. Anything 'conclusive' in that?"

Mrs. Gilmore was grave a moment longer and then brightly said: "There
might be! There may be! I can see--I can see how he--" She could not
finish. Hugh had entered.

His coming broke in upon another conversation, that of Gilmore and
"California."

"Old boy, no. Suppose it should work out as you plan. You leave us at
Natchez; that's easy. You live there a week, a month, free with your
gold and making friends--of the sort gold makes. You get into a
political quarrel with the twins--nothing easier--and in a clear case of
your own self-defence the two are:--

"'--Laid in one grave.
Sing tooralye,' etc."

"Wouldn't that be poetic justice? and ain't I a poet?"

"Undoubtedly. Then by miracle you come off scot-free."

"Not essential. I take my chances."

"Still, you have that hope; freedom is sweet. More-over, miracle of
miracles, what you did it for is never guessed. But, my dear fellow,
there are two who'd never need to guess. Like us they'd know and that
knowledge would sunder them forever. They'd never willingly look into
each other's faces again."

"Nnn-o. No, course they wouldn't. I seen that from the jump but I sort
o' hoped you'd maybe know some way to get round that; it being the only
real difficulty."

"Sorry, but I don't. Odd how narrow-minded one's friends can be, but
when they are--what can we do?"

"Yes, that's so.... Mr. Gilmore, you're not narrow-minded; I've got a
poem----"

It was there Hugh entered. But it was there, too, that Watson made a
move in his modest part of the game.

With his eyes out ahead down the chute they were entering--"If any one,"
he drawled, "wants to see a scandalous fine moonlight picture of this
river, one they'll never forget, the best place from whence to behold it
is the texas roof, down here, out for'ard o' the chimneys."

"If Captain Hugh would go with us," pensively said Mrs. Gilmore, "we'd
all go." And soon the pilots were alone.

"Now," growled the younger, with his gaze down there on Ramsey, "don't
that beat you? Her making California stay so's Cap'n Hugh can't pair off
with her!"

"Be easy," said Watson; "that's according to Hoyle. Don't shoot till
they settle.... There. Now I'll go down and take care of California. By
cracky! run smooth or run rough, I believe it's going to go this time."

LX

ONCE MORE HUGH SINGS

Between that great eastward bend nearly opposite the mouth of the
Arkansas, w