ca'n't

I'm reminded of Lewis Carroll, who was a stickler for using an apostrophe whenever a letter was dropped; he wrote "can't" as "ca'n't" to indicate that two letters were missing.

What I bought – 27 February 2008 | Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources 2008

`There's no use trying,' she said `one ca'n't believe impossible things.'

Archive 2008-10-01 EliRabett 2008

Jack laughed and said: "The little 'un ca'n't swim as well as he can shoot, ma'am."

The Bishop of Cottontown A Story of the Southern Cotton Mills John Trotwood Moore

"No, I ca'n't guess," Sylvie said without looking up.

Sylvie and Bruno Lewis Carroll 1865

"And ca'n't you help him, little folk?" he said, with a gentleness of tone that seemed to win their hearts at once.

Sylvie and Bruno Lewis Carroll 1865

"Yes, sir," said Alice, "I ca'n't remember the things I used to know -- I've tried to say" How doth the little busy bee "and it came all different!"

Alice's Adventures Under Ground Being a facsimile of the original Ms. book afterwards developed into "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll 1865

"I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly," Alice replied very politely, "for I ca'n't understand it myself, and really to be so many different sizes in one day is very confusing."

Alice's Adventures Under Ground Being a facsimile of the original Ms. book afterwards developed into "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll 1865

"Of course it isn't," Bruno said, in a tone as if he rather pitied my ignorance; "but if oo're not even Sir Anything, oo ca'n't expect to be allowed to sit at the table, oo know."

Sylvie and Bruno Lewis Carroll 1865

And it'll fetch things when you throw them, and it'll sit up and beg for its dinner, and all sorts of things -- I ca'n't remember half of them -- and it belongs to a farmer, and he says it kills all the rats and -- oh dear! "said Alice sadly," I'm afraid

Alice's Adventures Under Ground Being a facsimile of the original Ms. book afterwards developed into "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll 1865

"Doos oo think nobody else but oo ca'n't manage things?"

Sylvie and Bruno Lewis Carroll 1865