Brite and Fair Part 14

when i got up there old Biley was setting by his door with a gun over his gnees. i sed how do you do mister Tilton and he sed how do how do. i pertended i come up to see Luke Mannix but he wasent to home and i come back. i dident leeve the sine you bet.

November 1. J. Albert Clark has got a bull dog.

he bougt it of old Mike Casidy. he keeps it to perteck him from the Terible 3. father thougt he had augt to have moar pertecksion and told him so. father is verry kind to J. Albert and to Ike.

we have maid father a onery member of the Terible 3. woodent he be surprised if he gnew it. of coa.r.s.e we cant tell him he is a onery member but he is. i asted Pewt and Beany if they dident want their fathers to be maid onery members and they sed no, that their fathers had licked them for nothing the nite we roten eged the pedler and they wood voat agenst it. so that is what they get for not helping the Terible 3.

well tonite when J. Albert come home and tride to go into the house the bull dog grabed him by the hine leg and nearly toar his britches off and he slamed the door on his hed before he wood let go and J. Albert had to set in the barn while he sent down to old Mikes to get him to come up and make the bull dog let him in. so after a while old Mike come up and maid the dog let him in. then he maid J. Albert feed the dog and pat him and he told the dog J. Albert was his frend and he sed the dog gnew moar than a man and they woodent be eny moar trubble with him after this. and he maid J. Albert pay him anuther doller for coming up and maiking the dog mind J. Albert. it was lucky J. Albert had on his second best close and it wasent his best lavender britches that the dog toar. after supper tonite J. Albert took the bull dog out for a walk hiched to him with a chane and a coller round his neck and ferst the dog chased a cat and draged old J. Albert about 10 rods befoar he cood stop him and the woman whitch oaned the cat come out and told J. Albert he wasent eny gentleman for keaping a feerosius dog and J. Albert was bowing and taiking off his hat and asting her parden when the ferosius dog started after another cat and J. Albert lost his hat and had to hiper a long distence holding back with his hine legs sticking out in front and triing to stop him and hollering whoa.

well when J. Albert got him stoped he got a stick and was going to lick him but the dog grouled and J. Albert thougt he woodent lick him after all so he went back after his hat puling the bull dog along and stoping evry time he come to a tree or a post, then he got his hat whitch had been run over by a dingle cart with a lode of hay. well J.

Albert got his hat and pushed it into shaip and brushed it and put it on and started off again with the dog. and when he was going by old Si Smith store old Sis big white dog come out and piched into J. Albert dog and you had augt to have saw that fite. it was a ripper. they stood up and toar at each others gozzles and ra.s.sled and rolled over in the dirt and bit and shook and knawed each other. and old Si come out and lammed then with his cain and swoar at J. Albert and old Shep Hogden and Gimmy Bedell pulled their tales and hine legs and throwed water on them and hit them with brickbats and J. Albert pulled at the chane and hollered and Lamp Flood was a going to lick J.

Albert who hadent done nothing to him when father grabed him by the neck and neerly yanked his head off and throwed him in the guter. bimeby a feller from Mager Blakes stable told Shep to pull on one dogs hine leg and Gimmy to pull on the other and when they had the dogs rite out strate the feller lit a sulfer match rite under their noses and they let go prety quick and Shep and Gimmy pulled them apart. the sulfer maid them choak and they had to let go to breeth. it was a buly fite and old J.

Albert done well.

i wish you cood have saw old Lamp Flood go fluking into the guter.

November 2, 186---sunday again. it comes round prety often i think. Sat.u.r.day dont seam to come round as often as sunday. today there was a little. this morning old J. Albert started to go down stairs and the bull dog woodent let him. i ges in the xcitement of the fite and chaising the cats he had forgot that J. Albert was his master. J. Albert gnocked on the wall and wanted father to take the kee and open the door and get the bull dog out, and father sed are you saif J. Albert where you are and J. Albert sed yes he cant get me up here but i dont want to stay here the rest of my life, and father sed if you are saif you will have to stay there till i can send down for old Mike to come up. i dont have eny grate hankering to have a bull dog hanging to me for the rest of my life eether. so maik yourself to home and reed a few chapters of the bible for this is sunday and i gess towerds supper time old Mike will come up. then J. Albert sed cant you get a gun and shoot him throug the winder and father sed it is sunday Albert and i am verry perticler about using fire arms on this sacrid day but if you will posess your sole in pashents i will see what can be did.

