farther down the road when he saw a parcel of land for sale at 150 pesos, which came with a gigantic pile of piñon-tree sticks.

“Sticks are a good start,” he told himself. “With the rest of the money, I can gamble and make more money so I can have a big fine house. I can’t wait too long to get rich.”

Gordo closed the deal on the land and built his house of piñon sticks. As soon as he finished what he called Palacio Piñon, he got in his car and headed off to build the rest of his fortune at cards.

Astuto drove the farthest, stopping only when he spotted the exact land he wanted. The property had a nice view of the valley and included a tower of adobe bricks. The land cost 220 pesos, so he sold his car to make up the difference.

Taking his time, Astuto built his house of adobe. He didn’t mind the sweat and toil because he knew he would end up with a strong home. When he was finally done, Astuto searched for a job.

Meanwhile, at the Casa de Paja, Pereza had just finished taking another nap.

“Maybe mañana I’ll start looking for work. But it’s too nice of a day for that. I think I’ll go fishing instead. I can sleep a little as I wait for a bite.”

Just then came a rap-tap-tap on the door. Pereza peered out his window. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Dinero Martínez. And I’m going to make you rich.”