“Glory be!”
“Nolan worked for Gartenheim, of course; he couldn’t turn down his own boss, ye know. An’ Ferguson ’lectioneered for O’Connor for the same reason, see? An’ he chased aroun’ the ward waggin’ his face for votes an’ givin’ Gartenheim the knife every chance he got. On election night,” continued McGonagle, proudly, “we had the returns at the club by private wire, ye know, and when Roddy was dead sure that Kelly had flim-flammed the push, he opened up on Nolan an’ said that Gartenheim had been workin’ wit’ the other side, all along. In a minute they was clinched an’ the crowd had to pull ’em apart. That’s how it is.”
“But, Goose,” complained Tim, “I don’t see how Kelly, who calls himself a Dimmycrat, got on the Raypublican ticket.”
“He was foxy,” returned Goose; “I ain’t stuck on him, but I’ll say that for him—he’s dead foxy. As soon as he seen his own party split he made a play for a place on the other ticket; the other side knowed that he cud lift a lot o’ votes from us, and that they cud win wit’ him, see? McQuirk got onto the game an’ tried to make a deal. But they gave him the laugh, and wiped up the ward wit’ him on ’lection day, wit’ Kelly at the head o’ their column. The boss was red hot, le’me tell youse: I heerd him in Kerrigan’s back room the next afternoon, and he said he’d be at Kelly’s finish if it took every cent he had in his clothes.”
“Next chendt!” called Schwartz. O’Hara got out of the chair, and McGonagle took his place.
“It was all blow, though,” added Goose as Schwartz swathed him in clean towels and began to apply the lather. “He’s got over his spasm, an’ they’re both as t’ick as t’ives. Say,” to the barber, “keep that soap on the outside o’ me face, will youse!”
“Den keep your face shud, aind’t it,” smiled Schwartz.
Clancy and Burns were about to leave.
“We’ll see yez at the wake, Jerry,” said the former. “Will ye go along wid us, Malachi?”
“I have till go to the length av Coogan’s till see a stove that they do be waitin’ me till buy,” answered O’Hara, “but I’ll folly right after yez.”