So J. Albert shet the window and father told me to go down and get old Mike and i done it and Mike come up with me and J. Albert throwed out the kee and old Mike opened the door and the bull dog waged his tale when he saw old Mike and wigled round jist like a puppy, he was so glad to see him, and J. Albert come down and told Mike he had ruther be kidnaped than et by a bull dog and he sed Mike had got to taik back the dog and give back his 10 dollers whitch J. Albert had gave him and Mike sed not by a dom site a bargin was a bargin and J. Albert sed he dident bargin for a dog to eet breckfast dinner and supper off of him and old Mike sed he asted for a dog that woodent let enybody into the house and he got one. and J. Albert sed he xpected to be able to get into his oan house and old Mike sed he dident say enything about that when they traded and after they had talked and jawed about it J. Albert sed Mike cood have the bull dog if he wood taik him off to onct and Mike he done it and went off smoaking his old pipe and the bull dog gumped up on him and wigling his tale.

enyway aunt Clark J. Alberts mother is coming home tomorow and i wood like to see enyone kidnap J. Albert when she is around. Filander is still at Ikes.

November 3, 186---cold as time this morning. i saw a flock of robins eeting sum red berrys on a tree. the blackberds has all gone 2 weaks ago.

Potter Gorham says they follow the cost line down south stoping evry day somewhere to eet. the robins goes last and sumtimes stays here all winter. i have never saw a robin in winter but Potter sed he see one onct.

Potter knows all about birds and animals and ins.e.x and things. he is going to be a natturalist sum day. i wood ruther be a natturalist than enything in this wirld xcept a band player. so i am going to be a band player and play the e flatulent cornet becaus that is the highest and the loudest and the eesiest to carry round.

the trumboan is pretty good and if i cant play the cornet i shood like to play the trumboan. if sum feller wood maik a trumboan that wood have the 2 parts slip into eech other so far that there woodent be enything left then a feller cood put in into his vest poket when he wasent playing it and n.o.body wood know he had it. it wood be grate fun to taik your trumboan sliped together in your vest poket to chirch and when the old minister was preeching auful tiresum and old mister Blake and old Han. Dow and old Steve Gail and all the other men in the chirch are sleeping and injoying the sirmon verry mutch indeed thank you to taik the trumboan out of your vest poket and put it together and blow a auful toot ratetatoot as loud as you can and see all the old pods gump up and sum of them hit their heads on the phew in frunt of them where they has been leening their heads in an at.i.tood of prair and the old minister loose his plaice and gump ten paiges to 7thly insted of 4thly. and when old C. Lovell 2th whitch is sumtimes s.e.xton and sumtimes suprintendent of the sunday school comes round to see who blowed the horn and to put him out they aint no horn enywhere and sum folks think it may be the last trump of Gabril. if i ever get time i am going to try to maik a trumboan like that but i am so bizzy with the afairs of the Terible 3 that i cant spend eny time in sutch things as them.

Tonite we put the sine Pewt rote for old Biley Tilton on Ikes house. we had a meating of the Terible 3 and we desided that we woodent do eny moar at present to old Biley becaus when a man sets in his garden with a shot gun on his gnees and dont ast the polise to help him they aint mutch use to do enything to him. bimeby peraps we may have a chanct. we also desided not to do eny moar to J. Albert becaus he done so well in the dog fite and was so perlite to the woman when she sed he was no gentlemen when it wasent his falt becaus he coodent stop the dog from chaising her cat the ferst yank but done the best he cood. so we aint ging to bother him eny moar. so we put up a sine on his house and neerly got cougt but dident quite. it sed

J. Albert Clark. the Terible 3 has desided that they has maid a mistaik in your case. you done splended in the dog fite and you hung on to the chane and dident let go when Lamp Flood was going to lick you whitch took grate curage. The Terible 3 think you are a good feller and are your frends for life. The Terible 3.

