Wanted everything to look as poor and miserable as possible. He put
on a clean shirt once a week, on Sabbath to keep it holy, and by way
of being religious. Kept no fine furniture in the house, only a big
hardwood table, some stools, and candle boxes. After supper old
Mother Shenty scraped the potato skins off the table into her apron
--she always boiled the potatoes in their jackets--and then Shenty
lay down on it and smoked his pipe till bedtime, thinking of the best
way to keep down expenses. A parson came along one day lifting a
subscription for a church, or school, or something. He didn't get
anything out of old Shenty, only a pannikin of tea and some damper
and mutton. The old cove said: 'Church nor school never gave me
nothing, nor do me no good, and I could buy up a heap o' parsons and
schoolmasters if I wanted to, and they were worth buying. Us
squatters is the harrystockrisy out here. The lords at home sends
out their good-for-nothing sons to us, to get rich and be out of the
way, and much good they does. Why don't you parsons make money by
your eddication if it's any good, instead of goin' round beggin'?
You are all after the filthy lucre, wantin' to live on other folks.'
I was holdin' the parson's horse, and when he got into the saddle, he
turns to old Shenty, and says: 'From rottenness you sprung, and to
rottenness you'll go.
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