The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-28
THE WOMEN WHO OWN CITY HALL.
And Collect Rent Every Quarter
from the Ney York ChamberInin's
DOOrkeeper.
From the New York Tril

DOOrkeeper.
From the New York Tribune.
AS regular as the equinoxes, and
twice as often. two little old women
CAIN on City Chamberlain Gould and
Deputy Chamberlain Campbell for rent
due them, in their own rickety minds,
on account of the city's occupancy of
the City Hall, They called one day
last week. and Mr.. Campbell says
they'll be around again the first week
in April. The little old women are in
mates Of a city charitable institution on
Wards Island. and because of its mol
lifying influence on their conduct the
keepers allow them to dress up in their
best fri1ls and feathers and go down to
the Stewart building on their rent COL
Letting trip. One of the little old
danes is French, and doubtless is re-
sponsible for her associates hallucina-
ton about owning the City Hall, as she
does most of the talking. Dan" Dom
cyan, the doorman in the chamberlain
office, knows the pair. and always waits
on them with punctilious courtliness.
'Ah, Mosieur Daw-ne-gan, how do
You?" said the little French pretender
OIl llGt last CdIl OeIlSuI-6u1 HAPPY
New Year and happy returns a mill
yon! An re Madame Daw-ne-gan? I
trust she also is var well! My love to
madame! All with a shake of the fin
ger), do not deny-ze little bird told me,
re last little Daw-ne-gan was leetle
twin! A twin. Mistaire Daw-ne-gan-
you do not deny"
"Shure. madam said Danny"
blushing. yer tn most wonderful and
beautiful damsel on two legs, you and
Your lady friend, here, and 'tisn't for me
to tell We to guess again. An phat kin
do for your ladyships to-day? 1 s'pose
Covering his voice and becoming con-
fidentiaD, it's the same old business
rint! Well, God save u.s. but the city's
poor this thrip, an we can't pay the
rint. an yen have to come again."
What! Mo'sieur. not pay re rent!
Not pay re rent? ices is one grand out
rage! ices is one insult / will not
stand here an take re cold affront.
Hear me, an make no meestake. You
pay re rent-you pay re rent. or l make
re grand bounce of re whole tribe!
Wah! Not pay re rent! 1t is a shocking!
Not pay re rent"
mot now" said Donegan, well pay
If you'll give US time. But coal is high
an the Mayor and borough president
and all their hired men have large fam
lilies, and you'll have to let the rint go
this wanst."
mot pay re rent! What! Use my
domain an not give re ee-quiv-alent!
No, no! l will dispossess! Hear me,
I'll get re writ-come. Louise, we will
not be outrage! We
There! there!" said Donegan, as he
has said many times before. ct hadn't
name it. Av coorse I'll pay tn rint
drawing a black receipt out of his
pocket. Here. take this check, but
don't cash it. till I tell viz. It's the city's
check, an it's allus good as you know.
Now g'wan back home. There, there,
No googoo eyes at me. Shure you're
pair of heart smashers. If 1 c'ud only
marry tn both av yez"-
"Sitl" Growningly) "do not pre-
sumev'-
'.Ah, that's all right. I couldn't help
a bit o. blarney, for seldom do we see
beautiful crachures like youse, an
youse coming only four times a year.
Goodby! goodby! Tra-la! Don't lose
that check"
And then the old women, gayly chat
tering and nervously lingering their
blank receipt, softly disappear down
the stairway and Dan" Donegan, with
a roaring good laugh. Joined in by
Deputy Chamberlain Campbell and the
clerks, resumes his guard duty.
They never seem to cast up those
blank receipts given by Donegan," said
Mr.. Campbell. Probably one of these
days the almshouse superintendent will
run across them, carefully tucked away
with other things precious in the disor-
dered fancy of the little French wom-
an. The little French woman is very
rich in her mind Once she said she
owned all of New York south of Canal
street. Some times it's more and some
times less. She's sure about owning
the City Hall. though. I often wonder
what she'd do II Donegan didn't give
her the blank receipt"