him--the same kind they had
when Hart's aunt come on her visit, only twisting things round so it
would be the holy terror side of the town that had the show. And he
said as he'd started in with the preacher racket, he thought they
might keep that up too--and make such an out and out mix-up for the
little man as would give cards to any tenderfoot game that ever was
played. Santa Fe always was full of his pranks: and this one looked to
pan out so well, and was so easy done, that he went right across to
the deepo and had a talk with Wood about how things had better be
managed; and Wood, who liked fun as much as anybody, caught on quick
and agreed to take a hand.

The little man seemed to get a brace when he had his grub inside of
him; and over he went to the deepo and give Wood the order he had
from the President to see the books--and was real intelligent, Wood
said, in finding out how railroading in them parts was done. But when
he'd cleaned up his railroad job, and took to asking questions about
the Territory, and Palomitas, and things generally--and got the sort
of answers Santa Fe had fixed should be give him, with some more
throwed in--Wood said his feet showed to be that tender he allowed it
would a-hurt him with thick boots on to walk on boiled beans.

Wood said he guessed he broke the lying record that afternoon; and he
said he reckoned if the little man swallowed half of what was give
him, and there wasn't much of anything he gagged at, he must a-thought
Palomitas--with its church twice Sundays and prayer-meetings regular
three times a week, and its faro-bank with the preacher for dealer,
and its Sunshine Club that was all mixed in with shooting-scrapes, and
its Friendly Aid Society that attended mostly to what lynchings was
needed--was something like a bit of heaven that had broke out from
the corral it belonged in and gone to grazing in hell's front yard!

When he'd stuffed him as much as was needed, Wood told him--Santa Fe
having fixed it that way--there was a Mexican church about a thousand
years old over in the Canada that was worth looking at; and he told
him he'd take him across on his buck-board to see it if he cared to
go. He bit at that, just as Santa Fe counted on; and about four
o'clock off they went--it was only three mile or so down to the
Canada--in good time to get him back and give him what more was coming
to him before he started off North again on the night train. Wood said
the ride was real