The Grinder Papers — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

, Fe ee eee wh et ea MG nee AR ec, ta? hn veth ae . War ge ANS 4 * " ™ é 7 . « ~ : % ~ ee vw. a ~...% - a ~, -\a% . 2d \ : ws, ; ed % of be ® . 66 - THE GRINDER PAPERS. * affection was entirely disinterested, and his heart entirely mine. He warn’t but six years junior to me, and his fust offer was made about a week arter Grand’ther Billins’ death. Poor old man ! he left his property ‘twixt brother Jonathan and me, when he stated that some folks had mixed motives for devotin’ them- selves to their enameraters, but that his’n was pure as mornin’ dew. Beautiful, warn't it? I’ve got his letters to hum, in a bushel basket, kivered with an old linen pillarcase. Allers was keerful of my things, from a child. | rae Said, in one on ’em, nuthin’ would please him better than for tu hev the privilidge o’ strewin’ my path with flowers. Warn’t it beautiful? Used the most illegant langwidge, and no bad grammar. I don’t abomilate nuthin’ as I do the use 0 bad grammar. Graddyated myself at Miss Squizzle’s Seminary; worked a piece in cross stick, and got a prize for a composition, writ in verse. To tell the truth, Sally Spiggot writ it for me— but then I did her sums. This is how it begun: “‘ Achilles’ wrath, to Greece the direful spring Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess, sing! = That wrath which hurled to Pluto’s gloomy reign The souls of mighty chiefs, untimely slain.’’ There was more on’t, and the examiners praised it to the skies, and says one on ’em, ‘‘Considerin’ her age, it’s mighty smart.” | y ‘Nuther on “em scratches his head, and says he, “Seems to me ‘tain’t purely original. Isit all your’n, little miss?” and I comicbooks.c