May 1, 1880 -- Saturday
The weather was very pleasant, clear in the forenoon, somewhat cloudy. I was at home in the forenoon, that is my home in St. Thomas. There were preparatory services in the Ger. Reformed church by Rev. W.I. Stewart. Mr. Stewart, not being very well, came to our place and asked me if I would go to Mercersburg for Rev. W.M. Deatrick to come and assist him with his communion services on to-morrow. I did not know the road, but found it without any difficulty. I went past Gillan's tavern, and was in Bridgeport for the first time. I was well pleased with Mercersburg and vicinity. I was at the Ger. Reformed church in the evening. There were services. Rev. Deatrick preached.

May 2, 1880 - Sunday
The weather was very pleasant, one of the nicest days we have had this spring yet. The evening was mild and delightful. Pap, Mother and Jake were up on a visit. They arrived at about eight o'clock, and started at half-past four. There were communion services at the Ref. Church in the forenoon. Mr. Deatrick preached a very good sermon indeed. There was a pretty large crowd of persons present. I was also at church in the evening. Mr. Deatrick preached. He is indeed a very fine man, and a good preacher, his sermons were all very good. The church was crowded in the evening. From this evening six weeks I suppose I will be at home, and our short pilgrimage will be o'er.

May 3, 1880 -- Monday
The weather was very mild. It was quite "hot," as the saying is and puts one in mind of the days one has spent and expect to spend in the hayfield. It was just the kind of day to give one the disease of spring-fever. I passed the day in school, but study and recitation alike were dull. Uncle Col gave the class to understand that he would like to have us study more. I was at the school-grounds in the evening after school and took a game of ball. There were some there also playing croquet. I received two letters in the evening, one from C.B. Dysert, and the other from A.L.S. [Alice Shetter?] which last I answered in the evening, "delays are dangerous."

May 4, 1880 -- Tuesday
The weather was very mild and pleasant all day. The sky was clear. I passed the day very pleasantly in our school. We had, I think, our lessons better than we had yesterday, for the teacher had not quite so much to say in regard to our not having them prepared. I was at the school-ground in the evening, after school, and had a very interesting game of croquet. Misses Alice Miller and Minnie Hollar were here a while in the evening. They came after a dialogue book. John Baker was down in the evening and we passed the time preparing our lessons for school to-morrow. I purchased from Uncle Charles an outfit with which to go a fishing on Saturday.

May 5, 1880 -- Wednesday
The weather was mild and pleasant, verging on the climate of the torrid regions, but I suppose we will have hotter days yet before the harvest is over.  I am looking with horrors and dread to the hot days for me to toil after school is over. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. I was at the school-house playground in the evening after school. We had a good game of Base Ball, almost all of our school boys and a good many others participated in the game. I passed part of the evening reading. There was a reading class organized in school in which the large scholars are. I received a postal card from W.A. Reid in which he says he will send the books soon.

May 6, 1880 -- Thursday
The weather was quite warm, but very clear and pleasant. I was not in school. There was only one of the large boys, or young men, if I dare use the expression, in school in the forenoon. The rest of us were out at Cyrus Gelwick's field and had a fine game of Base Ball. I belonged to the "Expert" club, and played against the "Franklin." The score was our side made 21 runs, and the other side made 16 runs. There was lots of music up street in the evening, the Lehmaster Brass Band was down, and our band was out, and they made some very nice music. I stayed up street until about 11 o'clock. There was almost a fight between J. Woodal and Dan Buck.

May 7, 1880 -- Friday
The weather was quite pleasant, somewhat warm. It was not altogether clear, but very smoky, owing to the burning of five or six hundred cords of wood in the mountain. I passed the day very dull in school. I felt very stiff and sore, on the head of the Base Ball yesterday. Dan Hoover felt worse than I did. He could hardly walk at all. I was at the school house playground in the evening after school and we had a little game of croquet, but as I was beaten, I did not  enjoy it to any great extent. Misses Alice and Dessie Sellers, Jennie &c were in school in the afternoon. We had literary exercises. Joe Kriner and I had "Sly and Slowboy." I received a letter from home.

May 8, 1880 -- Saturday
The weather was very warm and the sky was very smoky owing to the fire on the mountain. I was at home in the forenoon, shaved and so forth. I was at the store a while in the afternoon and bought from Uncle Charlie a fine shirt, or rather the muslin and front, and Aunt Sue will make it for me. I was also at McCleary's hotel in the afternoon. There were two darkeys there playing, each one a fiddle. I was up street in the evening a while, saw some of our fellows from our parts, who persuaded me to go along to the Lutheran church, where there was preaching by Rev. Shertz. The band was playing about ten o'clock. I received two letters one from Annie and one from A.L.S.

