f'r fight; an', whin th' year was over, he was knowed fr'm wan end iv
th' canal to th' other as th' man that no wan cud stand befure. He got
so pop'lar fr'm lickin' all his frinds that he opened up a liquor
store beyant th' bridge, an' wan night he shot some la-ads fr'm th'
ya-ards that come over f'r to r-run him. That made him sthronger still.
When they got up a prize f'r th' most pop'lar man in th' parish, he
loaded th' ballot box an' got th' goold-headed stick, though he was
r-runnin' against th' aldherman, an' th' little soggarth thried his
best to down him. Thin he give a cock fight in th' liquor shop, an'
that atthracted a gang iv bad men; an' he licked thim wan afther
another, an' made thim his frinds. An' wan day lo an' behold, whin th'
aldherman thried f'r to carry th' prim'ries that 'd niver failed him
befure, Flannagan wint down with his gang an' illicted his own
dilligate ticket, an' thrun th' aldherman up in th' air!

"Thin he was a boss, an' f'r five years he r-run th' ward. He niver
wint to th' council, d'ye mind; but, whin he was gin'rous, he give th'
aldhermen tin per cint iv what they made. In a convintion, whin anny
iv th' candydates passed roun' th' money, 'twas wan thousand dollars
f'r Flannagan an' have a nice see-gar with me f'r th' rest iv thim.
Wan year fr'm th' day he done th' aldherman he sold th' liquor shop.
Thin he built a brick house in th' place iv th' little frame wan he
had befure, an' moved in a pianny f'r his daughter. 'Twas about this
time he got a dimon as big as ye'er fist, an' begun to dhrive down
town behind a fast horse. No wan knowed what he done, but his wife
said he was in th' r-rale estate business. D'ye mind, Jawn, that th'
r-rale estate business includes near ivrything fr'm vagrancy to
manslaughter?

"Whativer it was he done, he had money to bur-rn; an' th' little