an eighteen-year-old girl in Texas who can make as fine biscuits as she does.  But Las Palomas raises just as fine girls as she does horses and cattle.  The rascal who gets her for a wife can thank his lucky stars.  Don Blas, you ought to have me for padrino.  Your uncle and the padre here are too poky.  Why, if I was making a match for as fine a girl as Juana is, I’d set the river afire before I’d let an unfavorable answer discourage me.  Now, the padre and I are going for a short walk, and we’ll leave you here at the house to work out your own salvation.  Don’t pay any attention to the mistress, and I want to tell you right now, if you expect to win Juana, never depend on old fogy padrinos like your uncle and Father Norquin.  Do a little hustling for yourself.”

The old ranchero and the priest were gone nearly an hour, and on their return looked at another site in the rear of the Mexican quarters.  It was a pretty knoll, and as the two joined us where we were repairing a windmill at the corrals, Father Norquin, in an ecstasy of delight, said:  “Well, my children, the chapel is assured at Las Palomas.  Don Lance wanted to build it over in the encinal, with twice as nice a site right here in the rancho.  We may need the building for a school some day, and if we should, we don’t want it a mile away.  The very idea!  And the master tells me that a chapel has been the wish of his sister for years.  Poor woman—­to have such a brother.  I must hasten to the house and thank her.”

No sooner had the padre started than I was called aside by my employer.  “Tom,” said he, “you slip around to Tia Inez’s jacal and tell her that I’m going to send Father Norquin over to see her.  Tell her to stand firm on not letting Juana leave the ranch for the Mission.  Tell her that I’ve promised the padre a chapel for Las Palomas, and rather than miss it, the priest would consign the whole Travino family to endless perdition.  Tell her to laugh at his scoldings and inform him that Juana can get a husband without going so far.  And that you heard me say that I was going to give Fidel, the day he married her daughter, the same number of heifers that all her brothers got.  Impress it on Tia Inez’s mind that it means something to be born to Las Palomas.”

I set out on my errand and he hastened away to overtake the padre before the latter reached the house.  Tia Inez welcomed me, no doubt anticipating that I was the bearer of some message.  When I gave her the message her eyes beamed with gratitude and she devoutly crossed her breast invoking the blessing of the saints upon the master.  I added a few words of encouragement of my own—­that I understood that when we quarried the rock for the chapel, there was to be enough extra cut to build a stone cottage for Juana and Fidel.  This was pure invention on my part, but I felt a very friendly interest in Las Palomas, for I expected to bring my bride to it as soon as possible.  Therefore, if I could help the present match forward by the use of a little fiction, why not?