I say drawled advisedly.

Surely the whuff-whuff of the engine seems to me a kind of mechanical speech; and to this was often added the sad lowing of cattle.

From time to time some earnest but misdirected young man would join the aldermanic body, and immediately lift up his voice in protest.

It was outrageous, and so forth; the railroads must be brought to their senses, and so forth.
Presently a meeting would come and go without his voice being heard, another, and yet another.

By and by he would silently cast his vote for the various businesses under hand, and go home.