nd to give people something else to smoke
besides the stink-weed forced on the public by the government! Thanks to
the Lord, who had stood by him through thick and thin, and to his own
guts--don't forget that--he had made a little something--enough to keep
him from worrying in his old age! But times weren't what they had been!
The revenue men were now in charge of young navy officers just off the
school-ships, with all sorts of stuck-up ideas in their heads and ears a
yard long to catch any talk that was going around; and not a one of them
would keep his eyes shut for an hour, if you paid him half his weight in
gold. Why, last month they had caught three boats coming from Marseilles
with a cargo of cloth! You had to be careful, you had to be careful! Too
much blabbing going on all the time. The Q. T., that was the watchword!
The Rector had made up his mind? Well, then, straight ahead! His Uncle
Mariano would not be the man to throw cold water on an idea like that.
He wanted the boys in his family to have ambition and try to get
somewhere in the world. Poor old Pascualo would have turned out better
if he'd stuck to that business and not gone back to fishing!

Well, how much did the Rector need? Quite frank now!--as though he were
talking to a father. If it had been a matter of fishing, not a penny.
Hell of a trade for a fellow, that, where you killed yourself working
and died poor as a rat. But for something of that other kind, all he
wanted, all he wanted! Somehow or other, this business of cheating the
government always appealed to _tio_ Mariano! A man's job!

The Rector timidly outlined what he thought he ought to have, stopping
every other word, as though he were afraid of asking too much. But his
uncle took the short cut to the conclusion. Boat? He had the boat. Very
well! He, _tio_ Mariano, would see to all the rest. He would drop a line
to some friends of his on the "market" at Algiers. They would give the
Rector a good load on credit, and if he were spry and got it ashore all
right, a way would be found to sell it. "Thanks ever so much, uncle,
_grasies, tio!_ _Que bo es voste!_ It's certainly nice of you." And the
Rector's eyes were almost running over with tears. But _tio_ Mariano
didn't like sentiment. What was he in the family for? He always had poor
Pascualo on his mind. What a way to die! There was a man of pluck for
you! Oh, by the way, the Rector would get a full third of the proceeds
... seeing he was one