The Grinder Papers — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRINDER PAPERS. 181 I felt the hull horror of my sittyation rush upon me, and I kinder groaned. “TTullo!” sez the other wretch. ‘‘What’s that?” sez Mr. Chalker. : Pd ‘‘A ghost in the cellerage,” sez the fust. I made sure o’ being diskivered, and I groaned again. **Can’t find a match,” sez Mr. Chalker. Then he runs out intu the hail and hollers ‘‘ Biddy.” _And my presence o’ mind come to my aid, and I slipped past ‘em in the dark, and across the entry intu my own room. ‘There I locked myself in and went to bed, with four gas-jets burnin’, and a hammer in my richt hand, and my numberiil in my lew. TI heerd ‘em teitin’ how't a burglar was concealed intu their room, and had s!ipped out, and I thanked fortune nobody knew ‘twas me. Then I begun ta reflect how it was my duty tu act; final'y I decided, and sez I, ‘‘I.1 du it at any price. Charity Grinder, nerve yourself,” soz I, ‘‘and be brave.” I waited until the house was quiet, and then I riz up and put on my double gownd and slipped intu Keturah’s room. She 2s snor.n’ dreadful, and so was her three younz ’uns. Boardin’-housekeepers is ginerally crowded, but I warn't pre- pared far ta find tie hull family sie ep-n ’ with their ma. I Jeans over and shakes her, and sezI: - ‘“‘Keturah.” “Well,” sez she, ‘‘it air’t mornin’.” **No, sez I, ‘‘it’s the solemn hour o’ half-past one. I’ve gota dread‘ul disclosure fur tu make.” Gomicbooks co