"Sequil"; Or, Things Whitch Aint Finished in the First

by Henry A. Shute

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.