The Grinder Papers — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

136 LHE GRINDER PAPERS. that desk that excited my suspicions. I’d read enough o’ fash ionable serciety tu know how holler it was, and I made up my mind that if Pamely was a carryin’ on, I’d expose her. What she could hev in the desk I didn’t know, but I had a presenti- ment how't I should diskiver it. I waited until the heft o’ the help was abed, and then I jest went intu Pamely’s room— ‘twas next tu mine—and got her keys —I knowed where they was kept—and opened that there desk. Twas a leetle one, and: inside there was a lot 0’ writin’ paper, _and a gold pen, anda ink bottle, shape o a cullud purson (you | took off his head and there was the ink), and there was a pen- - wiper, and a lot o’ stamps andcnveloyps. Nuthin’ for tu satisfy my suspections in all them; but behind there was a lot o’ pigin’ holes full o’ letters. Now ef a woman or a gal goes tu carryin’ on, you may be sure you'll find there's letters mixed up with the preceedins somehow. So I fetched them letters intu my room, and sot down tu read ‘em. [ust of there was some from her ma, and her brother Zeke. Next there was bills and things, and some invites tu par- ties. And then there was a rubbish o’ letters, mixed up pro- miscus, from this and that and ’tuther, not a word wuth readin in the hull bilin’. I began tu think Miss Pamely Pondicherry was tu deep for me arter all. And jest as I began tu think so I come across a bundle o' let- ters tied up with blue ribbon, and when I opened them—land o’ liberty ! ef they warn't love letters. Every one on ‘em love let- ters o the most pertickler kind, and begun, ‘‘My ever dear