Why, right before
'em, on the other side of the basin, with only a little water between
'em that would soon be crossed, they could see a woman a-towerin' up a
hundred feet, in plain view of all the countries of the assembled world,
a-holdin' in her outstretched hand the emblems of Power and Liberty.

But to resoom: Josiah and I had a first-rate time there at that Music
Hall, and enjoyed ourselves first rate a-hearin' that most melodious
music, though pretty loud, and a-seein' the Musicianers all dressed up
in the gayest colors, as if they wuz officers.

And truly they wuz. They marshalled the rank and file of that most
powerful army on earth, the grand onseen forces of melody, that
vanquishes the civilized and savage alike, and charms the very beast and
reptile.

The sweet power that moves the world, and the only earth delight that we
know will greet us in the land of the Immortals.

Truly the hour we spent there wuz long, long to be remembered.

And after we reluctantly left the Hall of Melody, the music still
swelled out and come to our ears in hauntin' echoes.

Josiah had wandered away to a little distance to see sunthin' or ruther
that had attracted his attention, and I stood still, lost in thought,
and almost by the side of myself, a-listenin' to the low, sobbin' music
of the band.

[Illustration: A-listenin' to the low, sobbin' music.]

I wuz almost by the side of myself with my rapt emotions when I hearn a
voice that recalled me to myself--

"Drusilla, I'm clean beat out."

"Are you, Deacon Sypher? Wall, it is because you are so smart, and see
so much."

Truly, thinkses I, it don't take much smartness to see much in this
place.

But instinctively with that idee come the thought--nobody but Drusilla
Sypher could or would make that admirin' remark.

And I turned and advanced onto 'em with a calm mean.

But I see in that first look that they looked haggard and wan, as wan
agin as I ever see 'em look, and fur, fur haggarder. They looked all
broke up, and their clothes looked all rumpled up and seedy, some as if
they had slept in 'em for some weeks. But I hain't one to desert old
friends under any circumstances, so I advanced onto 'em, and sez, with a
mean that looked welcomin' and glad--

"Why, Drusilla and Deacon Sypher," sez I, "how glad I am to see you!
When did you come? Have you been here long?"

And they said "they had been in Chicago some five weeks."

"Is that so?" sez I. "And how have