A Hard Case
- Once the herb-doctor is gone, a man from Missouri dressed in bearskins and tough as nails mocks the miser for believing in nature, the herbs, and the herb-doctor.
- The men debate about the goodness of nature, with the miser saying it's just peachy and the Missourian arguing that bad weather, hardship, and poisons also come from nature.
- The herb-doctor returns from grabbing his carpetbag in time to hear the tail end of the Missourian's harsh criticism.
- When the tough guy repeats his opinions, the herb-doctor counters with Surely you jest.
- The Missourian does not jest, although he is definitely getting a kick out of ripping apart the miser and the herb-doctor.
- The herb-doctor tries several times and fails to change the Missourian's mind. It eventually devolves into the Missourian harshly telling the miser to give up and die, before the two younger guys have a quick chat about abolitionism.
- The Missourian wants no hired (or slave) hands to help him in his work and is sick of needy people being generally useless.
- Moreover, the Missourian describes the herb-doctor as a type of slave with a master that's running his life and telling him what to do. He sees the herb-doctor as a moderate sort of man whose moderation is easily a tool of evil and of very little benefit to the good.
- The herb-doctor gives the Missourian a condescending look then goes, Oh, look—here's my stop. By-eee.