The padre is a good burro trader, Maria. You must thank him for that.

The old man sat down and waited for Maria to return from her room. He continued. “All little girls should learn guns. Then no one can bother them.”
With that, he placed a leather bag on Maria’s plate. She opened it and looked at the pile of coins. It was nearly as much as what she and Juana had originally been paid by the fence.
“For the asses.” He grinned. “The padre is a good burro trader, Maria. You must thank him for that.” He nodded at the fortune before her.
It was more than she ever imagined they would bring. She put the money back in the sack and they ate. The old folks were so good to her. She loved mealtime because they talked and laughed and there was always plenty of good food to eat.
Afterward, the old man helped Maria with her numbers, then they played cards.
The old woman didn’t much like it as he was teaching her all the bad games, the ones played in the saloons and gambling houses. It was not for a young girl growing up in a church to know. But the old man liked numbers and cards and saw no harm in it. He grabbed Maria’s bag of money and poured it onto the table. He counted out half for each of them and slid her pile in front of her, he took the other one.
“Now, my girl, I am going to show you how to make some money without breaking your back.” Maria's Trail