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✻ delia dissents: her diary records the end of a great endeavor We dressed in our best. Miss Claire was after linding me her illygunt camio broach, for ses she shmiling: “If yer’re afther rooning for pressydint you must dress betther than ye’re aponunt. Think of the broach undher ye’re chin, Delia,” ses she, “and ye’ll hold ye’re head hy and horty.” The fuchure mimbers of the yunion began to arrive in boonches. Some of thim came in carruges owned by the family they warked far and who had innersintly lint thim for the occashun, little dhreaming that insted of a grand parrty the Wolley servants (consisting of mesilf) aloan was afther giving in honor of the Poynt imployees, as Minnie ses tis now the fashun to call oursilves—little dhreaming, as I sed, that we were about to meet for the rightchous purpose of forming a yunion. The last to arrive was the widder’s maid, the little cullud lass I’m afther tilling ye about befure—the wan named Lilly. The meeting taking place in me kitchen. I natchurally took the place of chareman, and wid me pertater masher thoomping on the table, I called the meeting to ordher. Mr. Larry Mulvaney arose to rayspictably suggist, as he’s perlitely saying, that we precede to ilict a prisydint at wance and call the roll. “Prisydint? is it?” ses I, “and who did ye think ye were afther being invited to meet. Sure it’s the Prissydint hersilf whose intertaining the boonch of ye.” A noomber of those marselled oopstares girls started in to titter and at that me blood biled oop widin me. Raymimbering me camio pin I lifted me chin hortily aloft and sed swately: “We’ll now preceed to talk of the roll. Minnie, darlint, will ye kindly show the ladies and gintlemin that we are able to call more than wan roll, but that refrishments are intinded to be sarved afther the meeting is over.” Part 1: Short Fiction 123 Whereupon Minnie aroze and pulling back the illygunt American flag which Miss Claire is afther linding us as a screen in front of me stachunarry wash tubs, reveeled set enticingly upon thim the rolls and dilicussies in quischun. “We are here,” ses I, raysing me voyse so it cud be hurd all over the naybyhood , “for the purpose of forming a sarvints yunion and to dishcuss the hard sircumstunses under which we puir loan hard-warking crachures labor wid the shweat of our brows and uther parts of us besides. We have been crooly composed upon for sinchuries, but the time has arrived at last” ses I, obsarving the effect of me oratry in the moyst eyes of minny of me lisseners , “when the worm is about to toorn around and walk home. Lit us, ladies and gintleman,” ses I wid passhun, “dishcuss the ways and meens of impooving our crool and unforchnut position. Will somewan sphake some wards upon the booted subject, as Mr. James wud be afther calling it.” “I move,” ses Mr. Tooth, he being the gardenir at the Doodleys, “that we shtart properly. Lit us ilect a Prissydint.” A fat little schnipe aroze in the rear. She’s afther being the nurse over at the Regal’s house. She and the frorleen are seeted thegither thick as theeves. “I take this opporchunity,” ses she, “to say that I am an American. I cum” ses she “froom the South, from which as perhaps ye all know hale all the refined rich, grate and reel ladies and gintlemin in these Yunited States of America. I am opposed at the outset” ses she “to sitting in a meeting or joining a yunion where cullured peeple are admitted.” Wid that she toorned a horty glance of disdane and scorn upon puir little Lilly Pearl Jackson, she wid the face the cullur of ye’re auld black cat. I rose in rarth. “I draw the line at the cullured quischun,” ses I. “Miss Lilly Pearl Jackson will be good enuff to kape her seet.” “I sickond the moshun,” ses Mr. Mulvaney. “Passed,” ses Museer, feercely pulling at his mustash on aich side of it. “And now,” ses I swately, “we’ll preseed to business.” The Rooshun Jew in charge of the inginearing privit illictrical plant of the Oil magnut, hoose afther owning half of the Poynt itsilf, aroze. He’s a silint shpaking gintleman, niver known to open his mouth befure...

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