the titan-第121节

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Alderman　Winkler　（pro…Cowperwood）。　　〃If　the　chair　pleases；　I　think　something　ought　to　be　done　to　restore　order　in　the　gallery　and　keep　these　proceedings　from　being　disturbed。　　It　seems　to　me　an　outrage；　that；　on　an　occasion　of　this　kind；　when　the　interests　of　the　people　require　the　most　careful　attention〃

A　Voice。　　〃The　interests　of　the　people！〃

Another　Voice。　　〃Sit　down。　　You're　bought！〃

Alderman　Winkler。　　〃If　the　chair　pleases〃

The　Mayor。　　〃I　shall　have　to　ask　the　audience　in　the　gallery　to　keep　quiet　in　order　that　the　business　in　hand　may　be　considered。〃　（Applause；　and　the　gallery　lapses　into　silence。）

Alderman　Guigler　（to　Alderman　Sumulsky）。　　〃Well　trained；　eh？〃

Alderman　Ballenberg　（pro…Cowperwood；　getting　uplarge；　brown；　florid；　smooth…faced）。　　〃Before　calling　up　an　ordinance　which　bears　my　name　I　should　like　to　ask　permission　of　the　council　to　make　a　statement。　　When　I　introduced　this　ordinance　last　week　I　said〃

A　Voice。　　〃We　know　what　you　said。〃

Alderman　Ballenberg。　　〃I　said　that　I　did　so　by　request。　　I　want　to　explain　that　it　was　at　the　request　of　a　number　of　gentlemen　who　have　since　appeared　before　the　committee　of　this　council　that　now　has　this　ordinance〃

A　Voice。　　〃That's　all　right；　Ballenberg。　　We　know　by　whose　request　you　introduced　it。　　You've　said　your　little　say。〃

Alderman　Ballenberg。　　〃If　the　chair　pleases〃

A　Voice。　　〃Sit　down；　Ballenberg。　　Give　some　other　boodler　a　chance。〃

The　Mayor。　　〃Will　the　gallery　please　stop　interrupting。〃

Alderman　Horanek　（jumping　to　his　feet）。　　〃This　is　an　outrage。　　The　gallery　is　packed　with　people　come　here　to　intimidate　us。　　Here　is　a　great　public　corporation　that　has　served　this　city　for　years；　and　served　it　well；　and　when　it　comes　to　this　body　with　a　sensible　proposition　we　ain't　even　allowed　to　consider　it。　　The　mayor　packs　the　gallery　with　his　friends；　and　the　papers　stir　up　people　to　come　down　here　by　thousands　and　try　to　frighten　us。　　I　for　one〃

A　Voice。　　〃What's　the　matter；　Billy？　Haven't　you　got　your　money　yet？〃

Alderman　Hvranek　（Polish…American；　intelligent；　even　artistic　looking；　shaking　his　fist　at　the　gallery）。　　〃You　dare　not　come　down　here　and　say　that；　you　coward！〃

A　Chorus　of　Fifty　Voices。　　〃Rats！〃　（also）　〃Billy；　you　ought　to　have　wings。〃

Alderman　Tiernan　（rising）。　　〃I　say　now；　Mr。　Mayor；　don't　you　think　we've　had　enough　of　this？〃

A　Voice。　　〃Well；　look　who's　here。　　If　it　ain't　Smiling　Mike。〃

Another　Voice。　　〃How　much　do　you　expect　to　get；　Mike？〃

Alderman　Tiernan　（turning　to　gallery）。　　〃I　want　to　say　I　can　lick　any　man　that　wants　to　come　down　here　and　talk　to　me　to　my　face。　　I'm　not　afraid　of　no　ropes　and　no　guns。　　These　corporations　have　done　everything　for　the　city〃

A　Voice。　　〃Aw！〃

Alderman　Tiernan。　　〃If　it　wasn't　for　the　street…car　companies　we　wouldn't　have　any　city。〃

Ten　Voices。　　〃Aw！〃

Alderman　Tiernan　（bravely）。　　〃My　mind　ain't　the　mind　of　some　people。〃

A　Voice。　　〃I　should　say　not。〃

Alderman　Tiernan。　　〃I'm　talking　for　compensation　for　the　privileges　we　expect　to　give。〃