November 4, 186---Today Ike got old Swane to stay there. he smoaks a wirse smeling pipe than old Filander. Filander stays nites and old Swane daytimes.

Ike sent for father and father advised him to have sumbody round all the time. it costs a lot of money but father says n.o.budy wood know the vallue of money unless they spends it. Ike thinks sumthing is going to hapen prety soon.

November 5, 186---rany today. i gess it was lucky it was for if it hadent been for the rane Ikes house wood have birne down. gosh the Terible 3 is fealing prety wurried. last nite at 3 oh clock the bells begun to ring and in heard peeple hollering fire. i gumped up prety lifely and i cood hear father yelling for his britches. we got to the frunt door together and we cood see a big blaiz up towards Ikes. gosh i was scart. when father sed them devils has did it at last i thougt it was all boys play but i gess it was real. it means stait prizon for life for sombudy. i was so scart that i cood hardly maik my hine legs go but i kep up. all the bells was ringing and evrybudy was hollering fire. when we got there Pewts father and Beanys father and old Filander and old Nat Weaks and old Bill Greanleef and old printer Smith and old Parry Moulton and old Gus Brown and Pewt and Beany and evryone were pumping water into lether buckets and pales and hollering where in h.e.l.l is the ingines and this is a h.e.l.l of a fire dipartment and rus.h.i.+ng round and getting in each others way and swaring and luging out the firniture and throwing crockery through the windows. old Bill Greanleaf lowered his wife out of her chamber by tying her to a sheet and then clim down hisself when all he had to do was to go down stares and out of the door. and it was only 10 feet high and they cood have gumped if necesary. old Mrs. Sawyer fainted ded away and sumbudy throwed a pale of water on her and she gumped up and called him all the naims she cood think of.

jest then the Torent No 2 come down the strete with the men on the roap running on the cleen gump. they stoped by the reservor and run out the hoze and let down the pipe and then found that they had left the nozzle at the ingine house upon the plains and they sent a feller up there on horseback and all they cood do was to pump water into pales whitch helped sum but not mutch. then the fellers formed bucket lines and kep a pumping and pouring and wondering where the Union No 1 and Fountain No 3 were.

it tirned out after the fire was over that the moon was rising in Hamton Falls and that they saw the lite and went down there as fast as they cood hiper thinking there was a big fire and when they got way up to Isiar Hanes house the moon was up so that they cood see what it was and they was so tuckered out runing a mile and a haff up hill that they coodent do a single thing but set down and sware and call each other dam fools. they was even two tuckered out to fite and most always firemen is ready to fite and so they must have been prety well used up.

well we fellers whitch was at the fire wirking our heads off and triing to save old Bill Greanleef and his wife and Ike and his wife and old Bill Morill was getting prety tuckered with pumping and hollering and throwing water on the flaims and throwing firniture throug the winders and runing ladders agenst peeples heads and saving hens by the hine legs squorking and flaping feerful and wondering where the Union No 2 and the Fountain No 3 was and what had become of the feller whitch had went for the nozzle and hadent come back when it begun to pour rane and i never gnew it to rane faster and in a few minits the fire was out. then we was going to move the thing back but we found that sum of the firemen had choped hoals in the roof of the house. the fire hadent got to the house but they thougt they wood have the hoals reddy for the Union No 1 and Fountain No 3 and the feller whitch had went for the nozzle and hadent got back when they got there. so the house was full of water and sum of the plastering had fell down on the heads of the fellers whitch were throwing things throug the winders and covered them with plaster.

well after the fire was over we went home. father says they is going to have the best detecktives in Boston to find out who the Terible 3 is. evrybuddy says they done it to get even with Ike. father says they is jest as sure to go stait prizon as he is to get his breckfast tomorow. i went to bed but dident sleap a wink i coodent eet eny breckfast this morning.

mother says i must be sick. gosh it is wirse than being sick.

this morning the Terible 3 had a meating. we desided to give up the asociasion and to burn the records.

it is a auful thing to have stait prizon stairing you in the face when you havent done nothing.

we havent done nothing rong but if they find out who the Terible 3 is we will have to go to stait prizon. sumbuddy set fire to Ikes house sure. they wasent eny stove in the barn. if it had started in the house it mite have cougt from the chimny.

