A Yankee mode of emphasizing a statement.

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1833.  She flew round among the folks mighty peart, I tell you.—James Hall, ‘Legends of the West,’ p. 88 (Phila.).

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1833.  The old gentleman is coming along pretty peart, I tell you.—Id., p. 37.

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1851.  I peartened up then, and gin him as good as he sent, mind, I tell you.—J. J. Hooper, ‘Widow Rugby’s Husband,’ &c., p. 78.

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1857.  ’Fraid I mussed her hair slightly,—it was done up mighty nice, I tell you.—San Francisco Call, Feb. 19: from The Cincinnati Enquirer.

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1858.  

        But the Deacon swore (as Deacons do,
With an “I dew vum,” or an “I tell yeou,”)
He would build one shay to beat the taown,
’n’ the keounty ’n’ all the kentry raoun’;
It should be so built that it couldn’ break daown!
O. W. Holmes, ‘The One-Hoss-Shay.’    

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1862.  

        “I tell ye wut, this war ’s a-goin’ to cost—
“An’ I tell you it wun’t be money lost.”
Lowell, ‘Biglow Papers,’ 2nd Series, No. 2.    

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*** The right accentuation of the phrase is shown in the last two examples.

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