id:

"Say, John, I'd give something to have that tree in my house at
Christmas."

It was then a week or so to the twenty-fifth of December.

I glanced at the tree and asked him:

"You would, eh? Now, about how much would you give?"

"I'd give five dollars," he said.

"Done!" I said. "You give me five dollars and count that tree yours for
Christmas!" And we shook hands on it.

A few days later I rigged up a wagon, took along three Mexicans with
axes, and cut a load of Christmas trees--I think there were some three
hundred in the load. Then I drove the wagon to Tucson and after
delivering Wheeler his especial tree and receiving the stipulated five
dollars for it, commenced peddling the rest on the streets.

And, say! Those Christmas trees sold like wildfire. Everybody wanted
one. I sold them for as low as six-bits and as high as five dollars, and
before I left pretty nearly everybody in Tucson owned one of my trees.

When I counted up I found that my trip had netted me, over and above
expenses, just one thousand dollars.

This, you will have to admit, was some profit for a load of Christmas
trees. Sad to relate, however, a year later when I tried to repeat the
performance, I found about forty other fellows ahead of me loaded to the
guards with Christmas trees of all kinds and sizes. For a time Christmas
trees were cheaper than mesquite brush as the overstocked crowd
endeavored to unload on an oversupplied town. I escaped with my outfit
and my life but no profits--that time.

* * * * *

On December 15, 1900, I moved to Patagonia, which had just been born on
the wave of the copper boom. I rented a house, which I ran successfully
for one year, and then started the building of the first wing of the
Patagonia Hotel, which I still own and run; together with a dance-hall,
skating rink and restaurant. Since that first wing was built the hotel
has changed considerably in appearance, for whenever I got far enough
ahead to justify it, I built additions. I think I may say that now the
hotel is one of the best structures of its kind in the county. I am
considering the advisability of more additions, including a large
skating rink and dance-hall, but the copper situation does not justify
me in the outlay at present.

I am entirely satisfied with my location, however. Patagonia is not a
large place, but it is full of congenial friends and will one day, when
the copper industry again finds i