uried in the city. But in this climate, you know--hmm!--yes."

The song and his observations crossed back and forth.

"Come, smilin' 'Lindy Lowe, you'd ought to come befo'"--
(Chorus.)

"You don't remember me, Mr. Gilmore, but I was on the _Votaress_ with
you and your lady and Madame Hayle and those twins and all. I married
the young lady I was keeping company with then. There she is. Don't you
re-collect my lending you my field-glass at the Devil's Elbow?"

"Dear me! was that you at the devil's elbow! I--I hope I returned them."

"Oh, you did! You remember the first clerk of the _Votaress_! He's her
captain now. And Ned--you remember Ned, the pilot, don't you? Well, he's
on her yet. I see you're lost in admiration of this most unusual sunset.
We almost always have these unusual sunsets. This is a wonderful
country."

"Come, smilin' 'Lindy Lowe, whah de sweet cane honey flow'.
(Chorus.)

"Come, smilin' 'Lindy Lowe, love a-knockin' at de do'."
(Chorus.)

Now the boat was in the pilot's hands. Hugh joined Madame Hayle and the
two commodores at the derrick post. The same shrewd texas tender who had
once abstracted the weapons of the twins from their stateroom set a
second chair beside the captain's. Hugh offered the two seats to the
commodores, but both declined. They of Vicksburg and the Bends watched
the gorgeous October sunset beyond the low, flat orangeries on their
right. "California" was with them and told them of the sunsets on the
great plains. Gilmore generously kept the one-time lender of the
field-glass and the lender's mouse of a wife beguiled with anecdotes
while Mrs. Gilmore talked on with Ramsey, making fond and welcome
incursions into her confidence.

"Isn't it ridiculous," murmured Ramsey, "that he seems condemned to do
everything in the tamest possible way? Not that he cares; he seems
almost to like it so. It's so right now. He can't proclaim anything.
And--you see why, don't you?--neither can I."

"Ramsey, you needn't. Only do one thing for us, Gilmore and me, and
we'll know. When we've landed and the boat starts away again and he--"
She finished in a voice too small for type.

At Six Mile Point the actor escaped his bonds and for a moment got Hugh
into his sole possession.

"Certainly, under these conditions," he assented, "you can't _assert_
anything--of that particular sort. But see here: You c