November 6, 186--- things is getting wirse evry day. i have lost the record of the Terible 3. Pewt sed he give it to me all rite but when i went to my desk it was gone. i know it was there 2 days ago.

i hunted evrywhere for it. i asted mother and aunt Sarah and all of them if enyone had been in my desk and they all sed no. mother asted me what i had lost and i told her i had lost a story i had rote and she sed well you can remember it cant you and i sed yes but i dont want to wright it again. i have hunted evrywhere and so has Beany and Pewt. if enyone has found it our goos is cooked and we go to stait prizen. i have looked forward moar than oncet to going to the reform school or to jale but i never gnew what it was to xpect to go to stait prizon for sumthing you never have did. i cant eet and cant sleap. it is wirse than being ded. a grate deel wirse.

November 7, 186---the insurance men come and xamined the fire and took measurements. they desided it wasent Ikes falt or Bills falt and so they pade them. father sed Ike and Bill maid moar money than they had for six months. but he sed that the insurance companies was going to find out who done it and it looked to him that the Terible 3 would be looking throug bars before long. i cant hardly breeth when i think of it. i saw Beany and Pewt today and they are so scart that they cant eet or sleap just like me. of coa.r.s.e we have got to laff and holler at fellers and play football but we only laff to concele a braking hart. i wood give a milion dollers to know what has become of them records. if i had birnt them we wood have had sum chanct. and if we had the sence to put sum other fellers naims in it peraps we mite escaip but i dont see enny hope.

November 8, 186---brite and fair. i wish i felt as good as the wether. it seams as if evrybody was looking at me and saying he done it. he is 1 of the Terible 3. evrytime i see a strainge man i think he is a detecktive and evrytime i see old Swane or old Mizzery or old Filander or old Brown i wunder if they is going to grab me and put the handcufs on my rists and drag me to the lockup. mother says she is going to see docter Perry about me but i laff and say i am all rite. peraps she wood tirn from me with lothing like Dolly Bidwell done in East Linn when she plaid it in the town hall last winter, if she gnew. jest think less than a year ago i was going to shows and having a good time and now i am wateing to be sent to stait prizen. i have often wundered how fellers felt whitch have to go to stait prizen but now i know.

November 9, 186---sunday again. it mite as well be sunday as eny other day. perhaps they woodent arest a feller on sunday. Beany had the docter today.

i asted Lucy Watson what was the matter with him and she sed Docter Perry sed he was in a low nervus stait. she sed Docter Perry sed if Beany had eny mind he shood say sumthing was praying on it. the minister preeched on the wicked whitch fleas when no man persuith. that wood be all rite but detecktives is pursuing us. i wish he hadent sed enything about it. i wish i cood be let alone in chirch.

November 10, 186---Pewt had the docter today.

he had docter Swet. docter Swet thinks Pewt is thretened with brane feever. father says that cant be. he sed he shood as soon xpect me to have brane feever as Pewt. i think peraps we will all feal better when it is over. what i am afrade of is that Pewt and Beany may go crasy and say i done it all. what if they shood. i wood give a milion dollers if i gnew where them records have went to.

November 11, 186---Beany aint eny better. i went over today to see him and see what cood be did and he sed he dident want to see enybudy. i went up to see Pewt and asted old man Purinton how he was and he sed he was getting no better verry fast. i wunder if he has heard enything.

November 12, 186---Pewt aint enny better. Beany aint et ennything but broth for 2 days. i still eet to keep up my strenth. i am wurried about them.

if they get two week peraps they will comfes and say i done it. i hoap they is man enuf to keep their othes. i am going to keep mine.

i forgot to say wether it was brite or fair or rainy or enything fer a weak. i dont remember and i dont cair a dam. there i have sed it.