May 9, 1880 -- Sunday
The weather was very mild and comparatively warm, and the sky was somewhat cloudy with smoke. I was at the Lutheran church in the forenoon. There was communion services held there by the Lutherans, the pastor Rev. Shertz. There was quite a large crowd present, a great many from Marion and our old home. I was also at the Ref. church inthe forenoon, at Sunday school. After dinner we went out to Small's dam and amused ourselves for a while, floating over the calm waters of the dam in a boat, several of our fellows from Jackson Hall. I was at the Lutheran church in the evening. There was preaching by Shertz. Jane had a beau from preaching, and his name was Lute Bricker.

May 10, 1880 -- Monday
The weather was very mild, and quite warm. It got quite windy for a while in the afternoon, and in the evening there were some appearances for rain. I passed the day quite pleasantly in school. I received two letters in the evening, one from J.T. Pfoutz and one from J.W. Stoner, the latter gentleman solved the question of the tree being 120 feet high standing on the bank of a stream 100 feet wide, and he got it correct, the answer is 18 1/2 ft. The Band was out in the evening. They are going to practice every evening this week for the parade to be in Chambersburg on next Thursday, the 13th. Uncle Chas. did a strange act last eve that I can mind without writing.

May 11, 1880 -- Tuesday
The weather was very pleasant, although not perfectly clear. There were clouds floating across the "skiey deep" part of the day. The evening was clear and pleasant. I passed the day very pleasantly in school, the time passed very quickly and I got along very well in all of my recitations. I know that I do idle away a great deal of my time, but the reason is, I cannot get my mind down to study right. The warm weather and other causes have a tendency to draw the mind from study. I hope the weather will be nice on next Thursday, as I wish to go to town to witness the grand fireman's parade, given as an anniversary of the centennial of the Friendships.

May 12, 1880 -- Wednesday
The weather was very fine, clear and pleasant, somewhat windy at times. The horizon was quite dim, caused by the smoke that originated from the fire on the mountain. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. We had four written reviews, viz: Geography, Written Arithmetic, History and Civil Government. I was up street in the evening. There was to be a free exhibition of a horse trainer, but his free exhibition was only free to those who gave him $2.00, There was Band-practice in the evening at the school-house. The practice is to become more perfect, for the parade to-morrow. Jennie had a rush of blood to the head, but she was a great deal better in the evening.

May 13, 1880 -- Thursday
The weather was very pleasant during the day, but quite cool in the evening. The roads are very dusty. My two chums, Hoover & McCleary, and I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and at 4 we started and walked to the town of Chambersburg, where we arrived at half past six. We were in all day. There was one of the grandest parades ever witnessed on the streets of Chambersburg. It was given as the celebration of the centennial of the Friendship fire-company. Gov. Hoyt was there witnessing the great pageant. There was a very large crowd, also 12 bands, and 15 fire companies. I went along out home in the evening with Pap and Mother. Dan and Charlie walked back to St. Thomas.

May 14, 1880 -- Friday
The weather was somewhat cold, especially in the morning. There was quite a frost which, I fear may prove injurious to  the fruit. I passed the day at home, felt quite lonesome. Pap and Jake were making fence and picking and hauling stones. I dug a little bit of garden, which was a "little bit." Jake was in New Franklin in the afternoon, went up for the mail. Miss Mary Ann Senger was at our house in the forenoon, came over to borrow some flour. I wonder how school went to-day. I feel quite lost, but if Sunday is a nice day, I think it will pay up. I hope Sunday will be a nice day as I hope to attend the nunnery meeting near Quincy.

May 15, 1880 -- Saturday
The weather was very pleasant but was quite smoky, owing to the fire on the mountain. The roads were very dusty. The hay-crop will be short this year, as it greatly stands in need of rain. A good rain would be very beneficial now but I hope it will wait until after the nunnery then I say "Let it come." I was in town in the forenoon, and got my hair cut. I also got a straw hat from C. Henninger for $1.00 and a duster from A. Danzberger for $1.25. Now I am pretty well fixed for the dust. I was in New Franklin in the afternoon, went up to see Grandmother. I then came home, and as the tuyer of my buggy wheels were very loose, I took them off and ran them around in the horse-trough.

