The Grinder Papers — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

144 THE GRINDER PAPERS. more’n the tin peddler. As fur widders’ caps, don’t never men- tion ‘em in my hearin’ agin, Miss Dusenbury, arter what I’ve seen. 3 Miss Dusenbury, ef you know any reason why a fat critter 0’ forty, with red hair and freckles, and eyes the color o milk and water, should think herself handsome, jest mention it. Sure as I’m a livin’ sinner that critter did. So did our Jonathan. Never. was so beat out as I was when he said so one day. Hewasa lookin’ out o’ the windy with his chin ontu his hands, and his - eyes cast up tu the moon, and I’d said twicet, ‘‘Time tu retire, ‘ b Jonathan,” afore he spoke. Then sez he, kinder sleepy like: ‘‘T was a thinkin’ which was the good-lookinest female person | tu Peekskill.” “‘Land o Goshen,” sez I, ‘‘tu my mind ther ain't much ‘choice. Who've you decided ontu?” ‘‘Miss Moriarty,” sez he. “Hey?” sez I. “Yes,” sez he, ‘‘by a bushel full.” “Du tell,” sez I. ‘‘Why, she’s middlin’ aged.’ Sez he, ‘‘Praps she ain't so young as some, but then she’s got more dignitude, and she's fatter, and when she’s drest in her go-tu-meetin’s, she shines most.” “Shines?” sez I. ‘‘Why, I could shine tu ef I wore bugles.” | bs ‘“Bugles or not, it’s what I call queenly,” sez he. Arter that I didn’t say nuthin, but I jest shut the windy, and shut him up, and packed him off tu bed.