The Grinder Papers — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRINDER PAPERS. 155 thin one is Aunt Mirandy; she’s gota glass eye. As a gineral thing, she don’t wear it only when she’s dressed fur company. Both on ‘em is intilectable. Miss Partheny goes in fur wim- min’s rights; and Miss Mirandy write’s fur the ‘‘ Youth’s Advi- ser.” They hev a way o’ turnin’ up their noses at other folks, and I cant say I took a notion tu ‘em. But Volumny was head o’ the house, and she was quite a sociable critter, besides adorin’ me. As fur Mr. Peeler, he’s a temprancer; won't hev no spirit- ual lickers drunk under his ruff, and considers beer a pisen. Poor Volumny can’t even put no brandy in her mince meat. Now, as a beveridge, I never touch nuthin’ ; ‘but I’m obliged tu keep myself from sinkin’, now and then, by a little as a medi- cine. Water floats on my stummick—-so I ain't tu be blamed. And after I’d been in Volumny’s quite a spell I begun to feel kinder faintish. Thinks me—this here teetotal talk ain’t mebbe jest what it sounds. I know I’ve smelt sumthin’ in Miss Partheny’s room, and I ain’t Charity Grinder ef I don’t find out what it is. I al- ways was a cute one, and secrets ain’t tu be kept from me. If Peeler isa temprancer, Partheny isn't. That was about seven o'clock Sunday evenin’. It come intu my head like a streak o’ lightenin’, and I jest took off the bun- nit I was puttin’ on tu go tu church. ‘‘T’ve got rather of a headache,” sez I, ‘‘and think I'll stay tu hum, ef you'll excuse me, Partheny ?” cS Eo Gomicboo