November 13, 186---father keeps looking at me quear. i wunder if he suspecks ennything. if i had only told him he was a onery member peraps i cood tell him about things without braking my othe. i bet he wood help us. we have got to have sum help. it wont do to let Pewt and Beany dy and leeve me to go to stait prizon alone. if 1 of has got to go to stait prizon the hoal 3 of us has got to go. Beany and Pewt aint going to sneek out of it by dying. that woodent be fair.

November 14, 186---i have gave up haop and dont cair now. i am only wateing till a poliseman grabs me. i got licked in school. it dident even hirt me. it maid me think of sumthing elce but stait prizon for a few minits. old Francis says i am getting nummer evry day. he says if i dont waik up he will have to waik me.

what is the use enyway. last Sunday the minister sed evrybudy cood get the gratest c.u.mfort from the bible whatever his truble was. he sed open the bible and reed the first virse you see and it will comfort you. so today i saw Celes bible open where she had left it. she is reeding Isiar. i dident know eny part of the bible was rote by Isiar. Isiar Hanes was probably naimed after him, well i thougt i wood do as the minster sed. so i shet up the bible and then opened it and the ferst virse i saw was this.

by these 3 was the third part of men killed, by the fire and by the smoak

it was in chapter 9 virse 18 of Revellasions. you cood have gnocked me down with a fether. i shet up the book and set down. then i got out the d.i.c.ksionery and looked up Revellasions and it sed

revellasions---the ack of disclosing to others that whitch was ungnew to them.

so what is the use. i wish i was ded.

November 15, 186---the gratest thing has happened.

i feel as if i cood fli to the moon. jest think i am in my room wateing for father to come and lick me and i aint wurrid a bit. i have et haff a mince pye and i never taisted enything so good in my life befoar. i feel so good that i wood like to holler. jest think i aint got to go to stait prizon nor Beany nor Pewt. this morning Pewt and Beany were faleing verry fast and the last i heard of them they was setting up in their s.h.i.+rt tales eeting meet and potatoes and pye and evrything.

well tonite father went out and mother asted him where he was going and he sed low so i woodent hear him up to Brads. i heard him and i thougt sumthing was up. so after he had went out i folowed on and saw him go into the paint shop.

Pewts father and Beanys father and General Mastin were there. so i crep up where there was a broaken winder and lissened. father set down and took out of his poket, what do you think, the records of the Terible 3. i was so sirprized that i neerly hollered but dident. then father sed well gentlemen i have the infirnalist record of yuthfull depravity i ever read in my life. and then he read it and evry time he stoped to breeth old General Mastin wood slap his gnee and holler G.o.d did you ever hear the like of that, the little devils. and father wood holler and laff and Pewts father and Beanys father wood two. then father wood read sum moar and then he sed i wish i had been a member and i almost sed you was an onery member but i gnew enuf not to.

bimeby he finished and sed there General did you ever hear enything like that in your life and General sed he never did. then father sed he suspecked us from the ferst and peraps he was as mutch to blaim as we was becaus he stirred up old Ike and J. Albert but when the fire come he was wurrid as the devil althoug he felt sure we hadent done it he was afrade sum dam fool wood try to lay it onto us. and the very day of the fire he found the records where i had droped them. he told Pewts father and Beanys father and they thougt it woodent hirt us to wurry and they told the 2 docters and the docters sed they was all rite and it woodent hirt them.

then father sed it was only fair that he and Pewts father and Beanys father shood pay for eny damige we had did. and Pewts father sed as long as i got it up father had augt to pay. and father sed why do you say that and Pewts father sed becaus he always does get the other boys into truble and father kind of smiled and handed the records to him and sed whose writing is that.

and Pewts father looked at it and sed hum haw and that was all he cood say. Father dident know that i rote them becaus i cood spel so mutch better than Pewt and Pewt coppid them.

then General Mastin sed Ike and Bill has maid money by the fire and these little devils dident have enything to do with that and that it cougt from hot ashes enyway. now i am counsil for the boys and i aint obliged to tell a thing about them or who they are. a lawyer aint obliged to. i will put a peace in the paper saying enyone whitch has sustaned eny damige from the so called Terible 3 can by proving there damige under othe to me will be pade. and you may be sure that they aint a man living that will be willing to sine the kind of a staitment i will draw up for him, and General laffed and they all did two.