Now, here 's my theory." They were in the bar of the
Continental Hotel, and the old gentleman sipped his liquor as he talked.
"It 's just like this: The North thought they were doing a great thing
when they come down here and freed all the slaves. They thought they
were doing a great thing, and I 'm not saying a word against them. I
give them the credit for having the courage of their convictions. But I
maintain that they were all wrong, now, in turning these people loose
upon the country the way they did, without knowledge of what the first
principle of liberty was. The natural result is that these people are
irresponsible. They are unacquainted with the ways of our higher
civilisation, and it 'll take them a long time to learn. You know Rome
was n't built in a day. I know Berry, and I 've known him for a long
while, and a politer, likelier darky than him you would have to go far
to find. And I have n't the least doubt in the world that he took that
money absolutely without a thought of wrong, sir, absolutely. He saw it.
He took it, and to his mental process, that was the end of it. To him
there was no injury inflicted on any one, there was no crime committed.
His elemental reasoning was simply this: This man has more money than I
have; here is some of his surplus,--I 'll just take it. Why, gentlemen,
I maintain that that man took that money with the same innocence of
purpose with which one of our servants a few years ago would have
appropriated a stray ham."

"I disagree with you entirely, Mr. Talbot," broke in Mr. Beachfield
Davis, who was a mighty hunter.--"Make mine the same, Jerry, only add a
little syrup.--I disagree with you. It 's simply total depravity, that
's all. All niggers are alike, and there 's no use trying to do anything
with them. Look at that man, Dodson, of mine. I had one of the finest
young hounds in the State. You know that white pup of mine, Mr. Talbot,
that I bought from Hiram Gaskins? Mighty fine breed. Well, I was
spendin' all my time and patience trainin' that dog in the daytime. At
night I put him in that nigger's care to feed and bed. Well, do you
know, I came home the other night and found that black rascal gone? I
went out to see if the dog was properly bedded, and by Jove, the dog was
gone too. Then I got suspicious. When a nigger and a dog go out together
at night, one draws certain conclusions. I thought I had heard bayin'
way out towards the edge of the town. So I stayed outside and