November 17th Friday

Dad was awakened this morning about four o'clock by the piteous cries of his little pet canary, the wild one. He came out and found a rat, the rat we have all been plotting against and trying catch for the last two or three weeks chewing the little canary's leg. He scared it into the pantry and blocaded the door and then broke the old wooden spoon that Mr. Moon made killing the rat but he did kill it. He let it, the canary go till noon and then found that its leg was broken right off so he had to kill it.

Bill and Lila Dad and I went out and got a hauled corn stalks. We got three loads jags in and unloaded by noon and there is about another jag standing and the rest are all down and too wet to bring in. It began to sleet about noon and soon turned into rain. It rained all the after noon and is yet and much milder to-night. All the snow has vanished and given place to - mud.

Bill went down town this afternoon. Dad and I did not do much but chores this after noon. I read "The O' Ruddy" most of the time and find it is an excellent book.

Saturday November 18th

It was a brute of a day - rain, sleet and wind. and to-night it is blowing and freezing. I spent about an hour this morning greasing up my old boots. Then I went out and helped Frank get in Dad's road while he was trying to put a window in his new chicken coop so the feathered fools could see to go to roost.

I went over to Vyse's about noon with a buck-saw blade to get him to {illegible} it. Dick and Lila went down town this morning to wish Aunty Maude a happy birthday and Lila of course stayed. Dad, Frank and Dick went back to where Dad was blowing to open a ditch. When they came back Dick went down town and Frank and I played hide and seek in the old barn all afternoon. I wanted to see how it would work to {illegible} a hole I made yesterday in the straw right on to the {goal?}. Dad did the work. I read "The O' Ruddy" to-night. I seen a possible chance of getting out of having a bath to-night as Dick is catching it now.