Mar. 9. Went down to Fatty Melchers today to make a violin, we cut a



piece of wood the shape of a violin then take some horsehairs and



strech them over a brige and you can play a tune on them.  in school



i learnt to play on a piece of india rubber.  you pull a piece of



elastic out of your congres boot and hold it in your teeth and pull



it tite and snap it with your fingers and you can play tunes that



you can hear but no one else can.  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



an awful fite today.  neether licked and they had to squert water on



them to seperate them.  they dident make no noise, only jest hung



write on to each others gozzles.  my aunt Sarah said it was dredful,



and she staid to the 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 one if he had any angry feelings toward ennyone to go to him



and shake hands and see how much better you wood feel.  i know how it



is becaus when me and Beany are mad we dont have eny fun and when we



make up the one who is to blam always wants to treet.  why when Beany



was mad with me becaus i went home from Gil Steels surprise party



with Lizzie Towle, Ed Towles sister, he woodent speak to me for 2



days, and when we made up he treated me to ice cream with 2 spoons



and he let me dip twice to his once.  he took pretty big dips to make



up.  Beany is mad if enny of the fellers go with Lizzie Towle.  she



likes Beany better than she does enny of the fellers and Beany ought



to be satisfied, but sometimes he acks mad when i go down there to



fite roosters with Ed.  i gess he needent worry much, no feller isnt



going to leave of fiting roosters to go with no girls.  well i most



forgot what i was going to say, but after church i went 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 can lick



you in 2 minits and i said you aint man enuf and he called me a



nockneed puke, and i called him a wall eyed lummix and he give me a



paist in the eye and i gave him a good one in the mouth, and then we



rassled and Micky threw me and i turned him, and he got hold of my



new false bosom and i got hold of his hair, and the fellers all



hollered hit him Micky, paist him Skinny, and Mister Purington,



Pewts father pulled us apart and i had Mickys paper collar and



necktie and some of his hair and he had my false bosom and when i



got home father made me go to bed and stay there all the afternoon



for fiting, but i gess he dident like my losing my false



bosom.  ennyway he asked me how many times i hit Micky and which



licked.  he let me get up at supper time.  next time i try to love my



ennymy i am a going to lick him first.










Henry A. Shute

S E  E  I N  G  I S B E L   I EV  I N  G

h  e  f  i  l  l  e  d  h  e  r  s  p  a  c  e  w  i  t  h  m  e  t  a  l  b  u  m  p  e  r  s  f  r  o  m

E                  Q                  U                  I                  N                  O                  X