Charles Burchfield, Journals, November 30, 1910

We’re having a rather hard snow-storm to-day. It started in this morning, which caused Kinkie to remark to Bill:
“Ain’t this a luxurious morning!”
This noon Bill came out of school extolling on a Physics test that they had had.
“I never had anything so hard in all my life.” he said
“Teddy” Wirsching swore.
“Yes every dog-gone question was a catch question” he said wrathfully.
“I’ll just get about fifty in it, and I’ll be lucky if I get that” rejoined Bill.
“Dutch Leonard laughed.” I’ll be thankful I get twenty”
“Well here too” said “Teddy” and swore again.
“Once before he did that” said Bill “when Stanton was here. Everyone failed. They took it to Mr. Stanton and he made Zufall give another test”
“You wouldn’t get much satisfaction out of Mr. Lease, I shouldn’t think” I put in.
“We couldn’t do anything like that now” responded Teddy in disgust.
All this made me thankful that I don’t take Physics. I never took to Science anyway – never tried it of course but I started right in with Latin and have stuck to it until I like it. When they got their test papers, King proved to have the highest grade – 77. Bill got a 69 and “Teddy” got about 35. Only two were above 70.
After school I went to Mac’s to see when I should begin work and received the information that I was to come down the next evening.
After supper, Bill came over to play cards. When he arrived we all came to the door as we generally do, to welcome him Frances and he got to cutting up. Frances chased him out into the kitchen and while he was attempting to open the door, she gave her place to Louise and went around, coming up behind him.
“Oh you ronyon” laughed Bill.
“Oh there’s some class to me all right – when we get started” she answered.
“Did you get started?” he laughed. It seemed to strike him funny, for he laughed and laughed until we all were laughing in sympathy. He and Frances had that as a joke for several weeks afterward.
Joe Louise Bill and I then went to the dining room and started what was a new game with us – 500. It proved to be interesting and we played several games. Then Fred came in and we played poker, which is a game entirely based on luck as of course is any other game of cards. But there is no playing in this game – merely a show-down of cards. Matches were used as money, which seemed to wander Joe’s way. Once Bill put in the “ante” a match of a different kind that what we using and brought our mirth and wrath down upon his head.
Finally, when it got real late, we all threw our entire wealth into the ante. When we showed-down. Joe had two King’s while Louise had three Queens. As she “raked-in” the matches she confessed that she had picked one Queen from her discard, so the stakes were Joe’s.

Charles E. Burchfield, November 30, 1910