ng out," and must be serious and get to work.

This work was nothing less than the buying of the furniture and
appointments for the rejuvenated ranch house at Quien Sabe, where they
were to live. Annixter had telegraphed to his overseer to have the
building repainted, replastered, and reshingled and to empty the rooms
of everything but the telephone and safe. He also sent instructions to
have the dimensions of each room noted down and the result forwarded
to him. It was the arrival of these memoranda that had roused Hilma to
action.

Then ensued a most delicious week. Armed with formidable lists, written
by Annixter on hotel envelopes, they two descended upon the department
stores of the city, the carpet stores, the furniture stores. Right and
left they bought and bargained, sending each consignment as soon as
purchased to Quien Sabe. Nearly an entire car load of carpets, curtains,
kitchen furniture, pictures, fixtures, lamps, straw matting, chairs, and
the like were sent down to the ranch, Annixter making a point that their
new home should be entirely equipped by San Francisco dealers.

The furnishings of the bedroom and sitting-room were left to the very
last. For the former, Hilma bought a "set" of pure white enamel, three
chairs, a washstand and bureau, a marvellous bargain of thirty dollars,
discovered by wonderful accident at a "Friday Sale." The bed was a
piece by itself, bought elsewhere, but none the less a wonder. It was of
brass, very brave and gay, and actually boasted a canopy! They bought
it complete, just as it stood in the window of the department store and
Hilma was in an ecstasy over its crisp, clean, muslin curtains, spread,
and shams. Never was there such a bed, the luxury of a princess, such a
bed as she had dreamed about her whole life.

Next the appointments of the sitting-room occupied her--since Annixter,
himself, bewildered by this astonishing display, unable to offer a
single suggestion himself, merely approved of all she bought. In the
sitting-room was to be a beautiful blue and white paper, cool straw
matting, set off with white wool rugs, a stand of flowers in the window,
a globe of goldfish, rocking chairs, a sewing machine, and a great,
round centre table of yellow oak whereon should stand a lamp covered
with a deep shade of crinkly red tissue paper. On the walls were to hang
several pictures--lovely affairs, photographs from life, all properly
tinted--of choir boys in robes, with beau