The Argosy — page 70: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Letters from Mayjorca. 55 amongst them a reputation for infallibility. They will yield to this with almost superstitious homage. That night I witnessed a strange and amusing sight in the offices at La Puebla. Our day’s drive was over. Rosa, to atone for her previous eccen- tricities, had put forth all her artistic skill, to which we had done justice. Her master had had her in, and praised her efforts. Praise to this singular woman is as light to the day, as a full cup to a thirsty soul. No change passed over her impassive countenance, but those few words would make her happy for a month to come. Some time after nine o’clock the men came to the office to pay their irrigation money : small farmers who cultivate a certain amount of ground and manage very well upon it. I really don’t know how many they numbered ; probably not less than fifty. Only one at a time came forward. One or two would remain in the background of the office, but the greater number kept without ; on the stairs and in the court below, each waiting his turn. There has been trouble to school them into decent behaviour. At the beginning none of them had the slightest idea of the eternal fitness of things; of rendering honour to whom honour is due. They would lounge in with hats on, pipes or cigarettes in their mouths, place themselves on an absolute equality with you, take a seat, coolly offer you tobacco. In all these cases, setting aside the doctrine of rendering unto Cesar his due, it is the tone and substance of the equality which offends. But all that is over. To-night their manner was irreproachable as their dress was original. To begin with, they wore their shirts outside their trousers. This is the fashion here; and if one of them wore his shirt like a decent Christian, he would not be considered in full dress. They were all in full dress to-night. I stared very much as you may imagine; but as I was in shadow, I was able to stare and laugh to my heart’s content without wounding their sensibilities. Not to laugh was impossible. A cat must have laughed at some of them ; Or a monk in the middle of his midnight mass; or even Galatea before she was warmed into life by Pygmalion. Each man advanced in his turn. Those who had hats on took them off; but a few had their heads tied up in handkerchiefs, and these were not disturbed. Like a Chinaman’s pigtail, they are a sign of honour. At a table sat a clerk who received and counted each man’s money. A second clerk sat at another table and entered each separate amount. Sometimes the money was all paid in copper coin, and I did not envy the hands through which it passed. Generally, the sum was tied up in a handkerchief; was duly untied in presence of the clerk, and poured out in a very substantial stream upon the table. But sometimes, and by way of variety, it was tied up in a corner of comicbooolks (C(O)