May 16, 1880 -- Sunday
The weather was very pleasant. It clouded up about noon, and I thought we would have rain, but as luck, or other providence, would have it, it did not. I got ready in the morning, and after getting my lady, I started for Danl. McCleary's. We got our dinner there, Mr. J.W. Deardorff, and Columbus Miller and his lady Jennie McCleary also dined there. After dinner, we all went to the nunnery. There was a pretty large crowd there and I enjoyed myself very much. We got our supper at McCleary's, and it was almost ten o'clock when we arrived at home. I spent a very happy night, after an absence of six weeks, and after my sojourn at St. Thomas.

May 17, 1880 -- Monday
The weather was very clear and pleasant. Pap hitched up in the buggy and brought Jake and me up as far as Bach Creek. We then walked from there to St. Thomas. Jake will stay till to-morrow. We arrived in the town about ten o'clock. I was in school in the afternoon but did not know many of my lessons, -- had two much "nunnary" on the brain. Jake was in school as a spectator in the afternoon. I found my chums and all well and enjoying good health and excellent spirits. John Baker was here in the evening, -- he stayed till about ten-o'clock . It will be some time before I can get my mind concentrated again on my studies, after this, my short vacation. I have enjoyed myself extremely.

May 18, 1880 -- Tuesday
The weather was clear and very warm, especially about noon. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. All of the large scholars were in. There was quite an extensive and fierce-looking fire broke out on the mountain about noon not very far from Bishop Polsgrove's dwelling. I, with a crowd of others, was up in the back alley in the evening watching it. I suppose that the old Bishop will not sleep very much to-night, as the fire is raging at so short a distance from his humble abode. I received a letter from Mr. G.B. Dysert in the evening. I like to receive letters from him, as he has always something comic to say. Miss Alice Sellers was here a while in the evening.

May 19, 1880 -- Wednesday
The weather was very clear and warm. I passed the day in school very pleasantly. We had a visitor in the forenoon who was a listener while we recited our Grammar lesson. Oh, I almost forgot to mention his name, but it is time yet, his name was Dr. Huber. We practiced the dialogue "Arabella's poor relations" after school. We will try and have it for Friday afternoon. I received a letter from my "old gal" in the evening, and I gave a reply just about as insulting. D.G. Hoover was with Miss Alice Sellers in the evening, "spark" -- and while he was gone Charlie and I got up a job on him. We sat up chairs and hung a trim above the door, which when the door was opened made a little noise.

May 20, 1880 -- Thursday
The weather was very pleasant, somewhat warm, and the roads are very dusty. We would need a good rain very badly now. The grass crop will be very light, if it does not rain soon. This day a week ago there were some tired boys in Chambersburg and they were students of the St. Thomas academy. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. In the evening, Charlie and Dan went up street, and remained till about half after seven, during which time I studied ninety questions in the Common School Question book, for our reviews in Geography (Descriptive and Physical) and History to-morrow. We passed part of the evening studying our lessons for to-morrow.

May 21, 1880 -- Friday
The weather was very warm, got somewhat cloudy in the afternoon and evening, but there is not very much signs for rain. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. We had three written reviews, Physical and descriptive Geography and History. We had exercises of a Literary character in the afternoon. I declaimed the piece entitled "J. Moses Stubbs' views on the situation," which was well-received. The visitors were Mrs. Gillan and Mollie Eberly. We rehearsed "Arabella's poor relations." I sent with Jno. Baker for visiting cards, will get 50 for 15 cts. We had cakes and lemonade, a sort of banquet in the evening. The band practiced in the evening.

May 22, 1880 -- Saturday
The weather was very inclement the forepart of the day, rained quite heavily almost all forenoon and part of the afternoon, about two o'clock it cleared off, and got very pleasant toward evening. I was here at home in St. Thomas all day. I was up street when the mail came up, and then came down again, after receiving a very welcome letter from Miss Annie. Miss Barbara Taylor and Jennie were here in the evening, and remained till quite late. The Band was out on the street in the evening. Dan Hoover was at Geo. Sellers' in the evening again. He was after Mr. Sellers' daughter Alice. When he came home he and Charlie got to rigging each other, and Dan got about half cross. He has to take a good bit.

May 23, 1880 -- Sunday
The weather pleasant somewhat warm/ The air was pure after the rain of yesterday. I was at the Ref. Sunday school in the forenoon. There was preaching at the United Brethren and Methodist churches, but I was not there. We were out at the Dam in the afternoon. There was quite a crowd there, some were lounging under the shade trees, others were boating, among whom were Dan and Charlie. We were at the Methodist church in the evening. There was preaching by Rev. Shipe, who talked about balloons, &c &c. There was a great time about Uncle Charlie's spray. I wrote a letter in answer to the one received last night to Annie.

