nd two or three pairs of spurs, and a smell of
tobacco pervaded the place.

Clover's eyes wandered to a corner where stood a small parlor organ, and
over it a shelf of books. She rose to examine them. To her surprise they
were all hymnals and Church of England prayer-books. There were no others.
She wondered what it meant.

Clarence had given up his own bedroom to Phil, and was to chum with his
friend. Some little attempt had been made to adorn the rooms which were
meant for the ladies. Clean towels had been spread over the pine shelves
which did duty for dressing-tables, and on each stood a tumbler stuffed as
full as it could hold with purple pentstemons. Clover could not help
laughing, yet there was something pathetic to her in the clumsy, man-like
arrangement. She relieved the tumbler by putting a few of the flowers in
her dress, and went out again to the parlor, where Mrs. Hope sat by the
fire, quizzing the two partners, who were hard at work setting their
tea-table.

It was rather a droll spectacle,--the two muscular young fellows creaking
to and fro in their heavy boots, and taking such an infinitude of pains
with their operations. One would set a plate on the table, and the other
would forthwith alter its position slightly, or lift and scrutinize a
tumbler and dust it sedulously with a glass-towel. Each spoon was polished
with the greatest particularity before it was laid on the tray; each knife
passed under inspection. Visitors were not an every-day luxury in the High
Valley, and too much care could not be taken for their entertainment, it
seemed.

Supper was brought in by a Chinese cook in a pigtail, wooden shoes, and a
blue Mother Hubbard, Choo Loo by name. He was evidently a good cook, for
the corn-bread and fresh mountain trout and the ham and eggs were savory
to the last degree, and the flapjacks, with which the meal concluded, and
which were eaten with a sauce of melted raspberry jelly, deserved even
higher encomium.

"We are willing to be treated as company this first night," observed Mrs.
Hope; "but if you are going to keep us a week, you must let us make
ourselves useful, and set the table and arrange the rooms for you."

"We will begin to-morrow morning," added Clover. "May we, Clarence? May we
play that it is our house, and do what we like, and change about and
arrange things? It will be such fun."

"Fire away!" said her cousin, calmly. "The more you change the more we
shall like it. Geoff and