I wen to the county fare and I won a few ribbons for my horse work, and some other stuff.  I gets to go the State fare if I won to but it kin of pends on if my chorse are done.  Juanita helped me a bunch to win the ribons and she was real smart bout everythin I needed to do.  There wuz some serius good horse riders at the fare and sum wuz even girls! 

Afer the fare I went to the Mississippi river and went to camp on the river.  There wuz a bunch of kids like me and then some from the big town of Red Wing.  We seen a big sternwheeler riverboat go up the river and it wuz full of lots of people waving and they seemed purty happy.  I was the bigest boat I ever seen and I sure wished I was with them…I wonder where they wuz going?  Maybe to Pigs Eye! 

I gots to get back to my chors so I will cyper more later.

well itz ben a while since I wrote so figured I better get to doin some.  Folks been asking bout the train trip to Chicago and it wuz reel fun and it wuz so much quicker then by stage coach!  We had to stop alot for water cuz the engine belched out a whole bunch of black smoke and I think they was trying to put it out!  Everyone was right nice on the train and the con-ductor even gave me a rock candy as we was going through Wisconsin!  It was awful nice of him.

Jaunita has been teaching me how to get Will to behave jus right for the fair. Bunch of us farm kids gonna complete agin each other for some prizes at the fair.  I ben practicing most everydey with my friend.  Shes a purdy good rider but I jus keep teling her that shes got a smarter horse is all.

Gots to shoot my new gun with my uncle and paw.  We jus did some shooting at targets is all, no hunting yet, but I like the gun reel good.  I was right, they did get it out of a catalog and it wuz bran spanking new, just off the gun makin machine!  When my friend Garret seen it he whistled and sez “wow, Skeeter, you musta done something reel good to get a gun likes that”. I jus  said “prolly” and shrugged my sholders.  I been workin purdy hard as of late, so I sure did deserve it.

After the fair Iz goin to a place with windboats and paddlewheelers on the Mississippi fer a week.  Jus gonna be a bunch of us kids and a few older kids to try and keep us out a trouble.  Iz already got a pea shooter redy and hope thez gots a talent contest for me to show off my trick roping.  Maybe I’ll rope me a purty gurl! 

Here Jaunita yeling for chickens, beter go help

Well, as you prolly heard, I been ridin horses an learnin ropin from Juanita Perry.  She’s a reel good teacher.  She told me if’in I was reel good at it, I might be going to the city.  Well, I been practicin so now I am going on the train to Chicago!  Its a reel big thing I guess, so Im a bit scart, but she sad it was gonna be all rite so I ain’t to scart.  We have to go all the way to Pigs Eye Landing and then follow the Mississippi river.  I aint never seen neither.

We wuz riding the other dey and I gots throw from the horse.  Kind of took the wind from me and I sat on the grount for a while and darn if that ole horse didn’t jus stare at me like I wuz some kind of crazey!  Juanita tolt me to jus “shake it off” so i dusted off my britches and got back on that ole cuss.  Still got some sore to me cuz I aint so big, so the fall is a little farther than if my paw wuz to fall.  Aint seen much of my paw thou.  He kind of lent me out to work off some payment of sorts.  Not sure what that is all about, but Iz a hard worker and they feed me reel good. 

We been workin on a new chicken house and its coming along purty good.  Not sure why a chicken needs all that fancy work - seems ta me a good ole pile dirt of old sod house coulda done the job, but thats not the way its done I recon.  I kind of like sawing the boards and using them nails, but I ain’t reel good at not bending um.  I gets to paint it when its done and I am reel good at painting.  I even painted Dorthea Millers hair with some well ink at skool the other dey.  Boy, did I get a lickin for that one.

Iz hoping to use my new rifle pretty quick when the chores are done.  Gots me a new one for my birthdey and its reel purty.  I think they might have got it out of the catalog, cause it looks like it aint never been used.  I was so dern happy to get it, it wouldn’t matteret if it wood have ben 100 years old.  Caint wait to drop a few rabbits or maybe even a coon.  Boy, would they be surprised if I got a big ole coon.

Still kinda special on a gurl at skool but she don’t know it I dont think.  My paw used to sey dont get to special on a gurl cuz you might meet nother one ya like better and then you got a prolum.  Kind of get worked up round her, my tongue gets kinda twisted and I just kick the dirt and stuff.  Aint told he about my roping and gun spinning and stuff - didn’t figure it would impress her up.

Well, best get back to my chores for Tom Horn lerns I stopped to do some sypherin.