When they urged that to spend so much money in such a
manner was criminally wasteful, he pointed out that he was
sufficiently rich to indulge any extravagant fancy, whether in
polo
ponies or bears; when they warned him that if he did not look out
the bears would catch him alone in the woods, and eat him, he
retorted that the bears were now educated to a different diet;
when
they said he should consider the peace of mind of his neighbors,
he
assured them the fence around his game preserve would restrain an
elephant.
"Besides," protested Kelly, "what you propose to do is not only
impracticable, but it's cruelty to animals. A domesticated animal
can't return to a state of nature, and live."
"Can't it?" jeered Herrick. "Did you ever read 'The Call of the
Wild'?"
"Did you ever read," retorted Kelly, "what happened at the siege
of
Ladysmith when the oats ran low and they drove the artillery
horses
out to grass? They starved, that's all. And if you don't feed
your
bears on milk out of a bottle they'll starve too."
"That's what will happen," cried Jackson; those bears have
forgotten what a pine forest smells like.
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