“Possible! no wonder, then, that we reads such awful stories in the papers of your poor people being starved to death.”
“We have wheat, however.”
“Ay, for your rich folks, but I calculate the poor seldom gets a belly full.”
“You have certainly much greater abundance here.”
“I expect so. Why they do say, that if a poor body contrives to be smart enough to scrape together a few dollars, that your King George always comes down upon ’em, and takes it all away. Don’t he?”
“I do not remember hearing of such a transaction.”
“I guess they be pretty close about it. Your papers ben’t like ourn, I reckon? Now we says and prints just what we likes.”
“You spend a good deal of time in reading the newspapers.”
“And I’d like you to tell me how we can spend it better. How should freemen spend their time, but looking after their government, and watching that them fellers as we gives offices to, doos their duty, and gives themselves no airs?”
“But I sometimes think, sir, that your fences might be in more thorough repair, and your roads in better order, if less time was spent in politics.”