The Real Diary Of A Real Boy.

[Jeff]

Many of you may know that I like books. I like old books. Books I had as a child that I still like to read today. This is a book that I had not looked at or thought of in 30 years but came across an old copy today. As far as I can see, its long out of print or copyright since its publication in 1902. Since the dates in the book are close to today, I thought I would let you read it along with me. A little at a time. I have it caught up to todays date, only 147 years since the time it recorded. I'll try to keep step with the date until we finish. I am enjoying this and I hope you do to. I'll mark the passages of the book with asteriks to keep those portions easy to find within the thread. Let me know if you enjoy this as much as I do. 


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The Real Diary Of A Real Boy.
by Henry A. Shute

Introduction:
In the winter of 1901-02, while rummaging an old closet in the shed-chamber of my father's house,  I unearthed a salt-box which had been equipped with leather hinges at the expense of considerable ingenuity, and at a very remote period.In addition to this, a hasp of the same material, firmly fastened by carpet-tacks and a catch of bent wire, bade defiance to burglars, midnight marauders, and safe-breakers.

With the aid of a tack-hammer the combination was readily solved, and an eager examination of the contents of the box disclosed:-
1. Fish-line of braided showmaker's thread, with perch hook, to which adhered the mummied remains of a worm that lived and flurished many, many years ago.
2. Popgum of pith elder and hoopskirt wire.
3. Horse-chestnut bolas, calculated to revolve in opposite directions with great velocity, by and up-and-down motion of the holder's wrist; also extensively used for the adornment of telegraph-wites,--there were no telephones in those days,--and the cause of great profanity amongst linemen.
4. More fish-hooks of the ring variety, now obsolete.
5. One blood alley, two chinees, a parti-colored glass agate, three pewees, and unnumbered drab-colored marbles.
6. Small bow of whalebone, with two arrows,
7. Six-inch bean-blower, for school use--a weapon of considerable range and great precision when used with judgement behind a Guyot's Common School Geography.
8. Unexpended ammunition for same, consisting of putty pellets.
9. Frog's hind leg, extra dry.
10. Wing of bluejay, very ditto.
11. Letter from "Beany," post marked "Biddeford, Me.," and expressing great indignation because "Pewt' "hasent wrote."
12. Copy-book inscribed "Diry."

      The examination of this copy-book lasted the rest of the day, and it was read with the peculiar pleasure one experiences in reviewing some of the events of a happy boyhood.

     With the earnest hope that others may experience a little of the pleasure I gained from the reading, I submit the "Diry" to the public. Henry A. Shute Exeter, N.H., Sept.23,1902.


      Father thot i aught to keep a diry, but i sed i dident want to, because i coodent wright weel enuf, but he sed he wood give $1000 dolars if he had kept a diry when he was a boy.
     
      Mother said she gessed nobody wood dass to read it, but father said everybody would tumble over each other to read it,  anyhow he wood give $1000 dolars if he had kept it.  i told him i wood keep one regular if he wood give me a quarter of a dolar a week, but he said i had got to keep it anyhow and i woodent get no quarter for it neither, but he woodent ask me to read it for a year,  and i know he will forget it before that, so i am going to wright just what i want to in it. Father always forgets everthing but my lickins. he remembers them every time i bet.
     
     So i have got to keep it, but it seems to me that my diry is worth a quarter of a dolar a week if fathers was worth $1000 dolars, everybody says father was a buster when he was a boy and went round with Gim Melcher and Charles Talor.  my grandmother says i am the best boy she ever see, if i dident go with Beany Watson and Pewter Purinton, it ws Beany and Pewt made me tuf.
     
      there dos'nt seem to be much to put into a diry omly fites and who gort licked at school and if it ranes or snows, so i will begin today.

      December 1, 186- brite and fair, late to brekfast, but mother didnetsay nothing.  father goes to boston and works in the custum house so i can get up as late as i want to. father says he works like time, but i went to boston once and father dident do anything but tell stories about what he and Gim Melcher usted to do when he was a boy.  once or twice when a man came in they would all be wrighting fast, when the man came again i sed why do you all  wright so fast when he comes in and stop when he goes out, and the man sort of laffed and went on laffing, and the men were mad and told father not to bring that dam little fool again.

     December 2. Skinny Bruce got licked at school today. I told my granmother about it and she said she was glad i dient do enything to get punnished for and she felt i never wood. i dident tell here i had to stay in the wood box all morning with the cover down.  i dident tell father either you bet.

     December 2.  rany. i forgot to say it ranned yesterday too. i got cold and had a red rag round my gozzle

     December 2 pretty near had a fite in school today.  Skinny Bruce and Frank Elliot got rite up with thers fists up when the bell rung.  it was two bad, it wood have been a buly fite.  i bet on Skinny.

