d said anything about theatre, and other
topics left their impatient minds, while the Country Mouse paid the bill
and asked to be guided to the Opera-house. "This man here will look out
for your blackin' and truck, and let yu' have it in the morning."

They were very late. The spectacle had advanced far into passages of
the highest thrill, and Denver's eyes were riveted upon a ship and some
icebergs. The party found its seats during several beautiful lime-light
effects, and that remarkable fly-buzzing of violins which is pronounced
so helpful in times of peril and sentiment. The children of Captain
Grant had been tracking their father all over the equator and other
scenic spots, and now the north pole was about to impale them. The
Captain's youngest child, perceiving a hummock rushing at them with a
sudden motion, loudly shouted, "Sister, the ice is closing in!" and she
replied, chastely, "Then let us pray." It was a superb tableau: the ice
split, and the sun rose and joggled at once to the zenith. The act-drop
fell, and male Denver, wrung to its religious deeps, went out to the
rum-shop.

Of course Mr. McLean and his party did not do this. The party had
applauded exceedingly the defeat of the elements, and the leader, with
Towhead, discussed the probable chances of the ship's getting farther
south in the next act. Until lately Billy's doubt of the cow-puncher had
lingered; but during this intermission whatever had been holding out
in him seemed won, and in his eyes, that he turned stealthily upon his
unconscious, quiet neighbor, shone the beginnings of hero-worship.

"Don't you think this is splendid?" said he.

"Splendid," Lin replied, a trifle remotely.

"Don't you like it when they all get balled up and get out that way?"

"Humming," said Lin.

"Don't you guess it's just girls, though, that do that?"

"What, young fellow?"

"Why, all that prayer-saying an' stuff."

"I guess it must be."

"She said to do it when the ice scared her, an' of course a man had to
do what she wanted him."

"Sure."

"Well, do you believe they'd 'a' done it if she hadn't been on that
boat, and clung around an' cried an' everything, an' made her friends
feel bad?"

"I hardly expect they would," replied the honest Lin, and then, suddenly
mindful of Billy, "except there wasn't nothin' else they could think
of," he added, wishing to speak favorably of the custom.

"Why, that chunk of ice weren't so awful big anyhow. I'd 'a' sh