The Bread-winners - A Social Study by John Hay
page 79 of 303 (26%)
page 79 of 303 (26%)
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This was faithfully reported by Sam to his confessor that same night.
"Well, you are in luck. I wish I had your chance," said Offitt. Sam opened his blue eyes in mute wonder. "Well, what's the chance, and what would you do with it, ef you had it?" Offitt hesitated a moment before replying. "Oh, I was just a jokin'. I meant it was such an honor for common folks like us to git inside of the palace of a high-toned cuss like Farnham; and the fact is, Sammy," he continued, more seriously, "I _would_ like to see the inside of some of these swell places. I am a student of human nature, you know, in its various forms. I consider the lab'rin' man as the normal healthy human--that is, if he don't work too hard. I consider wealth as a kind of disease; wealth and erristocracy is a kind of dropsy. Now, the true reformer is like a doctor,--he wants to know all about diseases, by sight and handlin'! I would like to study the symptoms of erristocracy in Farnham's house--right in the wards of the hospital." "Well, that beats me," said Sam. "I've been in a lot of fine houses on Algonquin Avenue, and I never seen anything yet that favored a hospital." This dense stupidity was almost more than Offitt could bear. But a ready lie came to his aid. |
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