The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-30

4
the sprinkling cart men, with their big,
beetle-like wagons, in grand file, the street
cleaning inspectors on their bicycles, with
their fore and aft caps like so many Stan
Ileys going after Livingstone, and the gar
bage carts like Roman chariots jolting III
the show--and Dennis in it. And there
were elegant speeches and gentlemen max
ing bows, and there was parading and
there was maneuvres, and the whole town
to watch-and Dennis in it. Ann Moyn-
Than didn't see it all, but she saw more
than she could bear and then she went
back and rolled herself up tighter than
Fever on her Swiss chalet doorstep And
when an especially grand old lady passed
in the afternoon and glanced up at the
shanty with gentle, patronizing inquisi-
tiyeness, Ann looked dreamily the other
way, removed her pipe and spat with the
Negligent aim and the raised eyebrows of
indifference.
| Dennis Moynihan did not live with his
mother He boarded with the iantor and
| lanitress of decent tenement farther east.
Dennis had lived in New York long enough
to be naturalized citizen, and he had
taken out his papers-which might go
without saying, for otherwise how could
he have joined the force of the D. G. c.?
His position, though it might seem hum
BILE to some, implied political preferment
and the successful unwinding of ever so
many yards of red tape, and in the eyes of
Ann Moynihan, at least his Office con-
fered distinction above its emoluments
Ann was not without other family con-
nections. Her niece, Mary Mccarthy,
lived in the rear tenement of big, old
house in slummy, east side region down
town, and kept boarders, servants out of
place-such servans-heaven help us !
as were likely to remain out of place, or
else-heaven help the places p There
were old harridans there direct from the
bogs-old frog faced witches ready to swear
that they could make all kinds of pies and
puddings, but looking only fit to stir caul-
dron in fairy tale. On her arrival in
New York, Ann had repaired to this haven.
She had at that time already lived for
number of years in America, in the neigh
boring cities of Brooklyn and Philadelphia,
where, with her husband, Pete Moynihan,
she had knocked about from pillar to post
and had series of adventures more or
less romantic When Ann arrived at the
Mccarthy Pete was dead and Ann, ragged
and inebriate, gave herself out as very
poor She Dragged continually Of her son
Dennis, but seemed to have no desire to
infict herself upon him and preferred to
glory in him from afar.
"Meery" Mccarthy was a stormy person
with big family, that she brought up, as
it were, with her foot and elbow She |
kept her aunt for awhile, but the tene-
ment rocked their fsticuffs and nearly
smoked with oaths, and when "Meery''
was at the end of her vocabulary one day,
and could think of nothing more superla-
tive, she put Ann into the street.
Shortly after this expulsion an old Ger
man from Philadelphia turned up, and he
laughed as if he would have fit when
be heard the story of AIMS destitution.
'iDat ole yoman-shee' S reetch, he pro-
tested, 'ain' shee schmard, heh p And |
he told a marvellous tale of Louisiana
lottery ticket that Pete Moynihan had
drawn Pete, having had no spiritual re-
sources of celebration, had promptly drunk
himself to death on coming into his wealth,
and Ann must now be in possession of the
residue of the fortune, competency, some
thing -''beek beck p
Mary Mccarthy was furious She in
stituted an eager search for her aunt, and
in the course of time she found Ann
"squatting' on the Madison-ave farm.
She few at her, bursting with indignation
and wanting to know where she found
money to buy a COW and live in style un-
warranted, considering her arrears in board
bills. At the same time she inconsistent
ly jeered at the shanty and with sarcastic
fling at Dennis said he chad right to
see his mother better housed, ''and him
an ash man.
When cernered Ann did not deny she
had some means, and she grudgingly paid
over her board money, induced somewhat,
no doubt, by Marys assurance that she d
have the law on her if she didn' t, Mary
took the money and went home with tale
of wonder After this the McCarthys
sometimes Dragged of rich relations " Aunt
that lives on Madison avenyer, and they
limited at prospects, and once they sound
ed Ann as to their possible Inheritance.
But Ann said stoutly
"Ye're not in it livery cint I've got
goes to me boy Dinnis-do ye mind p
"An' afther Dinnis, it S ourselves is the
mkt of kin, ain t it, aunt 2
"Ye're welcome to what Dennis doan't
git-that's straight, - and Ann grinned
wickedly.
1t wasn't likely that strapping young
Dennis was going TO drop out and make
room for the McCarthys. Most people
laughed at the story of Aun' riches. But
Mrs Mandelbaum, who kept the east side
dairy, where Ann sold milk used to point
the old woman out, and tattle about the
miser, as she called her
Matters standing thus, the excitement
of the McCarthys may be imagined when
one day a rumor reached them that Den
mis- Moynihan was ill-yery bad with pneu-
monia Ann, weeping in a maudlin con-
dition, explained her theory, that the
''ashes had got into his throat Maybe
they had At all events the poor fellow,
the pride of his mother was in bad way,
and he didn stay so long-for he died.
Ann had the wake in her shanty, and
the McCarthys turned out en- masse to at
tend. They bemuddled themselves with
spirits which they pronounced with many
knowing winks at each other, while they
were still in sufficiently early stage of
intoxicatien to be critical, to be of rare
good brand for the occasion. And the
candles were fine wax, and it was an ele-
CANT wake The McCarthys were in a
fever of excitement Dennis couldn'
carry his riches to paradise-that was
sure-and Ann was rapidly drinking her
self into the grace.
They clung to their aunt with bare
faced attentions 1t was ''Will | get
in the COW fer yes fer the night p or,
''Sure, ye'll be wantin your pipe filled
will fetch the tobacco, dear aunt p