"TALPA" LOQUITUR. 185 



"True : so for those that can't distinguish, a pure 

 currency were the greater blessing, eh?" 



" There '11 be less of it, I 'm thinking," said Mr. 

 Greening, " if it comes to that. But that aint all. 

 There's them Clay Siles. "We haven't done with 

 them yet." 



" We have n't T)egun with 'ern ? We know nothing 

 about them ! almost absolutely nothing ! We know 

 that they are stiff to the plow, and sticky to the 

 flock ; positive to the Bean, and negative to Barley ; 

 costly to drain, and, without it, profitless to farm. 

 We blunder on, with just these two or three nega- 

 tive dogmas on our tongues, and are satisfied to 

 think them knowledge enough. The truth is, we 

 have every thing to learn about them. I say 

 again we have n't begun with 'em ! But come, I 'm 

 out of breath. 'After breakfast sit awhile,' we 

 mustn't ride the old maxim to death. Let's go 

 and look at them: I can give you your choice 

 Bed, blue, yellow, and white, and every one with 

 a different temper for every month of the year! 

 The man that can tell what is to be done with 

 them 



"He's the ' coming man,' I suppose, said Mr. 

 Greening, laughing, and beginning to pull on his 



