two plum-foolest things God has found time to make yet. If you
don't believe it, watch them stand around and cackle over the first
big dunghill rooster that walks on his wings before them! There are
times when I could wring their necks. Dern a fool, anyhow!" He
wriggled in his chair with impatience.

"Liver," said I, outraged. "You'd better see Dr. Westmoreland about
it. When a man talks like you're talking now, it's just one of two
things--a liver out of whack, or plain ugly jealousy."

"I do sound like I've got a grouch, don't I?" he admitted, without
shame. "Well ... maybe it's jealousy, and maybe it's not. The truth
is, he rubs me rather raw at times, I don't know just how or why.
Maybe it's because he's so sure of himself. He can afford to be sure.
There isn't any reason why he shouldn't be. And it hurts my feelings."
He looked up at me, shrewdly. "He looks all right, and he sounds all
right, and maybe he might be all right--but, parson, I've got the
notion that somehow he's not!"

"Good heavens! Why, look at what the man has done for the mill folks!
Whatever his motives are, the result is right there, isn't it? His
works praise him in the gates!"

"Oh, sure! But he hasn't played his full hand out yet, friend. You just
give him time. His sort don't play to lose; they can't afford to lose;
losing is the other fellow's job. Parson, see here: there are two sides
to all things; one of 'em's right and the other's wrong, and a man's got
to choose between 'em. He can't help it. He's got to be on one side or
the other, if he's a _man_. A neutral is a squashy It that both sides do
right to kick out of the way. Now you can't do the right side any good
if you're standing flatfooted on the wrong side, can you? No; you take
sides according to what's in you. You know good and well one side is
full of near-poors, and half-ways, and real-poors--the downandouters,
the guys that never had a show, ditchers and sewercleaners and
sweatshoppers and mill hands and shuckers, and overdriven mutts and
starved women and kids. It's sure one hell of a road, but there's got to
be a light somewhere about it or the best of the whole world wouldn't
take to it for choice, would they? Yet they do! Like Jesus Christ, say.
They turn down the other side cold, though it's nicer traveling. Why,
you can hog that other road in an auto, you can run down the beggars and
the kids, you can even shoot up the cops that want to make you keep the
speed laws. Y