A　Voice。　　〃You're　talking　for　your　pocket…book。〃

Alderman　Tiernan。　　〃I　don't　give　a　damn　for　these　cheap　skates　and　cowards　in　the　gallery。　　I　say　treat　these　corporations　right。　　They　have　helped　make　the　city。〃

A　Chorus　of　Fifty　Voices。　　〃Aw！　You　want　to　treat　yourself　right；　that's　what　you　want。　　You　vote　right　to…night　or　you'll　be　sorry。〃

By　now　the　various　aldermen　outside　of　the　most　hardened　characters　were　more　or　less　terrified　by　the　grilling　contest。　　It　could　do　no　good　to　battle　with　this　gallery　or　the　crowd　outside。　　Above　them　sat　the　mayor；　before　them　reporters；　ticking　in　shorthand　every　phrase　and　word。　　〃I　don't　see　what　we　can　do；〃　said　Alderman　Pinski　to　Alderman　Hvranek；　his　neighbor。　　〃It　looks　to　me　as　if　we　might　just　as　well　not　try。〃

At　this　point　arose　Alderman　Gilleran；　small；　pale；　intelligent；　anti…Cowperwood。　　By　prearrangement　he　had　been　scheduled　to　bring　the　second；　and　as　it　proved；　the　final　test　of　strength　to　the　issue。　　〃If　the　chair　pleases；〃　he　said；　〃I　move　that　the　vote　by　which　the　Ballenberg　fifty…year　ordinance　was　referred　to　the　joint　committee　of　streets　and　alleys　be　reconsidered；　and　that　instead　it　be　referred　to　the　committee　on　city　hall。〃

This　was　a　committee　that　hitherto　had　always　been　considered　by　members　of　council　as　of　the　least　importance。　　Its　principal　duties　consisted　in　devising　new　names　for　streets　and　regulating　the　hours　of　city…hall　servants。　　There　were　no　perquisites；　no　graft。　　In　a　spirit　of　ribald　defiance　at　the　organization　of　the　present　session　all　the　mayor's　friendsthe　reformersthose　who　could　not　be　trustedhad　been　relegated　to　this　committee。　　Now　it　was　proposed　to　take　this　ordinance　out　of　the　hands　of　friends　and　send　it　here；　from　whence　unquestionably　it　would　never　reappear。　The　great　test　had　come。

Alderman　Hoberkorn　（mouthpiece　for　his　gang　because　the　most　skilful　in　a　parliamentary　sense）。　　〃The　vote　cannot　be　reconsidered。〃　He　begins　a　long　explanation　amid　hisses。

A　Voice。　　〃How　much　have　you　got？〃

A　Second　Voice。　　〃You've　been　a　boodler　all　your　life。〃

Alderman　Hoberkorn　（turning　to　the　gallery；　a　light　of　defiance　in　his　eye）。　　〃You　come　here　to　intimidate　us；　but　you　can't　do　it。　　You're　too　contemptible　to　notice。〃

A　Voice。　　〃You　hear　the　drums；　don't　you？〃

A　Second　Voice。　　〃Vote　wrong；　Hoberkorn；　and　see。　　We　know　you。〃

Alderman　Tiernan　（to　himself）。　　〃Say；　that's　pretty　rough；　ain't　it？〃

The　Mayor。　　〃Motion　overruled。　　The　point　is　not　well　taken。〃

Alderman　Guigler　（rising　a　little　puzzled）。　　〃Do　we　vote　now　on　the　Gilleran　resolution？〃

A　Voice。　　〃You　bet　you　do；　and　you　vote　right。〃

The　Mayor。　　〃Yes。　　The　clerk　will　call　the　roll。〃

The　Clerk　（reading　the　names；　beginning　with　the　A's）。　　〃Altvast？〃　（pro…Cowperwood）。

