heories of life that he would
rather play poker and lose right along than not to play at all. He found
no difficulty in that crowd in getting up a poker party at any time, and
was consequently happy, though whether he won or lost, and how much, I
cannot say.

There was a large crowd at the Denver depot to see us off, and we left
the Colorado metropolis with many regrets, so pleasant had been our
visit there. The day was just breaking when we arrived at Colorado
Springs the next morning, and save for a few early risers, the depot was
deserted. At the depot awaiting our arrival were carriages and saddle
horses, which had been telegraphed for from Denver in order that we
might enjoy a flying visit to Manitou and the Garden of the Gods before
playing the afternoon game.

There was a general scramble at the depot for a choice of steeds, the
park wagons, three in number, having been reserved for the use of the
ladies and such members of the party whose education in the riding line
had been neglected. I was not as quick as I might have been and had the
comfort of Mrs. Anson to look after beside; as a result there fell to my
lot a cross-eyed sorrel that had evidently spent the greater part of his
life in chasing cattle among the mountains, and that true to his natural
proclivities gave me no end of trouble before the morning was over. The
sun was just turning the top of Pike's Peak, some eighteen miles
distant, into a nugget of gold, when we left the depot, but so plainly
could we see the crevices that seamed its massive sides that it looked
not to be more than five miles distant. To our right rose the peaks of
sandstone that form the gateway to the Garden of the Gods, and below us
ran the narrow roadway through the valley like a belt of silver.

Manitou, six miles distant, was reached without accident, and here we
stopped to have breakfast at the Cliff House, and to drink of the clear
waters of the Silver Springs that have become justly famous the world
over. Breakfast over we resumed our ride, turning off into a little
valley a mile below the hotel that formed the rear entrance to the
Garden of the Gods. The sandstone formation here was of the most
peculiar character and the ladies of the party went into ecstasy over
"Punch and Judy," "The Balanced Rock," "The Mushroom Rock," "The Duck,"
"The Frog," "The Lady of the Garden," and the "Kissing Camels." The
great sandstone rocks that form the gateway come in for their share of