MEEKER, Colo.—Enough trout were caught yesterday morning so that everyone ate them for breakfast, and at this season one is inclined to forget that later on there will be good hunting all through the mountains. But as one rides around one sees a deer every now and then to remind one of October and November. And the room in which I write has some very fine trophy heads shot in these mountains, as well as some stuffed fish which I fear had their origin in Florida and not Colorado. One fish directly in front of my desk has the most beautiful blue tail I have ever seen.

On walking into the hotel in Meeker this morning to file my column I was overcome by the number of heads and skins covering the walls of the lobby. I am rather glad to be here in the fishing season, however, and I am sure the woods are pleasanter when the animals are not being hunted.

We had an impromptu birthday party the other afternoon for one of the visitors here because we decided she needed some things to use while here. Her birthday will not come for another ten days, but we just moved it up a few days and now it will be part of her responsibility to learn to fish with the tackle she received and bring us in some trout.

All the youngsters wear moccasins here and very gay shirts with their blue jeans. And all of them went to town this morning with us, either to look for a new shirt or a new pair of blue jeans or a belt, or some particular kind of ice cream soda. This last, I suspect, is the only reason one of the little boys left his haying chores to spend the morning going into town, because he remarked to me on the way that he disliked the drive into town very much. Nevertheless he came along, carrying the money which he had earned cleaning loafers or boots belonging to the other guests.

There was great excitement on the ranch yesterday over the arrival of a new horse which my son had fallen in love with last spring. He had not expected to be able to obtain it, but the animal arrived as a premature birthday present and my son acted just like a small boy with a new toy. He had to take the new acquisition out and show him to all the neighbors and then he had to ride and try out all his gaits. Today word came that a horse my daughter-in-law has been anxious to acquire might be obtainable, so everything seems to be going very well in the horse-buying line.

In life here on a ranch, horses are almost as important as cattle. I can't imagine what anyone would do who did not like horses, for they practically become people to their riders. The other evening we were told with great pride how one of the old horses who has been very well trained for his work was the only one last spring who could lead a herd of young calves across a flooded area. When one of them balked, the horse knew exactly how to behave until the men had roped the calf. After one calf was taken across, the horse would go right back to start on the next, and he never stopped until every calf was safely across. When they took him home for two days, he was so exhausted he could hardly get up. But the veteran had stuck to his job till it was finished.