The Grinder Papers — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

=* we a ~T —a OS ae " l ss! = T, aa > a ~~ 2 as Tear), Pee FM ge ON Mee Sm ot : * 4 “ = s > « a . a A — 2 . = - 7 f me, . » Pe | s . sv # f Aw a ¢ . - , ~ < > a . 3 A » od e™ | mAs be >: » & > c\-4y — t : a = 2 7 j ° e% . A” oe - - oe ~ mW 4 ~ ; : & - ; ~ THE GRINDER PAPERS. 37 “Tm sovery ill, dear Mrs. Perkins, that I’m obliged to leave,’ she said. ‘‘ Horace, youll see me home, of course,” and anctually the woman took her son’s arm and walked out of the room without another word. The young ladies followed, and in ten minutes those toadying Tibbets and Mrs. Mason Podhammer were gone also. Good- natured little Miss Highflier kept a good many there by remain- ing. I knew if she had stirred the rooms would have been empty in ten minutes. I really thought Florabella would faint, and I wouldn't have had her give way to her feelings for the world. But there was one of the shoemaker’s freckled daughters already perched on the music stool, banging away and singing ‘‘ Tramp, tramp, tramp,” because Charity had asked if ‘‘ Lucindy wouldn't give the folks a tune,’ b, and the shoemaker’s wife, with her feet on the register, informing the guests generally that it was so damp. out that she really had muddled her stockings ; while the man himself, with the head of a cane half way down his throat, was staring Florabella out of countenance. I whispered to Mrs. Perkins, ‘‘ Please, dear, for goodness» sake, let us have supper. Maybe when they're gone theyll go like anacondas,” which Mr. Perkins had the cruelty to joke about at the awful moment, and to teli me, ‘‘ Just the reverse —anacondas can’/ eo when they're gorged.,” _ But we did go down to supper, and when some of the young gentlemen—who made a regular joke of the matter, | could see—asked ‘‘Miss°Lucindy” if she would have some oysters, (eo) comicbooks