Alderman　Altvast。　　〃Yea。〃　Fear　had　conquered　him。

Alderman　Tiernan　（to　Alderman　Kerrigan）。　　〃Well；　there's　one　baby　down。〃

Alderman　Kerrigan。　　〃Yep。〃

〃Ballenberg？〃　（Pro…Cowperwood；　the　man　who　had　introduced　the　ordinance。）

〃Yea。〃

Alderman　Tiernan。　　〃Say；　has　Ballenberg　weakened？〃

Alderman　Kerrigan。　　〃It　looks　that　way。〃

〃Canna？〃

〃Yea。〃

〃Fogarty？〃

〃Yea。〃

Alderman　Tiernan　（nervously）。　　〃There　goes　Fogarty。〃

〃Hvranek？〃

〃Yea。〃

Alderman　Tiernan。　　〃And　Hvranek！〃

Alderman　Kerrigan　（referring　to　the　courage　of　his　colleagues）。　　〃It's　coming　out　of　their　hair。〃

In　exactly　eighty　seconds　the　roll…call　was　in　and　Cowperwood　had　lost41　to　25。　　It　was　plain　that　the　ordinance　could　never　be　revived。




Chapter　LXII



The　Recompense

You　have　seen；　perhaps；　a　man　whose　heart　was　weighted　by　a　great　woe。　　You　have　seen　the　eye　darken；　the　soul　fag；　and　the　spirit　congeal　under　the　breath　of　an　icy　disaster。　　At　ten…thirty　of　this　particular　evening　Cowperwood；　sitting　alone　in　the　library　of　his　Michigan　Avenue　house；　was　brought　face　to　face　with　the　fact　that　he　had　lost。　　He　had　built　so　much　on　the　cast　of　this　single　die。　　It　was　useless　to　say　to　himself　that　he　could　go　into　the　council　a　week　later　with　a　modified　ordinance　or　could　wait　until　the　storm　had　died　out。　　He　refused　himself　these　consolations。　　Already　he　had　battled　so　long　and　so　vigorously；　by　every　resource　and　subtlety　which　his　mind　had　been　able　to　devise。　　All　week　long　on　divers　occasions　he　had　stood　in　the　council…chamber　where　the　committee　had　been　conducting　its　hearings。　Small　comfort　to　know　that　by　suits；　injunctions；　appeals；　and　writs　to　intervene　he　could　tie　up　this　transit　situation　and　leave　it　for　years　and　years　the　prey　of　lawyers；　the　despair　of　the　city；　a　hopeless　muddle　which　would　not　be　unraveled　until　he　and　his　enemies　should　long　be　dead。　　This　contest　had　been　so　long　in　the　brewing；　he　had　gone　about　it　with　such　care　years　before。　And　now　the　enemy　had　been　heartened　by　a　great　victory。　　His　aldermen；　powerful；　hungry；　fighting　men　alllike　those　picked　soldiers　of　the　ancient　Roman　emperorsruthless；　conscienceless；　as　desperate　as　himself；　had　in　their　last　redoubt　of　personal　privilege　fallen；　weakened；　yielded。　　How　could　he　hearten　them　to　another　strugglehow　face　the　blazing　wrath　of　a　mighty　populace　that　had　once　learned　how　to　win？　Others　might　enter　here　Haeckelheimer；　Fishel；　any　one　of　a　half…dozen　Eastern　giants　and　smooth　out　the　ruffled　surface　of　the　angry　sea　that　he　had　blown　to　fury。　　But　as　for　him；　he　was　tired；　sick　of　Chicago；　sick　of　this　interminable　contest。　　Only　recently　he　had　promised　himself　that　if　he　were　to　turn　this　great　trick　he　would　never　again　attempt　anything　so　desperate　or　requiring　so　much　effort。　He　would　not　need　to。　　The　size　of　his　fortune　made　it　of　little　worth。　　Besides；　in　spite　of　his　tremendous　vigor；　he　was　getting　on。

Since　he　had　alienated　Aileen　he　was　quite　alone；　out　of　touch　with　any　one　identified　with　the　earlier　years　of　his　life。　　His　all…desired　Berenice　still　evaded　him。　　True；　she　had　shown　lately　a　kind　of　warming　sympathy；　but　what　was　it？　Gracious　tolerance；　perhapsa　sense　of　obligation？　Certainly　little　more；　he　felt。　　He　looked　into　the　future；　deciding　heavily　that　he　must　fight　on；　whatever　happened；　and　then

While　he　sat