y myself, mark you,
busy all the time. It is the smoker's dementia accentuated by such
a mixture as this, that while he is blowing rings he imagines he
is doing something--"

"The deuce he does! And he is jolly well right."

"So, having something other to do than blow rings, I have abjured
the pipe. There are other reasons, but that will suffice."

"Abundantly," said French with emphasis, "and permit me to remark
that you have been talking rot."

Brown shook his head with a smile.

"Now tell me," continued French, "what is your idea? What have
you in view in planting yourself down here? In short, to put it
bluntly, what are you doing?"

"Doing nothing, as yet," said Brown cheerfully, "but I want to
do a lot. I have got this Galician colony in my eye."

"I beg your pardon," said French, "are you by any chance a preacher?"

"Well, I may be, though I can't preach much. But my main line is
the kiddies. I can teach them English, and then I am going to
doctor them, and, if they'll let me, teach them some of the
elements of domestic science; in short, do anything to make them
good Christians and good Canadians, which is the same thing."

"That is a pretty large order. Look here, now," said French,
sitting up, "you look like a sensible fellow, and open to advice.
Don't be an ass and throw yourself away. I know these people well.
In a generation or two something may be done with them. You can't
make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you know. Give it up. Take
up a ranch and go cattle raising. That is my advice. I know them.
You can't undo in your lifetime the results of three centuries.
It's a hopeless business. I tried myself to give them some pointers
when they came in first, and worried a good deal about it. I got
myself disliked for my pains and suffered considerable annoyance.
Now I leave them beautifully alone. Their suspicions have vanished
and they no longer look at me as if I were a thief."

Brown's face grew serious. "It's a fact, they are suspicious,
frightfully. I have been talking school to them, but they won't
have a school as a gift. My Church, the Presbyterian, you know,
offers to put up a school for them, since the Government won't do
anything, but they are mightily afraid that this is some subtle
scheme for extracting money from them. But what can you expect?
The only church they know has bled them dry, and they fear and
hate the very name of church."

"By Jove! I don't wonder," said French.

"N