In this excerpt from the life of charlotte brontë by elizabeth gaskell, what does the author mean by the sentence “the west riding men are sleuth-hounds in pursuit of money”?
the west riding men are sleuth-hounds in pursuit of money. miss brontë related to my husband a curious instance illustrative of this eager desire for riches. a man that she knew, who was a small manufacturer, had engaged in many local speculations, which had always turned out well, and thereby rendered him a person of some wealth.

The author uses a metaphor to compare the West Riding men in their quest for money with hounds that pursue prey.

in june, we will have been married for eighteen months. (i am assuming this is what you want? the sentence, as you have presented it, is grammatically incorrect--   you want it corrected, yes? )

what is a theme?

ans: the implicit idea of a written work of literature is called a theme.

so, the only theme of "birdfoot's grampa" by joseph bruchuc is that as a human being one should always remember the value of every life on earth.

the grampa is stopping the car again and again to save those little toads from washing away in the heavy rain is an act of kindness and humanity.