WILD FI.OWKiiS (W COLORADO. 53 



things wc wanted to do. To tiikc home d fme strint^ of speckled 

 trout seemed to be the aml)iti()n of the men. Dick, knowing this 

 would be the case, hatl arranged every thing the night before, and 

 was ready for an early start. I had remembered seeing on our 

 first fishing excursion some beautiful wild geranium leaves, 

 growing close to the ground, and I decided to go with the i)arty, 

 and on this, our last day, make them ni)' last sketch. They grow 

 in little clumps and resemble the autumn leax'cs. These I pulled 

 from the soft earth, the stems going into the ground within an 

 inch of the leaf. There are no two leaves alike in color, and ye<- 

 every shade is represented in them. 



The trout caught that day by the party were a delight to all ; 

 one weighed two and a quarter pounds. They were carefully 

 packed in ice, and were among the trophies of our trip. 



From Cimarron to Denver is just a day's ride, so by five 

 o'clock the next morninti" uur car was attached to the reiiular 

 passenger train of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway from 

 the west, and soon w^e were again climbing the mountains. All 

 seemctl (juiet, and many were the regrets that we were so soon to 

 part ; the Bohemian life suited us all, and to me it was a new and 

 delightful experience. Every moment had been a benefit. I 

 had studied nature more in those few days than in any one )ear 

 of my life. The sketches of flowers I had made and intended 

 to give to my friends grew handsomer to me as we looked them 

 over on our way home. " ]\Iy ! what a pretty book the\ would 

 make," said Dick. It was echoed by the whole l)arty. "And 



