DECEMBER 31--New Year's Eve--and such fun at the party. Lum said he'd never seen me prettier. But as usual he stopped right there. Won't he ever propose? Two casualties during the evening, but neither of them serious. Of course one was Caleb Weehunt--he tried to add to the noise by blowing up his anvil, of all things, but coming down it knocked a hole in his roof, missing him by inches. I wonder who Caleb's guardian angel is! Casualty num­ber 2 was old Grandpappy Spears, whose double barrel shot gun back-fired and knocked him off the gallery into a snow bank.

JANUARY 1, 1936--Everything quiet today. Guess everyone's busy making up New Year's Resolutions. Thank Goodness mine are all made up--now all I have to do is keep them. Hope it won't be so hard as last year.

JANUARY 3--Heard that Lum and Abner were going to get a fire engine for Pine Ridge. Asked Dick Huddleston about it and he said it was going to cost $5,000. Where on earth will Lum and Abner get $5,000?

JANUARY 5--I declare, diary, Lum and Abner will never learn. Dick says Squire Skimp has promised to furnish them with a fire truck for only $3,000 with an extra 50 feet of hose thrown in free. Something's wrong somewhere.

JANUARY 9--Just as I thought. Squire's "Fire Engine" turned out to be an ordinary truck with kitchen ladders on it and a 100 feet of garden hose. It's a good thing Lum and Abner can't borrow the money to fulfill this contract with him, or I might have been tempted to try something myself.

Fire Chief Cedric on his way to a fire.

JANUARY 15--Looks as if we're going to have a Fire Brigade after all. Saw Fire Chief Cedric today running to a fire carrying his Paw's anvil for a bell and a chopping axe and tree spray for a fire extinguisher.

JANUARY 16--A trying day today. Why is it that when one child gets a cold they all do. Hope I don't have to close school.

Police Chief Grandpappy snags Fire Bug.

JANUARY 18--Fires and false fire alarms--scores of them--all over Pine Ridge. Poor Cedric is being run ragged. Latest casualties--Lum's and Ike Sewall's barns and vacant house near the school--too near for my liking. Why don't they do something?

JANUARY 21--They still haven't caught the real fire bug. Squire Skimp came out of jail yesterday--he was arrested after trying to make some money by organizing the Pine Ridge Fire Insurance Company. People thought he was starting the fires in order to force people to buy his insurance, but a fire broke out while he was in jail and the suspicion turned to Cedric, who's in jail himself now.

JANUARY 25--Terrific excitement in Pine Ridge today--they've caught the fire bug! Little Robert, of all people. Mean old Snake Hogan's son and one of my own pupils. But he's not going to jail--we've got Lum Edward's to thank for that. He put Robert on parole to himself and he's going to make a real man of him. Lum is such a dear.

JANUARY 29--Bad news, diary. Despite Lum's and my efforts, the Uplift League finally got Robert expelled from school. Lum's taken him into his own house to train him to do things right. Not that he's bad--I know he isn't that. It's that mean father of his.

FEBRUARY 4--Robert's run away. Why did he do it, after all that's been done for him! Poor Lum--he's all broken up. He'd even bought Robert a live pony to ride.

FEBRUARY 7--Sister Simpson told me today that Lum had borrowed $200 from Dick Huddleston and gone to New York to try and find Robert.

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*Editor's Note: I'd figgered to perk up your memories 'bout our doins' in 1936 by writin' it out, but findin' Evalina's diary made it a heap easier and saved me a lot of time. I shore hope you enjoy readin' it more'n Evalina did when she found out about it. ABNER PEABODY.