He had seen many changes? I listened carefully, though I asked the question lightly enough.
Changes! He guessed he had. Terbacca was better for one thing—I was relieved to see that men still smoked, and then the jar came again as I remembered that save for this man, and one elderly officer, I had not seen anyone smoking on the vessel.
"How do you account for it?" I asked the old Yankee. "For tobacco's being better?"
He grinned cheerfully.
"Less run on it, I guess," said he. "Young fellers don't seem to smoke no more, and I ain't seen nobody chewing for—well, for ten years back."
"Is it cheaper as well as better?"
"No, sir, it ain't. It's perishing high. But then, wages is high, too," he grudgingly admitted.
"Better tobacco and better wages—anything else improved?"
"Yes, sir-ee! Grub's better, by square miles—and 'commodations—an' close. Make better stuff now.
"Well! well!" said I as genially as I knew how. "That's very different from my young days. Then everybody older than I always complained about all manner of things, and told how much better—and cheaper—things were when they were young."