I've seen men, that 'd
divide their last cint with ye pay night, as hard, whin it come to
gather in th' rent f'r two rooms in th' rear, as if they was an Irish
peer's agents; an' O'Brien had no such start iv binivolence to go on.
He niver seemed to pass th' poor-box in church without wantin' to
break into it. He charged cint per cint whin Casey, th' plumber,
buried his wife an' borrid money f'r th' funeral expenses. I see him
wanst chasin' th' agent iv th' Saint Vincent de Pauls down th' road
f'r darin' to ask him f'r a contribution. To look at his har-rsh red
face, as he sat at his window markin' up his accounts, ye'd know he
was hard in th' bit an' heavy in th' hand. An' so he was,--as hard an'
heavy as anny man I iver seen in all me born days.
"Well, Peter O'Brien had lived on long enough to have th' pious curses
iv th' entire parish, whin th' fire broke out, th' second fire iv
sivinty-four, whin th' damage was tin or twinty millions iv dollars
an' I lost a bull terrier be th' name iv Robert Immitt, r-runnin'
afther th' ingines. O'Brien disappeared fr'm th' r-road durin' th'
fire,--he had some property on th' South Side,--an' wasn't seen or
heerd tell iv f'r a day.
Pages:
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173