t she wanted; and that the Valley was that lonesome anyhow that she'd
not remain in it; no, not if the Saints themselves came down from glory
and kivered up every fut of soil with shining gold, and she a-starving
in the mud,--that she wouldn't!

Imogen saw her go with small regret. She had no idea how difficult it
might be to find a successor, and it was not till three incompetents of
the same nationality had been lured out by the promise of high wages,
only to decide that the place was too "lonely" for them and
incontinently depart, that she realized how hard was the problem of
"help" in such a place. It was her first trial at independent
housekeeping, and with her English ideas she had counted on neatness,
respectfulness of manner, and a certain amount of training as a matter
of course in a servant. One has to learn one's way in a new country by
the hardest, and perhaps, the least hard part of Imogen's lesson were
the intervals when she and Lionel did the work themselves, with only old
Jose to scrub and wash up; then at least they could be quiet and at
peace, without daily controversies. Later, relief and comfort came to
them in the shape of a gentle Mongolian named Ah Lee, procured through
the good offices of Choo Loo, whom Imogen was only too thankful to
accept, pig-tail and all, for his gentleness of manner, general neatness
and capacity, and the good taste which he gave to his dishes. In fact,
she confessed one day to Lionel, privately in a moment of confidence,
that rather than lose him, she would herself carve a joss stick and nail
it up in the kitchen; which concession proves the liberalizing and
widening effect of necessity upon the human mind. But this is
anticipating.

The cabin was a pleasant place enough when once fairly set in order.
There was an abundance of sunshine, fire-wood was plenty, and so small a
space was easily kept tidy. Imogen, when she reviewed her resources,
realized how wise Lionel had been in recommending her to bring more
ornamental things and fewer articles of mere use, such as tapes and
buttons. Buttons and tapes were easy enough to come by; but things to
make the house pretty were difficult to obtain and cost a great deal.
She made the most of her few possessions, and supplied what was lacking
with wild flowers, which could be had in any quantity for the picking.
Lionel had hunted a good deal during his first Colorado years, and
possessed quite a good supply of fox, wolf, and bear sk