e fer all
the wirk i do. i am tired of that old sheep. i wish
a dog wood come in some day and kill it. we all
like the lamn. it is geting so it can eat grass a
little. evry day i ty the old sheep out in the grass.
i wish it was ded. evry time it baas i have to give it
sumthing. i wood like to give it sum poizon.

August 7, 186---hot and thundery. Cele is reading
the bible throug. she reads a chapter evry
morning. she is terible religius. she is a grate
reader of dime novels. she reads all mine. father
lets me read them. he says he likes to read them
himself. it is all indian fiting. Cele has read Nat
Todd the Traper and Billy Bolegs and Scalploc
Sam and Mountain Mike and One Eyd Pete and lots
of them. she says she likes the bible best. i dont
beleve it. she has got as far as the 2th palsam.
once father made me lern a palsam. he gave me
10 cents. i have tride to forget it and it is most
forgot. it goes like this.

day unto day utterith speach and nite unto nite
showeth gnowledge.

there is no speach nor gnowledge where thy voice
is not heard. that is all i can remember now. once
i cood say it all but i dident know what it ment. i
gnew what the 10 cents was for.

mother dont believe it wil do Cele eny good to
read dime novels but father says it will help her
atain a hapy medium.

August 8, 186---mother dont like to have Cele
read dime novils. father dont cair. i dont cair
much so long as father dont stop me. of course
Cele cood read mine after i had got throug them,
but Cele wont do that. she is two good for this
wirld. it is funny. Cele is as stuffy as a bull dog
but she has got a new England consciense, so father
says, and if mother tells her not to read dime novils
she woodent do it to saive her life. but if Cele
thougt it was rong to read dime novils mother and
father cood lam time out of her but they coodent
maik her read them. she thinks it is rite to read
dime novils but if mother tells her not to she wont
read them if you cut her rite hand off. that is Cele.

August 9, 186---me and Cele are reading Wild
Mag the Trappers Bride. she has got to the nineth
palsam now. she gets the novil when i am cutting
grass for that old sheep and i get it when she is
reading the palsams. i bet i can remember the novil
beter than she can the palsam. i bet she can two.
Keene dont read eether. she is reading Weded but
no Wife in the New York Legger. i think mother
dont like that eether. tonite mother and father had