But
when the train had puffed away, Arturo sat down and wrathfully
looked at his quarter of a dollar.
"He had altos pesos!" Arturo muttered; "ought give four bit."
According to Arturo's belief, every American had in his possession
"altos pesos," which is Spanish for "high" or "enormous" "dollars,"
or, as Americans say, "a pile of money." Therefore Arturo felt sure
that the old gentleman ought to have given half a dollar for the
horned toad.
Arturo was now not at all inclined to give tia Marta the twenty-five
cents. He wanted the money himself. Tia Marta was going to wash for
somebody to-day, and would get her pay.
What should he buy? Twenty-five cents must not be spent lightly. It
was not so often that a horned toad was found or sold.
Arturo did not muse long alone. Another boy had heard Arturo's
shouted advice to the old gentleman, and had told two or three
comrades. They came about Arturo to proffer advice. "Bollos," or
cakes, were joyfully suggested, but Arturo refused.
An older Spanish boy, Manuel, joined the company. He was a lazy
fellow, whom a good many of the younger boys admired because he
could play a guitar and because he wore cheap jewelry that seemed
gorgeous to inexperienced eyes.
Manuel approved of Arturo's rejection of the cake proposition. What
good was cake? It would be soon eaten and gone!
Manuel, who was ever bent on securing any money that he could obtain
without work, proposed to Arturo that he should buy a certain watch-
chain owned by himself.
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