and fair. tomorow is exibision day. today we rehersed.
Pricilla sung pulling hard agenst the streem and played the organ.
Potter read a composition and Nipper xplaned the sum about the hundred
geese the one i never cood do. Good morow farmer with your hundred geese
sir i have not a hundred but if i had as many more and half as many more
and 2-1/2 geese i shood have a hundred, how many geese had he. well
Nipper can do that sum and so he has got to show of. i havent got to do
ennything xcept to say my speach when old Francis gives me my prise,
whitch is prety good for me.
Mar. 4. Brite and fair. i am not fealing very well tonite. father dident
go to boston this morning but staid to home. this morning in school we
rehersed for xibision. Pricilla sung and plaid and Nipper rote down the
geese sum on the blackboard and rote his name under it jest as good as
he cood. i wanted to rite Nipper under it but old Francis wood paist
time out of me if he found out who rote it. you aught to hear Pricil
play and sing. he sings do your best for one another making life a
plesent dream, help a poor and weried brother puling hard agenst the
streem, and the old organ goes boom ya, boom ya, boom ya ya ya, that is
a prety song for a feller to sing whitch never will give the fellers the
core of his apple but always eats it hisself. well this afternoon i put
on my best close and my plad neckti and a new paper coller and went to
school erly. prety soon the people begun to come in. they was old Perry
Molton and old Nat Shute and Gewett Swazie the committy, and old Bil
Morrill with his hair curled under behind and Chick Chickerings father
and mother and docter Goram, Nippers father and mother and Pricillas
father and mother and lots of people and i thought father wasent coming
but bimeby he come in with his new britches that he made Erl and Cutts
give him and his boots blacked and aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele. Aunt
Sarah had got her best earings and her dolman with beeds and Keene and
Cele had on their bronze boots and there plad dresses and they got a
seet on the platform. Keene and Cele felt prety big becaus they was in
the seminary and Aunt Sarah felt prety big becaus she had on her earings
and her dolman and father felt prety big becaus i was going to get a
prise. well first old Francis said a prayer and everyone bowed there
heads and father bowed his two but i saw him peek out under his hand.
well then we all sung and Mary Emery plaid the organ. then our class
resited and Nipper xplained his sum about the geese and then Potter
spoke a peace and then Pricilla plaid and sung his peace. then there was
a dialog and then we sung sum more. then old Francis opened his desk and
took out a little riting desk and said it had been prety hard to tell
whitch was the best scolar becaus they was 3 boys who were so near
together. so he would give the riting desk to Arthur Goram and the glass
inkstand to Johnny Brown and the stamp colecters book to Charly Hobbs.
so when he give them Potter and Nipper and Pricilla stood up and bowd
and said thank you. if they had been so smart they aught to have a
speach ready. ennyway i had my speach all ready. then old Francis said
there was one boy who had grate talents and was a very brite boy but
owing to his fondness for play had not done as well as he shood. but he
had showed such talent that he aught to be menshioned espesially as he
had been studying much better laitly. when old Francis said that aunt
Sarah and Keene and Cele set up strate and father tride to look as if he
dident know who he meant and i said my speach over soft, to be sure i
had it rite. then old Francis said i have selected as a present for this
boy a book, and the name of this boy is, and then he stoped a moment and
i cood almost hear my heart thumping, and then he said Johnny
Chickering. Gosh i had forgotten all about Chick Chickering living on
Coart Street. when he said that aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele sat rite
back in there chairs and father turned auful red and looked at me as if
he wanted to nock my head rite of and then he droped his hat on the
floor and it fell of the platform and roled way out under Medo
Thirstons seet and then he blew his nose with a auful toot. then old
Francis give Chick the book and then he read the names of the 10 next
best scolars and my name wasent there eether. and then father looked mad
enuf to bust, and Aunt Sarah and Keene and Cele looked prety sick. then
we all sung happy school Ah from the never shall our hearts long time be
turning, and then school was dismissed. docter Goram and Nippers father
and mother and Pricillas father and mother and Chicks father and mother
and lots of the people staid to shake hands with old Francis, but father
marched rite out and Aunt Sarah and the girls two. well when i got home
you aught to have heard father. he said i was the laziest and most
wirthless boy there ever was, and i was a disgrace to him and he sent me
to bed lively. i dident want the old book ennyway.
