The Grinder Papers — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE GRINDER PAPERS. 97 ages, smoked, you know. I could see as plain as daylight that one o them, or somethin’ for all the world like it, was what Em/’ly had under her coil. I was goin’ to hev a coil, tu. I went hum and locked myself into my room. I had one o’ them long vails they used to wear fifteen or twenty years ago. and that I tacked on tu one side o the boy’s hat, and then I tuk the feather out o’ my bunnit, and put that in; and then I cut off my striped skirt and hemmed it for a balmoral. I couldn’t get used to the bouts, but if they was fashionable I was bound to wear ’em. Ihad a tight jacket, tu—one I used to wear in- doors; and I sot tu and put fringe on that. “And then I waited | for Sunday. The worst time I had was gettin’ the bologny soft. It was as stiff as a wire at first. Bimeby, though, I got it sos’t ‘would twist. Mirandy’s folks go to a splendid church in Broadway, where the folks take mighty airs, I can tell you; and that mornin’ I let ‘em go first. Then I sot tu work and dressed. My hair always has been heavy, and it covered the bologny up right smart. . Law, what a crick in the neck it gave me, though; and how cold I felt without my cap and my ears all bare. Then I stuck on the boy’s boots, and pinned up my frock, and stuck the hat on, and took one of my biggest pocket handkerchiefs by the middle along of my best numberill handle —and if I wasn’t fash- ionable at last, ‘twasn’t my fault. Folks did stare at me as I went down street; but law, I stared back, and when I cum to the church they were howlin’ away in- side for dear life. They don’t sing altogether, like they ought Eomicbooks: com