"Do you want to earn some money?" asked Hicks.
"Well, that depends," said Boyd, doubtfully.
"Easy money," suggested Owen.
"That's the only kind worth going after," commented the sailor.
"That's where we agree with you, my friend," said Hicks. "We are after easy money and plenty of it. Plenty for us and plenty for you, too, if you can keep quiet about it."
"That's the kind of talk I like to hear. But as honest man to honest man, I want to warn you that there mustn't be too much work to it. I don't believe in the nobility of labor. I believe that work is the crowning shame and humiliation of the human race. It's all right for a horse or a dog or an ox to work, but a man ought to be above it. It's degrading, interferes with his pleasures and wastes his time."
"I feel the same way," agreed Owen, "but somebody has got to work to make shoes and food for us."
"Yes," admitted the sailor, "regretfully there will always have to be some work done, and I'm sorry for the poor guys that must do it. But there's been too much work done."
"Those sentiments are very noble," said Owen.
"It's all very fine to worry about your fellow man. But you would like to have plenty of money even if the rest of the world is fool enough to keep on working."