     December 3, 186- brite and fair.  went to church today.  Me and Pewt and Beany go to the Unitarial church.  we all joined sunday school to get into the Crismas festerval.  they have it in the town hall and had two trees and supper and presents for the scholars.  so we are going to stay til after crismas anyway the unitarials have jest built a new church.  Pewt and Beany's fathers painted it and so they go there.  i don't know why we go there xcept because they don't have any church in the afternoon.  Nipper Brown and Micky Gould go there.  we all went into the same class.  our teacher is Mister Winsor a student.  we call them stewcats.  after we had said our lesson we all skinned out mr. Winsor.  when we went down Maple street  we saw 2 roosters fiting inDany Wingates yard, and we stoped to  see it. i knew more about fiting roosters than  any of the fellars, because me and Ed Towle had fit roosters lots.  Mr Winsor said i was a sport, well while the roosters were fiting, sunday school let out and he skipped acros the street and walked off with one of the girls and we hollared for him to come see uolooked mad.  the leghorn squorked and stuck his head into a corner.  when a rooster squorks he won't fite anymore.

December 5, snowed today and school let out at noon. this afternoon went down to the library to plug stewdcats, there was me and Beany and Pewt, and Whacker and Pozzy Chadwick, and Pricilla Hobbs. Pricilla is a feller you know, and Phelby Taylor, Phelby is a feller too and Lubbin Smith and (I've used a racial slur) Bell, he is'nt a (I've used a racial slur) only we call him (I've used a racial slur), and Tommy Tompson and Dutchey Seamans and Chick Chickcring and Tidy Finton and Chitter Robinson.

December 6. Gim Wingate has got a new bobtail coat,

Decebmer 7, 186- Got sent to bed last night for smoking hayseed cigars and can't go with Beany enny more. It is funny, my father wont let me go with Beany becaus he is tuf, and Pewts father wqont let Pewt go with me because im tuf, and Beanys father says if he catchs me or Pewt in his yard he will lick time out of us, Rany today.

December 8, Skinny Brice got licked in school today. Skipy Moses was in the wood box all the morning.
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[TexasTimbers]

Priceless. 


Father always forgets everthing but my lickins. 

The Dec 7th entry is a rib bruiser. 

[Jeff]

Word of note, the forums word censor program has inserted (I've used a racial slur) where it findscertain other words. Just use your imagination and remember this was 1860 

Its hard to type this out, but one good thing is, if I make a typo, yer goona play heck finding it.

[brdmkr]

Jeff,

Thanks for this.  It reminds me how much times have changed, and how much boys remain the same!  I thank God for my son.

I look forward to more .

[TexasTimbers]

I know what you mean.

I have some of those books that Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg are rumored to buy up and destroy as fast as they can find them, and there is not a thing wrong with them. They are classics of American literature.

[Jeff]

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December 9. brite and fair, speakin day today.  missed in Horatius
at the brige.
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[jerry-m]

Thanks Jeff.

I'll be reading along with the rest of you...


Jerry

[logwalker]

Jeff, do you have know if this is a work of fiction by Shute or does he represent this as a actual person's diary?

[Jeff]

Its the real deal. At the end of the "Diry" there are a couple appendages letting you know what has become of the folks named in the story and such.  I'm TRYING not to read without you this time, however I did read this when I was about 11 years old and still remember parts.

[Fraxinus]

Jeff, did you ever read anything by Ralph Moody?  Little Britches is probably his best known but my favorite is The Fields of Home.  I highly recommend anything by him.  They should still be in print even though he's been dead for at least 50 years, I believe.

[Jeff]

Fraxinus, Not that I can recall off hand but I may have as little britches sounds familiar. I know I know the title but can't remember if I have read it or not.

[Jeff]

********************************
December 10. Clowdy but no rane.  went to church.  lots of new fellers
in sunday school.  me and Beany and Pewt and Pile Woods and Billy
Folsom and Jimmy Gad and lots of others.  Mister Winsor dident teach
today, gess they woodent let him on account of the rooster fite.

********************************

[asy]

Its the real deal. At the end of the "Diry" there are a couple appendages letting you know what has become of the folks named in the story and such.

That's easy, I already worked it out, they're FF Members, you can tell by the spelling... 

asy

PS: REALLY enjoying this, THANKS BOSS!

[Burlkraft]

Its the real deal. At the end of the "Diry" there are a couple appendages letting you know what has become of the folks named in the story and such.

That's easy, I already worked it out, they're FF Members, you can tell by the spelling... 

asy

PS: REALLY enjoying this, THANKS BOSS!

Now Asy...Thet jest ain't rigt.......

[asy]

naw, bet its akewerate...

asy

[Cedarman]

Tanks, Asy, I thought is is ackrat.

[Jeff]

One reason I picked this book. I knew you guys could read it, and more important, so could I.

[sawguy21]

I am really enjoying this Jeff. The entry about the bean shooter hidden behind the school book was funny. Some things never change.

[Fraxinus]

Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Jeff.  My daughter is printing it out for me.  It's available free on-line.

[Don_Papenburg]

Burl , rigt is spelD rite