66 THE ITINERANT HORSE PHYSICIAN 



fibrous growth, producing the dyspnea by direct 

 pressure. As I remember it now, I recommended 

 its enucleation. But I did not want the job, 

 because the day before I had met a friend in Tor- 

 reon who "stood in" with the railroad men; he 

 was leaving for El Paso on this day and he 

 thought he could work it so that I would get free 

 passage home if I went with him. 



So, when Senor Alvarez wanted to know what 

 my fee would be for the operation I thought I 

 would name a figure so exorbitant that he would 

 back down. I told him the operation itself would 

 cost him $100, and the after treatment would cost 

 him probably another hundred. Without hes- 

 itating two seconds he bade me proceed to work 

 at once. Here I was "in a pickle"; sure, $200 

 was no small sum; but I would have to hang 

 around a week or ten days to earn it all. I 

 wanted to go home that night with my friend; I 

 had decided not to locate in Torreon anyhow, 

 and I wanted to get back on the job in El Paso. 

 That was always my style : — now or never, whole 

 loaf or none. I was like a mule in that respect; 

 you might have offered me the governorship of 

 the state of Coahuila, if I had to stay there longer 

 than the hour for that night train I would have 

 refused the job and all the graft that went with it. 



But here I stood ; Alvarez had taken me up on 

 my own figures. And, by George, he was so nice 

 and gentlemanly about it ! But I had made up 

 my mind to hike for home that night, and there 

 was some mule in me, you know. I fixed it up 

 like this : 



