THE BENEFICENT TARIFF, 131 



Now, his boys, if they have not " gone into 

 business," drive fast horses, his girls wear seal- 

 skin sacks and silk dresses, make music with 

 the piano instead of with milk pans and butter 

 churns, and they all live in a new nicely-fur- 

 nished house and have plenty of money. 

 How is that Fanny ? Fanny shook her head, 

 by which I understood that, with all her horse 

 sense, she could not fathom it. " I can't see," 



I continued, *' how the farmer can be so pros- 

 perous when he not only sells nothing, but 

 buys everything, and that at a high price, in 

 order to support home industries, which give 

 him nothing in return. I think I'll ask the 

 philosopher of the Tribune^ Fanny tossed 

 her head. I did not exactly understand if this 

 was in token of approbation or contempt ; but 

 when I added, " He will probably attribute it 

 to the beneficent tariff," she snorted outright. 

 I saw that she was thinking of oats, and won- 

 dering how, if the price should be advanced 

 from forty-three to sixty cents per bushel, 

 either she or I would be benefited. 



