The Grinder Papers — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRINDER PAPERS. on What on earth possessed me not to put ‘em back, I don’t know, but I held ’em while I went on peepin’ into the little hole and forgettin’ everything else, when down comes a hand on | my shoulder, and a voice says in my ear; ‘Caught you at last, ehr” And there was a policeman. | | ‘‘What are you doin’?” says he. ‘“Trying to get my letter out,” says I. ‘‘Needn’t play the innocent on me,” says he. ‘‘Come, give me your implements. ” z And he took away the letters and the whalebone and pin, and | caught me by the arm, and marched me away up street. There was a train of boys a mile long arter us, and I shrieked - the hull way. I’ve knowed ever since jest how what’s-her-name, with yaller hair—Antoinette somebody, that brother’s got an engraving of over the mantletry tu hum—felt when the French Revolutioners | were dragging heraway to the gillytine. -It’s spelt more French- ified in the engraving, but I can’t jest remember how. _I haven’t a doubt—though I had no looking-glass—that—my phizma- hogany had jest the touchin’ expression o’ hern. They took me to a station-house—they did, indeed; and then the policeman says to the gentleman behind a desk : ‘‘Here’s the person who has been robbing the letter-boxes in this ward. I’ve jest captured her and her implements. © | “Oh, what a dreadful thing!” says I. ‘I ain’t, Mr. Judge and Jury, I an’s I’m highly respectable and a professor, and Eomichoo “S co