NABOTH’S VINEYARD 289 
«It ought to mean a closer quarantine on this 
side of the ridge,” said I, “and you must fumi- 
gate your clothes before you appear before your 
swine, Jackson. It’s more likely to be swine 
plague than cholera at this time of the year, but 
it’s just as bad; one can hardly tell the differ- 
ence, and we must look sharp.” 
«“ How does the contagion travel, Doctor ?” 
«On horseback, when such chumps as you can 
be found. You probably have some millions of 
germs up your sleeve now, or, more likely, on 
your back, and I wouldn’t let you go into my 
hog pen for a $2000 note. I’m so well quar- 
antined that I don’t much fear contagion; but 
there’s always danger from infected dust. The 
wind blows it about, and any mote may be an 
automobile for a whole colony of bacteria, which 
may decide to picnic in my piggery. This dry 
weather is bad for us, and if we get heavy winds 
from off the ridge, I’m going to whistle for rain.” 
“TI say, Williams, when you came out here I 
thought you a tenderfoot, sure enough, who was 
likely to pay money for experience; but, by the 
jumping Jews! you’ve given us natives cards and 
spades.” 
“J was a tenderfoot so far as practical experi- 
ence goes, but I tried to use the everyday sense 
which God gave me, and I find that’s about all a 
man needs to run a business like this.” 
«You run it all right, for returns, and that’s 
what we are after; and I’m beginning to catch 
U 
