The Grinder Papers — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

76 - THE GRINDER PAPERS. Alas, we’d only walked a block when a crossin’ sweeper ran up to us, and said: OR ‘‘Stop a minute, missus; there's some one coming after you.” I knew in a flash who it was. Before I could think ofa plan of escape, Charity was up with us. I thought I should die. She had her bundle in one hand and her blue cotton umbrella in the other, and came up talking. —“Tawful suz!” she shouted. (Why is it nature gives such people such loud voices?) ‘‘Thought I’d never catch ye. Here, Mr. Billiwinkle, take my numberill, and Ill catch hold of your arm, sos not to get separated. ” And she did run her paw, in a great glove, with fur at the wrist, up to the elbow, through Horace’s arm, and put the um- brella into his hand. I don’t know whether he was bewildered or afraid of her, she was so big and strong, but he took the um- brella—such a baggy one, with no ferule, and a great hook at the end of the long pole—and let her hold fast to him. I’ve described his dress—fancy him with Charity, in a yellow shawl, and her awful bonnet a quarter of a yard above her head on the face, and with nine blue cabbage roses and an imitation lemon on the brim, and a bundle tied up in a red handkerchief on her. arm—with his cane in one hand and the umbrella in the other, and his mouth wide open, and his eyes shut tight, with an eye- glass in one of them—so horrified by what had happened to. him that his senses had, I’m sure, left him for a while entirely. It was my impulse to rush from the spot and hide myself in an | — as eer = ee te