that I knew--we used to meet in the Cafe Manrique and drink chocolate--
I said to him, 'Padre, the Lord's Prayer is a mistake down here.'
'Si, senor,' he said, and smiled his far-away smile at me. 'Yes,' said
I, 'for you say in the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily
bread."' 'Si, senor,' he says, 'but we do not expect it till to-morrow!'
The Padre knew from the start, but I learned at great expense, and went
out of business--closed up shop for ever, with a bald head and my Tips
for the Tired. Well, I've had more out of it all, I guess, than if I'd
trebled the millions and wiped Manana off the Mexican coat of arms."

"You think it would be like that here?" David asked abstractedly.

Lacey whistled. "There the Government was all right and the people all
wrong. Here the people are all right and the Government all wrong. Say,
it makes my eyes water sometimes to see the fellah slogging away. He's a
Jim-dandy--works all day and half the night, and if the tax-gatherer
isn't at the door, wakes up laughing. I saw one"--his light blue eyes
took on a sudden hardness--"laughing on the other side of his mouth one
morning. They were 'kourbashing' his feet; I landed on them as the soles
came away. I hit out." His face became grave, he turned the cigar round
in his mouth. "It made me feel better, but I had a close call. Lucky
for me that in Mexico I got into the habit of carrying a pop-gun. It
saved me then. But it isn't any use going on these special missions.
We Americans think a lot of ourselves. We want every land to do as
we do; and we want to make 'em do it. But a strong man here at the
head, with a sword in his hand, peace in his heart, who'd be just and
poor--how can you make officials honest when you take all you can get
yourself--! But, no, I guess it's no good. This is a rotten cotton
show."