den
innocence, young love; meant courage, fidelity, the right, the true, the
beautiful, the good; meant anything, everything, which she herself,
shining there above the footlights like a star in the sunset, their
darling of the hour, could be fancied to stand for; meant, anyhow, the
twins' war-song turned into a peace-and-joy song.

"Tsh-sh-sh! let her go on!" And she went on: she, Noah's ark, and the
_Votaress_, all three, together:

"Den come de buck-ram and de ewe----"

"What? what's that?" They leaned and whispered right and left. "New
words! new words!"

"Den come de buck-ram and de ewe----"

"Why--she must 'a' made those words, herself!"

Not she. She knew no better than to believe them the improvisations of
the Gilmores.

"Den come de buck-ram and de ewe
De ole niroscenos and de gnu----"

Pun! a pun! a real pun!

"Do you belong toe Gideon's ban'?"

Yes, verily! They clapped, ha-haed, leaned around one another to see the
dark upturned heads of the twins, and stole backward glances on the
immovable features of the captain's son. At his side sat the Californian
just then gravely murmuring to him, but he remaining as motionless as a
Buddha. The refrain pressed on to its close, and the applause redoubled,
but stopped as she prepared for another verse.

"Nex' come de mule and den de quail----"

Laughter! Mule and quail! royal pair of the cotton field, rightly thrice
heralded!

"Nex' come de mule and den de quail,
Nex' come de mule and den de quail,
Nex' come de mule and den de quail,
De monkey-wrench and de wiggletail."

The senator clapped yea, the general thumped his cane. Half-a-dozen
voices began to chime with her, "Here's my heart and----" till Julian
looked round, when they stopped so short that the laugh swelled again
and Julian resumed his seat. Only two or three saw Hugh and the
Californian softly pass out together.

"No, no, no!" cried several, but that was to Ramsey for trying to get
away. "No, you don't! Another verse! sing anoth'-- Tsh-sh-sh!".... She
sang:

"Den come de man-drake and de moose,
Den come de man-drake and de moose,
Den come de man-drake and de moose,
De hickory-pottamus and de goose.
Do you belong----?"

Belong? How could they help but belong? Was ever anything such fun? Not
itself, maybe, but she! And no more could Ramsey help belonging to them,
though thoughts of the texas and