but no rane. some folks can eat chese that is all wiggly.

Oct. 27. still clowdy. i cant.

Oct. 28. Beany has got the best little ax i ever saw. his father got it for him to split his kindlins. i wish i had one like it for i have to split my kindlins with a old rusty ax that ways about a tun.

Oct. 29. brite and fair. tonite i went over and helped Beany split kindlins with his new ax. it was jest as easy as ennything.

Oct. 30. brite and fair. old Tom Fifield killed his pig today and give Beany the bladder, and we blew it up with a pipe stem and kicked it for a football after school. Jack Melvin is going to have Micky Kelleys fathers pigs bladder, only he dont kill his pig till most winter. i am going to have Oliver Lanes, and his pig is the bigest in town. i bet his will be as big as the stewdcats big football. all the fellers wish they cood get it.

Oct. 31. cold as time this morning, but i had to go to church jest the same.

Nov. 1. Beany got a licking today for hollering after old Nancy Marble. she went into Beanys house and told Beanys father. i hollered two but father was in boston and she coodent tell him.

Nov. 2. brite and fair. Oliver Lane killed his pig today. it was the bigest pig in town. i had been wating for the bladder ever sense last June and i thought such a big pig aught to have a big bladder, but it was jest the littlest bladder i ever see. i suppose it was so fat inside they wasent enny room for the bladder. Skinny Bruces pigs fathers bladder, no i mean Skinny Bruces fathers pigs bladder was most twice as big.

Nov. 3. Brite and fair. the water in the rane baril was froze over last nite. today i blew up the bladder and dride it in the kitchen. it made a prety good football. Pewt dident give me his fathers pigs bladder that he promised me when i let him see the fite when Gim Erly licked Will Simpkins. you jest wait Pewt and you will see.

Nov. 4. brite and fair. Georgie got sent to bed today and had to stay in bed all the afternoon. mother told her not to tuch a vase that was full of sand to make it heavy. i wanted the sand for my aquarian and so i poored it out. well bimeby Georgie came in and went up to take the vase and it was so lite that when she lifted hard it came up so quick that she went rite over backward and smashed the vase all to bits. mother came running in and found that Georgie wasent hurt, but she howled as loud as she cood so that mother woodent lick her, and so she got sent to bed. mother said it sirved her rite.

Nov. 5. Brite and fair. i have been sick today. i gess i et two much spare rib. when i think of it it makes me sick. so i have been thinking over the poitry about the fellers. some of it is prety good.

    Ed Tole fell in a hole
    and coodent get out to save his sole

i made that up.

Plupy Shute is a dirty brute. and never will fite if they is a chance to scoot.

Pewt he made that up.

Old Tim Calahan he was a hell of a man.

Fatty Melcher he made that up.

Frank Hanes aint got enny branes and dont know enuf to go in when it ranes

Beany he made that up.

    Nipper Brown tumbled down
    and busted his head and cracked his crown.

i made that up too.

Granvil Miller the barber went to shave his father the razer sliped and cut his lip becaus he forgot the lather.

Skinny Bruce he made that up.

i tell you they is some prety good poits among the fellers. but any feller whitch gets poitry made up about him gets mad.

Nov. 6. brite and fair. Ed Tole can spit further than enny feller in school.

Nov. 7. Keene and Cele are sick in bed and coodent sing today in church. they have feerful headakes. docter Perry came in to see them.

Nov. 8. brite and fair. Keene and Cele and Georgie are all sick now and the docter says it is scarlet fever. they are all up in the front chamber and mother and aunt Sarah take care of them.

Nov. 9. clowdy but no rane. Annie is sick now and i cant go to school ennymore. i like that. so i am making a hen koop.

Nov. 10. Rany today. Beany he hollered over today to find out how Keene and Cele and Georgie and Annie are. i have got a soar throte but i aint going to tell ennyone about it.

Nov. 11. i had a headake all last nite. i bet i am going to have the fever. Frankie has got it now and mother is afrade the baby is coming down, she asked me how i felt and i said buly.

Nov. 12. old Missis Smith is helping take care of the house and gets the brekfasts and dinners and suppers. today docter Perry he came down stairs and i was setting in a chair and he said what is the matter with you, and i said nothing and he said let me look at your throte, and he made me open my mouth and he looked down in my gozzle and then he said you march upstairs into the hospitle and tell your mother that you are a new pacient and i went up and when mother saw me come in she said well i have been expecting you. then i went down to my room and got my niteshert and i thaught i aught to write this down becaus i might die. people do die of scarlet fever, i wonder if ennyone wood read it if i did die. ennyway father said once that a boy whitch was born to be hung never wood die in enny other way, so i gess i am all rite. ennyway i aint going to wright ennymore till i get well.

* * * * *

Jan. 17. brite and fair. i dident die and every one of us got well. Annie had it the wirst and i had it the next wirst and Frankie and the baby want hardly sick any. today is the first time i have been out. Cele and Keene went out last Wensday but i coodent becaus i hadent got done peeling. after folks have the scarlet fever their skin dries up and peels of and if you get cold in the peeling you die every time. i had on my Hoppy Gad boots for the first time today. father brougt them up to show me when i was in bed. i was prety sick and dident know nothing for 2 or 3 days. mother says i was talking about the fellers i knew in Reading. we lived in Reading one year and so i thought i was there i gess and she says i talked of George and Wendal Evans and Puggy Fergerson and Totty Procter and Emma Wallis and Jonny Pike and Ed Harndin and Nelly Minot. i had a fite with Ed Harndin and licked him. when Willy died we came back to Exeter, and she said i talked about Willy to, and everything. we had some fun while we was sick. Cele used to tell stories and we made flyboxes and then when mother was out of the room we wood turn sumersets, and bimeby when we got so that we cood eat apples we used to have one apeace every day and we had to scrape them with a nife and eat the soft part, and when we were geting beter we were auful cross. i gess most every one wood be cross to lose thanksgiving and crismas two, and my berthday, and all the skating and snowbaling. ennyway i havent got to go to school this week.

Jan. 18, 186- buly snowbaling. i went out today a long time, mother told me not to plug snowballs, so i only throwed 2 or 3. i am hungry all the time.

Jan. 19. brite and fair. one of my hens died when i was sick and the rooster frose his comb. it is prety tuf on me.

Jan. 20. i went sliding today on factory hill, it was buly. they wasent hardly ennyone there.

Jan. 21. brite and fair. Whack and Boog have got a duble runner, they made it