Meredith had climbed upon the back seat
and was nervously fumbling at a cigarette.
"Sing, Tom!" the girl cried to him excitedly.
"I should be ashamed not to," he answered; and dropped the cigarette and
began to sing "John Brown's Body" with all his strength. With that she
seized his hand, sprang up beside him, and over the swelling chorus her
full soprano rose, lifted with all the power in her.
The barouche rolled into the Square, and, as it passed, Harkless turned,
and bent a sudden gaze upon the group in the buckboard; but the western
sun was in his eyes, and he only caught a glimpse of a vague, bright shape
and a dazzle of gold, and he was borne along and out of view, down the
singing street.
"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
As we go marching on!"
The barouche stopped in front of the courthouse, and he passed up a lane
they made for him to the steps. When he turned to them to speak, they
began to cheer again, and he had to wait for them to quiet down.
"We can't hear him from over here," said Briscoe, "we're too far off. Mr.
Meredith, suppose you take the ladies closer in, and I'll stay with the
horses. You want to hear his speech."
"He is a great man, isn't he?" Meredith said to Helen, gravely, as he
handed her out of the buckboard.
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