he rich frontiersman, but he is rich and not so much
older than she is. He will give her an elegant home, where he will be
like the historic 'bull in a china shop.'"

"Just what was in my mind," interrupted Hazel. "Do you remember she said
two or three times, joking, of course, 'I don't see why I never could
find a farmer who would take pity on me.'" Both laughed heartily at such
a prospect. The long, dusty ride over sand hills, through dreary, brown
sunburned cattle ranges from Cheyenne Wells to Hugo and Hugo to the end
of their journey, finally came to an end. The welcome snow-capped peaks
freshened the superheated atmosphere and Denver with all its wealth,
health and climate was reached. It did not take long for Jack and Hazel
to find Chiquita, and within an hour or two Miss Asquith arrived. They
were in a mood to enjoy all the sights of the big city of the plains;
but what chiefly impressed the new visitors was the clearness of the
air, the bracing, inspiring vigor which it imparted, and the absence of
that aftermath, which always followed exercise in the lower altitudes on
the lakes or sea coast.

The slow dragging, mixed train deposited its burden in Lyons just as the
book said it would, and the red volcanic rocks baked them, and the
"yaller legged" chicken, in all its delicious russet brown jacket, was
served to the hungry quartet, who renewed their grumbling on the park
hack as the driver cracked his whip and the wheels crunched their way
through the deep hot sand. Slowly the great vehicle groaned along for
perhaps a mile, when a sudden turn in the road brought them to a bridge
which spanned a clear sparkling stream, and the ascent of the first
lofty foothills was begun. Eyes brightened, ejaculations of surprise and
delight followed each other in rapid succession as "Johnnie" cracked his
whip and dexterously guided the now thoroughly contented coachful of
pleasure seekers along a narrow ledge, winding around some precipice or
taking a run down some steep declivity that caused the timid to shriek
and the blood to tingle in the more reckless. Up, nearer and nearer the
sky, ever leaving the top of the next hill below them, until the summit
was reached.

Coats that had been discarded because of the heat were resumed, light
wraps were called for by the ladies, and the descent towards the Park
commenced. Great stretches of pine forest fringed the barren rocks on
some of the long ridges, while on others a chaotic int