“I was goin’ to tell ye about th’ Lexow Sodality.  Well, th’ chairman iv it is Doherty, th’ retired plumber.  He sold me a house an’ lot wanst, an’ skinned me out iv wan hundherd dollars.  He got th’ house an’ lot back an’ a morgedge.  But did ye iver notice th’ scar on his nose?  I was r-rough in thim days.  Ol’ Mike Hogan is another mimber.  Ye know him.  They say he hires constables be th’ day f’r to serve five days’ notices.  Manny’s th’ time I see th’ little furniture out on th’ sthreet, an’ th’ good woman rockin’ her baby under th’ open sky.  Hogan’s tinants.  Ol’ Dinnis Higgins is another wan.  An’ Brannigan, th’ real estate dealer.  He was in th’ assissors’ office.  May Gawd forgive him!  An’ Clancy, that was bail-bondman at Twelfth Sthreet.

“They appointed comities, an’ they held a meetin’.  I wint there.  So did some iv th’ others.  ‘Twas at Finucane’s, an’ th’ hall was crowded.  All th’ sodality made speeches.  Doherty made a great wan.  Th’ air was reekin’ with corruption, says he.  Th’ polis foorce was rotten to th’ core.  Th’ rights iv property was threatened.  What, says he, was we goin’ to do about it?

“Danny Gallagher got up, as good a lad as iver put that in his face to desthroy his intelligence, as Shakspere says.  ‘Gintlemen,’ says he, ‘wan wurrud befure we lave,’ he says.  ‘I’ve listened to th’ speeches here to-night with satisfaction,’ he says.  ‘I’m proud to see th’ rayform wave have sthruck th’ road,’ he says.  ‘Th’ rascals must be dhriven fr’m th’ high places,’ he says.  ’I see befure me in a chair a gintleman who wud steal a red-hot stove an’ freeze th’ lid befure he got home.  On me right is th’ gintleman who advanced th’ wave iv rayform tin years ago be puttin’ Mrs. Geohegan out on th’ sthreet in a snowstorm whin she was roarin’ with a cough.  Mrs. Geohegan have rayformed, peace be with her undher th’ dhrifts iv Calv’ry!  I am greeted be th’ smile iv me ol’ frind Higgins.  We are ol’ frinds, Dinnis, now, ain’t we?  D’ye mind th’ calls I made on ye, with th’ stamps undher me arms, whin I wurruked in th’ post-office?  I’ve thought iv thim whin th’ lockstep was goin’ in to dinner, an’ prayed f’r th’ day whin I might see ye again.  An’ you, Misther Brannigan, who knows about vacant lots, an’ you Misther Clancy, th’ frind iv th’ dhrunk an’ disordherly, we’re proud to have ye here.  ’Tis be such as ye that th’ polisman who dhrinks on th’ sly, an’ th’ saloon-keeper that keeps open f’r th’ la-ads an’ th’ newsboys that shoots craps, ’ll be brought to justice.  Down with crime! says I. Fellow-citizens, I thank ye kindly.  Th’ meetin’ is adjourned siney dee; an’ I app’int Missers Dooley, O’Brien, Casey, Pug Slattery, an’ mesilf to lade out th’ Lexow Sodality be th’ nose.’”

Mr. McKenna arose sleepily, and walked toward the door.

“Jawn,” said Mr. Dooley.

“Yes,” responded Mr. McKenna.

“Niver steal a dure-mat,” said Mr. Dooley.  “If ye do, ye’ll be invistigated, hanged, an’ maybe rayformed.  Steal a bank, me boy, steal a bank.”