THE "POWERS" THAT BE. 193 



" True, true : a tool worked by horses, and drag- 

 ging a man after it. You never spoke plainer 

 truth, Greening! And here we are somewhere 

 near the middle of the nineteenth century, and 

 talk of agricultural improvements ! It shames me 

 to think of it." 



"What, ashamed o' the plow! O dear, dear! 

 Well, I a'in't, and never was, nor never shall be, 

 neither, that 's more" 



"Too much, a little. How do you know you 



never will be f " 



" Not, however, till something Oh, ho ! I 



know now what you're after. You\e a-driving 

 now! Ay, ay! Now I think of it they tell me 

 you 're always a-driving somehow against the plow. 

 "Well, what 's the matter with it ? So long as it 's a 

 good 'un, mind ! Come now, I should like to hear 

 from your own lips what you 've got to say agin' it. 

 I can not understand them books, so it's no use 

 trying ; and I do try, that 's a fact ; but as sure as I 

 get half way down a page I go to sleep. A lot o' 

 Chemistry and stuff! I '11 back Common Sense agin' 

 Chemistry any day. But I should like just to hear 

 you on a bit about the plow I think I could un- 

 derstand that ; but you must please keep the words 



close-cropped, you know no raspers ! A farmer's 

 9 



