"I tell ye what ye'd do," said Mr. Dooley. "Ye'd come back here an'
sthrut up an' down th' sthreet with ye'er thumbs in ye'er armpits; an'
ye'd dhrink too much, an' ride in sthreet ca-ars. Thin ye'd buy foldin'
beds an' piannies, an' start a reel estate office. Ye'd be fooled a good
deal an' lose a lot iv ye'er money, an' thin ye'd tighten up. Ye'd be in
a cold fear night an' day that ye'd lose ye'er fortune. Ye'd wake up in
th' middle iv th' night, dhreamin' that ye was back at th' gas-house
with ye'er money gone. Ye'd be prisidint iv a charitable society. Ye'd
have to wear ye'er shoes in th' house, an' ye'er wife'd have ye around
to rayciptions an dances.' Ye'd move to Mitchigan Avnoo, an' ye'd hire a
coachman that'd laugh at ye. Ye'er boys'd be joods an' ashamed iv ye,
an' ye'd support ye'er daughters' husbands. Ye'd rackrint ye'er tinants
an' lie about ye'er taxes. Ye'd go back to Ireland on a visit, an' put
on airs with ye'er cousin Mike. Ye'd be a mane, close-fisted,
onscrupulous ol' curmudgeon; an', whin ye'd die, it'd take half ye'er
fortune f'r rayqueems to put ye r-right. I don't want ye iver to speak
to me whin ye get rich, Hinnissy."
"I won't," said Mr. Hennessy.
ON BOOKS.
"Ivry time I pick up me mornin' paper to see how th' scrap come out at
Batthry D," said Mr. Dooley, "th' first thing I r-run acrost is
somethin' like this: 'A hot an' handsome gift f'r Christmas is Lucy Ann
Patzooni's "Jims iv Englewood Thought"'; or 'If ye wud delight th'
hear-rt iv yer child, ye'll give him Dr. Harper's monymental histhry iv
th' Jewish thribes fr'm Moses to Dhry-fuss' or 'Ivrybody is r-readin'
Roodyard Kiplin's "Busy Pomes f'r Busy People."' Th' idee iv givin'
books f'r Christmas prisints whin th' stores are full iv tin hor-rns an'
dhrums an' boxin' gloves an choo-choo ca-ars! People must be crazy."
"They ar-re," said Mr. Hennessy. "My house is so full iv books ye
cudden't tur-rn around without stumblin' over thim. I found th' life iv
an ex-convict, the 'Prisoner iv Zinders,' in me high hat th' other day,
where Mary Ann was hidin' it fr'm her sister. Instead iv th' chidher
fightin' an' skylarkin' in th' evenin', they're settin' around th' table
with their noses glued into books. Th' ol' woman doesn't read, but she
picks up what's goin' on. 'Tis 'Honoria, did Lor-rd What's-his-name
marry th' fair Aminta?' or 'But that Lady Jane was a case.' An' so it
goes. There's no injymint in th' house, an' they're usin' me cravats f'r
bookmarks."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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