The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-24
The Diary of a Young RuMan

Feb. 16-I got up early. So did dad and
mother but Sister didn't Anyway, she didn I
till mother called her lots Of times This aft
ernoon Sister went downtown cause she had
to buy mother a birthday present cause to-
morrow is her birthday, and she spent all her
money for the present and had to walk home
When she come in she whispered to me that
she had bought nice handkerchief for me
to give to mother but didn't tell mother. But
can't hardly wait till tomorrow.
Feb. III got up awful early cause moth
er's birthday is today. And this morning Sis
ter and me give mother our presents and she
was awful glad about II. Sister give her a
swell pickle dish and l give her the handker-
chief. It's kinda blue with little flower in
the corner, and she said 1 had to give her a
lot of kisses. 1 don't remember just how many
mustn't say how many it was.
Mother she didn't hear from dad all day but
when he come home he had a long boy under
his arm and when she opened it up it was full
of pretty roses and she said he shouldn't ought
to spend much money that way but she
looked like she was tickled about it and dad
are that way. Dad says so and he ought to
know.
Feb 1S-Well, got up early again. I get
tired writing down that 1 got up early cause
ALWAYS get up early but dad says 1 must
do it cause folks that read this diary like to
know about it. He says if don't want to write
1t all down to just write ditto / ask him what
does ditto mean and he says, the same thing
And l says what does he mean the same thing.
And he says the same thing you said once be-
fore, If you say ditto that's the same If you
said it again, and l said, OH
Sister and me went to a show at the Fl.
Armstrong this afternoon. don't care SC
much about picture shows but sometimes
like 'em. Sister likes 'em. though. She used
to get all excited and cry and twist her hand
kerchief when a bad man hurt lady a
train was bout to run over somebody or some
thing.
Dad and mother went to see Little Lord
Fauntleroy tonight and I guess they liked it
pretty well, but l guess I was asleep before
they got home again.
Feb. 19-I got up ditto this morning Dad
he looked at that and says, WELL l guess I'll
have to get you a box of dittoes so you can
sprinkle 'em around in your diary. l guess
maybe he thinks he's smart. I just said what
he said L should say. 1 told him if he made
fun of me l wouldn't write this diary no more
and then he'd wish he had somebody to help
him fill his old colyum, but he said, that's all
right, young fellow, I'll write it myself be-
cause half the folks that read it think write
it anyway. Then 1 didn't say anything cause
had to get ready for Sunday school.
Feb. 20-After got up ditto 1 had lot of
fun with dad. He was in the bathroom wash
ing and l went out and got his old hat and put
my red bandana handkerchief over nv face
and put on the hat and took my gun and went
to the door and said, hands up, and gee, he
jumped like everything. 1 guess maybe 1
scared him pretty bad. 1 guess he Thought i
was bugger.
But ne went to work all right after break
fast so l guess he got over it l had to keep
house for mother while she washed and / got
tired OF it l wanted to go outdoors and play
but she wouldn't let me, but after she got
through washing l went outdoors and got ali
dirty and then l felt better.
This afternoon when it was getting late
looked for dad to come home and asked
mother was this the night he come home or
dld ne go to the and she said he'd come
home and l was glad of it. 1 don't like him
to come home late. When he came home
he read all the funny papers to me and we
had swell time. Dad says he's glad we did
Feb. al got up ditto. And that's about
all that happened except that mother went to
the Guild tonight and dad stayed at the and
l went to bed early and went to sleep
Feb. 22-Ditto again. Dad says I'm getting
the hang of that ditto stuff-whateyer he
means. He didn't feel much like ditto himself
this morning, he said l guess he had a hard
night at the Y. He said they lust about
knocked him for goal in the basketball game
The Argus team got beat in the evening but
he said probably that's cause he didn't pIay
with them l guess probably that's the reason
all right. After the games he went out to Alice
Parks where the guild was, he said and they
was lot OF women there and no men but he
set right down among 'em and Alice give him
some swell lunch and coffee He amt much
scared of ladies, he says.
- L waited long time for the mail man to
come this morning, but finally mother SAID 1t IS
W ashlngton's birthday and he wouldn't come
Gee. washington was pretty near born when
mother was.
FREIGHT Ohices to Close For May" read
an Argus headline OF Feb. 20.