The Wild-Fowlers 71 



filthy, " replied Fielding. "The lazy and 

 filthy man always cries poverty as an ex- 

 cuse for his dirt and indolence. Poverty 

 and filth need n't go hand in hand any 

 more than riches and rottenness need 

 unite. The laggard's poverty excuse for 

 his foulness is an insult to everybody who 

 can't brag of wealth. Are all poor per- 

 sons dirty ? No, sir, I won't stand for 

 that. The poor as a class are just as 

 cleanly as the rich. These whelps here- 

 about are just plain, downright dirty, lazy 

 bipeds, that 's all, and they should be 

 scattered not allowed to fester in a 

 mass." 



"Well, don't disturb them, pray/' 

 quoth Bradley; "it is better to have a 

 lot of rattlesnakes in one quarter than 

 scattered all over the globe. You 

 would n't like to see these lepers wading 

 our clear trout brooks or running all over 

 our beautiful quail ground and snipe 

 meadows, would you ? Corbin," contin- 

 ued the Doctor, " will you have a drop of 



