The Grinder Papers — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRINDER PAPERS. 11 your luggage!” and rattle, and scrape, and bang. I just stood still and wrung my hands, and says I, out loud: ‘“What did I come here, alone and unprotected, for? Oh, why didn’t I stay at Perkinsburg, safe and comfortable?” And, as I was speaking, up came this man—how queer you don’t know him—and says he: | “Have acab, maam? ‘Take you safe as eggs in a basket !”’ ** Merciful goodness knows I will,” says I, ‘‘if I can get into it. But what do you ask to take me to Cousin John Mawkins’?” ‘“Well,” says he, ‘‘to any other person I'd say twelve dollars; but from an old lady so like my own mother Id only take ten.” ‘“Ten dollars, just to ride to Cousin John’s?” says FE Says he, ‘‘ Things have gone up lately.” “Yes,” says I, ‘‘they have. Butter is forty cents at Perkins- burg, but the stage don’t charge but eighteen cents clear to Sprattown. ” © Says he, ‘‘Stages won't take your trunks in New York.” “Very well,” says I, ‘‘they must go; couldn't leave ‘em on the wharf until John’s boys brought ‘em up, for I’d never see em 3) again—but ez dollars ‘‘Nine and a half, then,” says he, ‘‘though I’ll go without my supper for it.” That I didn’t believe, Martha, do you? Well, Lagreed. I think I’d agreed to anything to save my- self from being crushed, for there was a market-wagon one side and a coal-cart on the other, and a carriage coming up behind, and four men with wheelbarrows coming the other way, right down on me, EOmMIcboo <S €o