EL PASO 57 



narian or two among these health-seekers, who 

 would do a little light practice. Our only objec- 

 tion to that was the fact that they were mostly 

 from states where veterinarians worked cheap and 

 they interfered with our regular rate of charges, 

 working too cheap. 



We frequently were called to Jaurez, on the 

 Mexican side of the river, where there was a 

 Mexican practitioner. He did very little work, 

 however, and did not give us any trouble. Things 

 were running along smoothly for me and I soon 

 had things well in hand. 



Doctor Thatcher had been giving me practice 

 but little attention, being kept busy at his post 

 as city bacteriologist. When this did not occupy 

 his time he worked at a process for making alcohol 

 from a cactus plant which grows thickly in that 

 region. By fall of the same year he had per- 

 fected a process which was satisfactory and he 

 proceeded to organize a company for the purpose 

 of erecting a distillery. 



This he carried out successfully and as his time 

 was now entirely taken up he wanted to dispose 

 of the veterinary practice and he gave me the 

 first chance to buy it. This was in November. 

 I had now been with him about five months and 

 although I had been earning a good salary, I had 

 not saved a cent, having used the money as fast 

 as I got it to pay some of my debts. 



So, here I was with an opportunity to become 

 the owner of a practice which I knew fully and 

 which I had handled successfully, but without a 

 cent of money to pay for it with. 