Mar. 5. Church today. i dont care.
Mar. 6. Brite and fair. Chick feals prety big about his old book. Ed
Tole has got a new game rooster. we are going to throw him over in John
Adams yard the first time John lets his bolton gray out. i rode on the
hack today all the morning. it is more fun then geting good marks in
school. ennyway it is vacation and i am going to raise time. i dont care
for a old prise ennyway.
Mar. 7. Brite and fair. i broak a window today on purpose, i dont care.
Mar. 8. Brite and fair. got sent to bed tonite for swearing. all i said
was gol darn it. father needent feel so big. i have herd him say wirse
things than that. i dont care.
Mar. 9. clowdy but no rane. i dont care if i dident get no prise. Chick
needent feel so big. i woodent take his old book ennyway.
Mar. 10. brite and fair. i got fiting with Beany today in his yard. he
chased me over to my yard and i turned round suddin and stuck out my
arm and my fist hit Beany rite in the eye. you had aught to herd him
howl. then mother called me in and sent me to bed. it is prety tuf when
a feller cant hit another feller in the eye whitch is chasing him. well
ennyway i stamped upstairs to bed and when father came home i knew i
shood get a licking. so when father came home i lissened and herd them
eating super, and i herd father say where is that boy and mother said i
sent him to bed for striking Elly Watson. Elly is Beany you know. and
father said whitch licked. and mother said Elly was crying very loud and
holding on to his eye, and so i sent Harry to bed and father said if he
dident do ennything wirse than licking that Watson boy i wont complane
and if he will get up spunk enuf to lick that boy of Brad Puringtons, he
ment Pewt, i will give him a treet. then mother said i dont know what is
the matter with Harry this vacation. he is cross and impident, and then
Keene said i slaped her face yesterday and Cele told Keene it was her
falt and she hadent aught to have plaged me, and Keene said she dident
and Cele said she did and father said you girls shet up when your mother
is talking. then someone shet the door and i dident hear enny more.
after super Cele come up in my room with a tray with my super and i set
up in bed and et my super and Keene looked into the room and made up a
face. after super i heard father talking again and he said i needed a
good licking and mother said something was the matter with me and she
never knew me to keep cross for a hole week, and father said he wood
take it out of me in 2 minits and mother said no she wood talk to me. So
bimeby mother come up and i made beleeve i was asleep and mother set
down by the bed and said are you asleep Harry, and i said yes before i
thought, and then she sorter laffed and began to talk to me and told me
how sory it made her feel to see me so cross and doing bad things and
she wanted me to be better and not wurry her for she dident feel very
well and gosh before i knew it i was balling rite out. well i balled
good and she rubed my head and got me a drink of water and i said i wood
do beter. then she kissed me and went down and after a while i went to
sleep. gosh i maid up my mind if father licked me that i woodent ball
and i wood do something auful the next day, i wont say what it was but
it was something auful. i have been a prety mean feller.
Mar. 11, 186- when i got up this morning i felt buly, and i got a pail
of water and brogt in wood enuf to fill the woodbox way over the top. it
is warm and the snow is all gone xcept in the corners where the drifts
were. i saw a robin today and i wished on it but i cant tell what i
wished becaus if i did it woodent come true. it is something i have been
wanting auful for a long time, but i havent had money enuf to buy it.
Mar. 12. rany. i went to church. the minister said it was esy to be good
if you tride. i gess ministers dont know much ennyway.
