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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain: and you know, that all along a line that 's being surveyed,
there 's little dabs of land that they call "gores," that fall
to the surveyor free gratis for nothing. All you've got to do,
on your side, is to survey in such a way that the "gores" will fall
on good fat land, then you turn 'em over to me, I stock 'em with cattle,
in rolls the cash, I plank out your share of the dollars regular,
right along, and--'
I was sorry to wither his blooming enthusiasm, but it could not be helped.
I interrupted, and said severely--
'I am not that kind of a surveyor. Let us change the subject, Mr. Backus.'
It was pitiful to see his confusion and hear his awkward
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