Jimmy—Ivery blissid paper av thim. Sure, ’twas the swate face of Ilsie did it. I do be a thinkin’. An’ ivery sowl that bought a paper, almost, axed quistions about her. Guess they thought she was a high-born leddy, and me a stealthy, crapy kidnapper. Shure, an’ she got a foine chanst to be a leddy, and she wouldn’t take it, at all, at all! Think av that, now!
Connie—How could she get a chanst to be a leddy, when she’s jist a bit av a colleen?
Cleopatra—Ah reck’n he means to be quality. Did some quality lady wanter stole yer, honey chile?
Elsie—Lady wanted to take me ’way fum Jimmy. She said, fere was mine mutter dat her let me does papers to sell? And I wasn’t selling dose papers at all! Jimmy was selling ’em. And I telled her mine mutter was to Himmel gone, and mine fader was all loss, and—
Jimmy—And she wanted to take her home to be her little gel, ’n whin I said we couldn’t spare the sunny face av her, she tried to wheedle her away! Bad ’cess to her!
Elsie—And she said I wasn’t Jimmy’s little sister at all, she did!
Jimmy—And she axed, she did, as purry as a cat, could we afford to kape a growin’ choild that didn’t belong to us, and I says to her, says I, “Ilsie belongs to the whole tinement, that she does!” And she axed how that was, and I told her how Mrs. Ferrari slapes her, and Mrs. Omstrom ates her, and Aunt Bridget washes her, and Mrs. Washington minds her, and Mr. Opperman buys her bit clothes, and you girls kape her tidy, and I buy her hair ribbins, and she laughed, and called her a communerty orphin.
Elsie—And I telled her I wasn’t no orfing, I was Jimmy’s little sister, and she laughed some more, and she said I was pretty, and she gaved me this. (shows quarter.)
Micky—Begorra, what a lot av money! It’s a capitalist ye’ll be afther being, like the Rocky feller.
Jimmy—And thin, bedad, she began to wheedle, and she promised her foine drisses, and a babby doll, and a cab to wheel it in, and iverything ye could think about, and more, too, begorry. And thin if she didn’t up and offer her a Christmas tree!