level."

"That's about right!" said McKinney.

"She's got on white," resumed Dan Anderson, casting a glance about him
in the dusk of the evening. "The girl's got to have on white. There
ain't no man can hold out when they come in white and have on a blue
sash--it's no use tryin' then.

"Now, there she is, a-settin' at the piano in there in the front
parlor; daddy's gone out into the country after a load of wood, like
enough; old lady's gone to bed, after a hard day's labor. Honeysuckles
bloomin' all around, because in New Jersey--"

"It wasn't in New Jersey," said Learned Counsel, hastily, before he
thought.

"No, it was in New York," said McKinney, boldly.

"You're all liars," said Curly, calmly; "it was onct on the Brazos."

"Gentlemen," said Dan Anderson, "you are right. It was once on the
Brazos, and in Iowa, and in New York, and in New Jersey, and in
Georgia. Thank God, it was there, once upon a time, in all those
places. . . . And, as I was sayin', the birds was just twitterin' in
the evergreen trees along the front walk, some sleepy, because it was
just gettin' right dark. Vines, you know, hangin' over the edge of the
front porch, like. Few chairs settin' around on the porch. Just a
little band of moonlight layin' there on the front steps, leadin' up
like a heavenly walk, like a white path to Paradise--which was there in
the front parlor, with the best angel there at home.

"The high angel of this here Heaven, like I told you, she's a settin'
there in white," he went on; "and with a blue sash--it was blue, now,
wasn't it, fellows? And she's lettin' her fingers, God bless 'em, just
tra-la-loo-loo, loo-loo-la-la, up and down the keys of the piano her
dad gave her when she graduated. And now she's sort of singin' to
herself--half whisperin', soft and deep--I hate a thin-voiced woman, or
a bad-tempered one, same as you do--she's just singin' about as loud as
you can hear easy down as far as the front gate. And--why, she's a
singin' that same tune there, of 'Annie Laurie'! . . . And in your
heart you know it's true, every word of it, all the time, and at any
station!" said Dan Anderson.

"At any station!" said Curly.

"At any station!" said McKinney,

"At any station!" said Learned Counsel.

There were no hats on at that moment. To be sure, the evening air was
a trifle warm.

"And now," said Dan Anderson, after a while, "it's got Tom. Now, why
couldn't it have been a man-Dago to sing t