May 24, 1880 -- Monday
The weather was almost excessively warm, if I may use the expression. It was somewhat foggy in the morning. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. Lohr and Hafer were absent. I was up street in the evening after school. Bruce Martin, John Hicks and Fris.[?] Miller were here in the evening, came down to "help us smoke our tobacco" and to spend the evening. Dan Hoover was reading for them, and Alice Sellers &c were on the outside of the window listening to him, he not knowing it. He read the selection entitled "Jim Wolff and the cats." It was a good sell on him. He says he will not read any more for any body in St. Thomas. So much for him.

May 25, 1880 - Tuesday
The weather was very warm, but the sky was clear most of the day. About noon the cumulus clouds were seen rising above the mountains and there were some indications for rain, but it did not come, and the day was almost like a harvest day. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. I was up street in the evening a while. When I came home, Misses Alice and Dessie Sellers were here, -- came I suppose after my esteemed fellow-students. I suppose was a big day at Wades church, for there generally is a big time when the Dunkards have a big meeting there, and that transpired on this day this year.

May 26, 1880 -- Wednesday
The weather was very warm, reminds a person of how it will go with us "pore critters" when we go out of school, into the hay-field, but I guess we must try and bear under it. I passed the day in school. I was at the school-house in the evening, where we had practice of our dialogue, which we will play next Friday afternoon, -- "Arabella's poor relations." I also took a game of croquet with Jno. Baker, he got one day game, and I got one. There were four others who were playing. Uncle Charlie was not very well in the evening. There was prayer-meeting at the church, and Alice S-- came over after it was out and "sweety" went along over.

May 27, 1880 -- Thursday
The weather was clear and very warm during the day, there was a small shower in  the evening, but did not wet the ground sufficiently to do much good. I passed the day in school, we have only eleven days school yet. How well I remember when I had only eleven days to teach, and with what great expectations of pleasure I thought of having this summer at school. I did indeed have pleasant times. I was at the play-ground in the evening after school. Jno. Baker and I had quite an interesting game of croquet. He got six games and I got three. I wrote two postal cards in the evening, one to Jake and the other, with the address in scroll work to C.B. Dysert.

May 28, 1880 -- Friday
The day was quite pleasant. It was somewhat cloudy in the afternoon, and rained a little shower, but it did not amount to much. It was quite clear in the evening. I passed the day very pleasantly in school. There were exercises of a literary character in the afternoon, and the audience was quite large Misses Laura Spessard, Luella Grove, Aunt Sue, Alice Sellars, Jennie, and a great many others, and they all went away seemingly very well pleased. We played the piece entitled "Arabella's poor relations," the characters were Misses Minnie Hollar and Alice Miller and D.G. Hoover and I. I read a piece entitled "Brother Watkins. J.A. Baker came here in the evening.

May 29, 1880 -- Saturday
The weather was very pleasant, got somewhat cloudy toward evening and rained about sundown. I passed a very pleasant day. To begin J.A. Baker and Charlie McCleary and I went to Mt. Parnell in the morning, which is I think one of the nicest places in the state to "view the landscape o'er." We could see all over the Cumberland Valley. We had Cyrus Gelwix's telescope. We then went to Franklin furnace and from there to the house in which Kyle Shaffer killed his wife, and procured a relic. We then set out again for St. Thomas where we arrived at five o'clock. This will be a day long to be remembered by we students of Campbell school.

May 30, 1880 -- Sunday
The weather was very inclement, rained the greater part of the day. There was quite a heavy gust, accompanied by thunder and lightning, in the morning. This rain will certainly be very beneficial to crops of all kinds. I was at the Reformed church in this place in the forenoon. There was Sunday school, also Mr. Stewart preached, but the audience was not extremely large owing to the "bad inclemency" of the weather. I was at home all afternoon and evening. Had lots of fun with Uncle Charles. He gave me a linen collar and a necktie in the morning as a present. He and I partly made a bargain, but as it was Sunday we did not, that is the purchasing of his watch.

May 31, 1880 -- Monday
The weather was very pleasant, not so warm as it had been last week. The rain of yesterday has had a very purifying effect on the "impurient indentation of the hemispheric analogy." I passed the day very pleasantly in our school, have now only nine days yet. I gave Uncle Charlie my note for $15.00 to be paid at some future time not mentioned, and got in return, his watch. I will now make my old watch a present to Jake. I suppose if he knew that he will get it he would come up for it. We were all at Solomon Hollar's in the evening, and were very well entertained by singing ang music on the organ. Hollars are very clever people.

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