“‘Tis not, Hinnissy, that this man Yerkuss goes up to an aldherman an’ says out sthraight, ‘Here, Bill, take this bundle, an’ be an infamious scoundhrel.’  That’s th’ way th’ man in Mitchigan Avnoo sees it, but ’tis not sthraight.  D’ye mind Dochney that was wanst aldherman here?  Ye don’t.  Well, I do.  He ran a little conthractin’ business down be Halsted Sthreet ‘Twas him built th’ big shed f’r th’ ice comp’ny.  He was a fine man an’ a sthrong wan.  He begun his political career be lickin’ a plasthrer be th’ name iv Egan, a man that had th’ County Clare thrip an’ was thought to be th’ akel iv anny man in town.  Fr’m that he growed till he bate near ivry man he knew, an’ become very pop’lar, so that he was sint to th’ council.  Now Dochney was an honest an’ sober man whin he wint in; but wan day a man come up to him, an’ says he, ‘Ye know that ordhnance Schwartz inthrajooced?’ ‘I do,’ says Dochney, ’an I’m again it.  ‘Tis a swindle,’ he says.  “Well,’ says th’ la-ad, ‘they’se five thousan’ in it f’r ye,’ he says.  They had to pry Dochney off iv him.  Th’ nex’ day a man he knowed well come to Dochney, an’ says he, ‘That’s a fine ordhnance iv Schwartz.’  ’It is, like hell,’ says Dochney. ‘’Tis a plain swindle,’ he says. ’’Tis a good thing f’r th’ comp’nies,’ says this man; ’but look what they’ve done f’r th’ city,’ he says, ‘an think,’ he says, ‘iv th’ widdies an’ orphans,’ he says, ‘that has their har-rd-earned coin invisted,’ he says.  An’ a tear rolled down his cheek.  ‘I’m an orphan mesilf,’ says Dochney; ‘an’ as f’r th’ widdies, anny healthy widdy with sthreet-car stock ought to be ashamed iv hersilf if she’s a widdy long,’ he says.  An’ th’ man wint away.

“Now Dochney thought he’d put th’ five thousan’ out iv his mind, but he hadn’t.  He’d on’y laid it by, an’ ivry time he closed his eyes he thought iv it.  ‘Twas a shame to give th’ comp’nies what they wanted, but th’ five thousan’ was a lot iv money.  ‘Twud lift th’ morgedge.  ‘Twud clane up th’ notes on th’ new conthract.  ’Twud buy a new dhress f’r Mrs. Dochney.  He begun to feel sorrowful f’r th’ widdies an’ orphans.  ‘Poor things!’ says he to himsilf, says he.  ’Poor things, how they must suffer!’ he says; ‘an’ I need th’ money.  Th’ sthreet-car comp’nies is robbers,’ he says; ’but ‘tis thrue they’ve built up th’ city,’ he says, ‘an th’ money ‘d come in handy,’ he says.  ’No wan ’d be hurted, annyhow,’ he says; ‘an’, sure, it ain’t a bribe f’r to take money f’r doin’ something ye want to do, annyhow,’ he says.  ’Five thousan’ widdies an’ orphans,’ he says; an’ he wint to sleep.

“That was th’ way he felt whin he wint down to see ol’ Simpson to renew his notes, an’ Simpson settled it.  ‘Dochney,’ he says, ’I wisht ye’d pay up,’ he says.  ‘I need th’ money,’ he says.  ‘I’m afraid th’ council won’t pass th’ Schwartz ordhnance,’ he says; ‘an’ it manes much to me,’ he says.  ‘Be th’ way,’ he says, ‘how’re ye goin’ to vote on that ordhnance?’ he says.  ‘I dinnaw,’ says Dochney.  ‘Well,’ says Simpson (Dochney tol’ me this himsilf), ‘whin ye find out, come an’ see me about th’ notes,’ he says.  An’ Dochney wint to th’ meetin’; an’, whin his name was called, he hollered ‘Aye,’ so loud a chunk iv plaster fell out iv th’ ceilin’ an’ stove in th’ head iv a rayform aldherman.”