46 wii.i) 1'1,()\vi:rs of Colorado. 



week — and I'll just i^et tin: whole hunch, as I come hack, and 

 hrino- 'em U) \()U." "Oh, no," I said, "I could not think of 

 hreakini;" u[) so interesting" a famil\- ; Kt nie i^o with you, and 

 I will pay them a \isit at their own home." "W'ell, well," he 

 said, " just as )()u say, hut it is mighty hi.L;h and roui;]!, yet ye do 

 look run;i;"e(l. Ye can ha\e Betsey's old shoes ; them thin things 

 of vourn would he left on the wa\' ni little hits: mountains ain't 

 no L;()od place for them kind ot shoes." I told him I owned a 

 pair ot mountain shoes and would surely wear them on our trip, if 

 he would allow me to ^o with him. "Yes, yes, i;lad to take 

 yer;" and exten(hn<4" his hand he said: "Ciood-l)\" till morning." 



TLarly the next morning- I started with this kind old man, 

 who, no matter how roui^h in (h"ess and speech, had a loxe for the 

 heautiful, and for years hail watched this lovely ik)wer hloom on 

 the mountains. 



In less than an hour after we left the cabin I was presented 

 to the family which he had so highly praisech and proud he 

 was when he saw my delight. Around the Bowers h)r the space 

 of several feet the grass was free from weeds and had the appear- 

 ance of being recently cut. I iiKjuired why this was so. " Oh," 

 he said, " I cut it the last time I was up here. I all'ys hax'e to 

 pass right along here when I go o\'er the mountain, and I hate 

 to see the poor things choked to death." There was a sndle on 

 his face that reminded me of one I had seen on the face of a fond 

 father when speaking of his little ones at home. 



Clustered together, they gre ,v to a height of two feet. On 



