The Grinder Papers — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRINDER PAPERS. 35 What she meant I didn’t know, but just then the door-bell rung, and in a minute more the colored waiter announced ‘‘ Mr. Jazey.” ‘“‘T knowed it,” cried Charity; ‘‘a friend of mine. Here, come in, Mr. Jazey. ‘This here, ladies and gentlemen, is a gen- tleman that was very perlite to me on occasion of bein’ nabbed day before yesterday. I forget your Christian name, but the last is Jazey. Jasked him up to-night partly because one good turn deserves another, and I thought as Florabella and Cornelia wears such a lot of false hair, and Mr. Perkins has a wig, ‘twould be a good thing for him to know the family. Set down, | Mr. Jazey,; and make yerself to hum. Supper is a’most ready, and if you are as starved as I be, you're ready for it. But then we didn't have nothin’ but cold pork and bread and butter for dinner to-day.” The man made a bow, and sat down. He really behaved very well, and there was no excuse for turning him out; and I have seen Cubans almost as dark. Maybe he was one. I hope so. But to see Mrs. Billiwinkle stare, and young Billiwinkle put up his eye-glass, was dreadful. Nobody spoke until the good-na- tured Miss Highflier suggested that ‘‘the weather was warm for the season,” to which the dark-complexioned hairdresser, think- ing he was spoken to, replied : ‘*Yes, miss, I find pomatum very ily, and it does take lots of trouble to make straight hair wave. Excuse me, but waves would be exceedingly becoming to you, miss.” ~ No one answered, but somebody giggled, and Mrs. Billi- comicbooks