Chapter 3

Jan. 22. i went to church today. Keene and Cele sung in the quire. Beany kept sticking his head out from behind the organ and making up faces at me to make me laff out loud till the minister spoke to him and he felt prety cheep.

Jan. 23. snowed and raned today both, i had my sled painted today. it is painted black with a gold stripe and Exeter Boy in gold letters on it. Mister Purington Pewts father painted it. i went to school today. nobody got licked.

Jan. 24. clowdy. my sled is most dry enuf to use.

Jan. 25. it misted last nite and frose and today everything was covered with ice it was fun to see people fall down. most everybody fell down. i went sliding on spring street.

Jan. 26. cold as time. i went to school. we are going over colburns in revew and so i can keep up.

Jan. 27. I havent got ennything to wright today xcept that i went to school. John Adams has got a new brama rooster.

Jan. 28. Brite and fair. i licked Ti Crummet today. me and Whack and Fatty Melcher was over on Factory Hill sliding and Ti Crummet and Hirum Mingo and Bobberty Robinson and Dinky Lord came over and i had my sled all new painted, Pewts father painted it and Ti Crummet run his old sled agenst it and nocked of sum of the paint, and i told him to keep his old sled of mine and Ti he said he wood nock sum of the paint of me if i said 2 words more and then he swoar feerfully. i dident say nothing becaus i dident want to fite him, and Hirum Mingo said Plupy says he can lick you Ti and Ti said i can nock hel out of you old spindel legs and i said i dident say so and Ti he swoar sum more so it sort of scart me, well then i was going and Hirum he pushed Ti rite into me and he kicked me in the leg and got hold of my hair and i got the under hold and got him down jest as esy as ennything and then i set on him and lammed him til he holered enuf and then i let him up and he went home balling. i bet he beter not fite me agen.

Jan. 29. Brite and fair. it aint the feller whitch can swear the feerfullest whitch is the best fiter. i went to church and sunday school today.

Jan. 30. Brite and fair. Johnny Kelly can lick enny feller on Court or South Street and he can swear auful two. i gess most of the fellers is scart of him becaus he can swear so. i aint scart of him.

Jan. 31. Rany. not mutch but sum. we was playing snap the whip today and Johnny Kelly was on the end and got snaped rite into a pudel of water and he said i dident hold on and he wood give me a slap in the mug and i said he want man enuf and jest then the bell rang and we had to go in. tomorow he had beter look out i am going to give him one in the eye and then grab for the under hold and get him down and lam him good. i bet he cant fite enny beter then Ti Crummet did, and when i have licked him all the fellers will be afrade of me. i bet he will wish he had never fit with me.

Feb. 1. Brite and Fair. i have got a black eye. this morning i went to school erly and when i got there Johnny Kelly was there and he said now old Plupy longlegs i will fix you and i said pile rite in and we will see and he began to swear wirse then Ti did, and i said if you want a good paist in the gob they is plenty of them rite here if you are man enuf to sale in, and when i said that he come at me so quick that i dident have time to get ready and he hit me in the eye and in the mouth 2 times and got the underhold before i cood and got me down and lammed me till i hollered enuf. then all the fellers holered Plupy got licked Plupy has got a black eye. it was prety mean ennyway. when i got home to dinner mother asked me how i got my eye sore and i said i got it boxing with Johnny Kelly and she said was you fiteing and i said we box every day in school sometimes Beany and Whack and sometimes me and Pewt but today me and Johnny Kelly boxed and he hits to hard and she said she shood think so, and said i had beter box with sum other boy and i gess so two. ennyway i dident lie to her for that wasent lying.

Feb. 2. Brite and fair. i gave Johnny Kelly the core of my apple today. Gosh sum fellers can fite auful and swear auful two.

Feb. 3. Brite and fair. Beany has got a new blew jacket. he felt prety big about it until Pewt took him in the back with a roten apple. Beany staid in all resess a scraping the apple off of his coat. this afternoon he wore his old jacket. but he is going to pay Pewt for that sum way.

Feb. 4. it snowed hard all day all the fellers are whacking cats head on 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.