Mar. 13. me and Beany is going to keep store in my shed. today we made
the counter of 2 barils and a board and we made a lot of flyboxes and
jacobs laders and tonite we made a lot of sweet firn cigars, and hayseed
and mulen leaf and cornsilk. this afternoon we went out picking up bones
in a baskit. most every yard had a lot of bones in it xcept where the
fellers had been. we got most a buchel. we get half a cent a pound for
them down to old Gechels store they make nife handels of them and perl
buttons.
Mar. 14. Beany got mad today and says he wont keep store with me. we got
our flyboxes all pined up and our boxes of cigars all ready and mother
said she wood give me some molases for sweatened water. so we was all
ready when Beany got mad about the sine. he wanted it to be Watson and
Shute becaus he is older then me, but it was my shed and my sweatened
water and my board and my barils and so i said my name shood come ferst
and he got mad and took half of the things and went home. i dident let
him have a bit of the sweatened water. Lucy Watson was mad two and
woodent speek to Keene and Cele.
Mar. 15, 186- i opened my store today and nailed up my sine fancy goods
and sweatened water H. Shute. Potter and Whack and Fatty and Boog and
Puzzy and all the fellers come round and i sold lots of stuff. i charge
10 nails for a sweet firn cigar, 5 nails for a rattan or grape vine
cigar and 3 nails for hayseed cornsilk and mullen leaf. 3 nails for
white jacobs ladders and 5 for gilt, 10 nails for flyboxes made of
writing book paper, and 15 and 20 nails for gilt and silver and red
paper. 15 nails for snappers that will snap good, and 15 nails for a
glass of sweatened water. i had a big trade and i cood see Beany out in
frunt of his house looking over. bimeby he came over and i said hullo
Beany come and have a drink and a cigar. so Beany he took a glass and
drunk it and lit a cigar, a sweet firn one and said how is trade, and i
said they is quite a little stiring, and he said have you got mutch
stock and i said most sold out but they is plenty more where that come
from and Beany he said dont you want to by my stuff and i said no i gess
not. bimeby Beany he said less make up Plupy and i said i aint mad and
Beany he said well let the old sine rip and so he went over and got his
stuff and pinned it up and we had a good trade all the afternoon. tonite
we made cigars and flyboxes and snappers. Beany is a prety good feller
to have a store with only he smokes and drinks two mutch.
Mar. 16. Brite and fair. i saw a blewbird today. Beany come over erly
and we had a good trade. Beany smoked so many sweet firn cigars and
drank so mutch sweatened water that i told him he coodent be my pardner
unless he smoked cheeper cigars and only drank 4 glasses a day. 2 in the
morning and 2 in the evening. that is enuf for enny man.
Mar. 17. Rany today. not mutch trade. Pewt and Nipper has got a store in
Pewts shed. Tomtit says he has got beter things than we have and he got
all the fellers to go up there. Tomtit was mad becaus we woodent take
sheet iron for pay. you cant get ennything for sheet iron down to old
Getchels and if we took it for pay enny feller cood go out and pick up a
old stove pipe and buy out your store.
Mar. 18. brite and fair. no i mean it is clowdy. Beany is acting prety
queer. he has been talking with Pewt, and last nite he promised to come
over and make cigars and he dident come and Nipper said Beany was over
to Pewts. today he was prety sassy and said he would drink all the
sweatened water he wanted. he was away all the afternoon.
Mar. 19. Beany dident make up enny faces behind the organ today. after
church i holered at him and he woodent look round. i bet he is going to
keep store with Pewt. i dont care.
Mar. 20. Beany came over this morning and said he was going to be
pardner with Pewt and he wanted his stuff and his half of the iron and
nails. I told him he was a mean cuss and he said he woodent be pardner
with a feller whitch woodent let him drink and smoke out of the store.
he said Pewt wasent so mean as all that. so we divided the stuff and
Beany wanted half of what nails and iron i had taken before we were
pardners. he dident get it you bet, and he dident get enny sweatened
water neether.