The Grinder Papers — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

; t ad MP a . ° , AK ~ ‘i g weet 4 a f§ . rs 7 c et er Oe as a: 4 —- ign aa has” dee’ ° “ == SS 5 he Me \ 68 LHE GRINDER PAPERS. him was, ‘‘Reckon we'll hev a spell o weather,” or the like o. that. Well, this hed been a-goin’ on a year, when I made up my mind to bring him to the pint, for fear he’d spile some other match for me, and never speak himself arter all. Concluded to do it in the evenin’ we was invited to spend to Miss Knockter- nal’s. ‘Twarn’t a reg’lar party. Sort o a sociable affair, ye know— the gals and married women folks went tu tea, and the gentle- men they camearter. I went purvided with a couple 0’ mottoes —two red sugar hearts tied together with blue ribbon, and these here verses : ‘*If you love me as I love you, No knife can cut our hearts in two.”’ : Well, them was in my pocket, done up in silver paper, and I’d made up my mind jest what tu du before I went over. Miss Knockternal was mighty glad to see me—all my friends allers hev adored me—and we sot down to hev a chat, along with some o’ the other ladies, and I happened to be knittin’. ‘“Law,” says she, ‘‘Charity Grinder, I du swan tu man ef you hain’t a master hand tu knit! Law!” says she, ‘‘I wish I could do as well. I kin knit stockin’s, but not mittens, and here’s a lot o’ white and scarlet wool would make Amelia So- phronia a nice pair.” Says I, ‘‘ Hand it over, Miss Knocternal; I'll knit “em in no time—they ain't a circumstance.” comicbooks.com —