The Grinder Papers — page 265: what you’re looking at

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

260 THE GRINDER PAPERS. “Well, ” sez he, ‘‘I’m not forbid tu sell privately, and as it’s a scriptur’ piece for a minister, take it at once, and you may have it fora hundred. Here you go and there you go. One hundred dollars for high art o’ a scriptur’ natur’, ‘Eve givin’ Abel hissupper,’ by Reubens.” | So we bought it, and it was sent tu Miss Samanthy’s tu be kept until Christmas Eve. = Then we all assembled tu the parsonage, and hired Jim Black and his boy tu fetch it over. | The hull congregation was sottin’ in the parlors, the minister and his wife in the middle, and the children in a row on the sofa, when they bumps at the door. | | ‘‘What hev we here?” sezthe minister. ‘‘Ah, ha! what hev we here?” and in it comes, all done up in black musling.. Mr. Peach hops up. Sez he, ‘‘ Respected dominy and family, and the rest o’ the folks: The congregation o’ this here church bein’ desirous fur tu present you with a token o’ our esteem, has gone and purchased a work o arto’ a religious attendancy, fur tu adorn the walls o’ your parsonage. It airan aged master representin’ Eve, the first ma, givin’ her son Abel his tea. Jim, remove the kiver.” Jim done it, and the dominy began : ‘“My surprise perwents——” There he stopped. He flung up his hand, and rolled up his eyes, and yells he: ‘‘Send the children out 0’ the room, Mrs. Thumper. — Ladies, put up yer handkerchers until we turn the pictur round. Oh, comicbooks.com | 4 is * . gs wae os ss, Pe ah ? Pe dA OF m1 A, a ¥ ~~, .- a St he