Tam O' The Scoots

o flames in the course of an aerial combat the aggressor who has brought the catast

He shot down one, when his gun was jammed. He banked over and dived to avoid the attentions of the foremost of his adversaries, but was

h above the combatants a fourth and fifth machine, the one British and the other a unit of the American squadron, were tea

said Tam grimly, "an'

he heavens and as von Bissing's circus consisted of ten very fast flying-machines, Tam decided that this

rnt but immensely cheerful, was holding an indignation meeting, the s

well I was crashing. I

cally. "I suppose the supply of gentlemen does not go round, and they are getting some rubbish into the corps. One

ch A' had no control. A' was on his tail; ma bricht-blue eyes were glancin' along the sichts of ma

ook hi

s first crash; and, carried away by the excitement and enthusiasm of the momen

ye behavin' in a manner likely to bring discredit upon the Imperial and All

e Hindenburg

wee dram of sauerkraut got me all lit up like a picture palace!' says he; 'I didn't know whether it was on ma

utes later a passer-by micht have been arrested and even condemned to de

ted the next morning, for when Thornton fell out of control, blazing from engine to tail, a German flying-man, unmistakably the same as had disgraced himself on the previous day, came down on h

he swept down upon the law-breaker and again was foiled

ngs: The Story of a Cowboy's Vengeance," and settled himself down to that "good, long read" which was his chiefest and, indeed, his only recreation. He began reading at the little pine table. He continued curled up in the big

sed the book with a long sigh, sat upon his bed for half an hour and then went back to the pine table, took out from the débris of one of the drawers a bottle of ink, a

nd sat looking at it for five minutes. He scratched hi

sitting engaged in discussion. He put out the lig

oom, for Tam enjoyed the pri

elligence. One of his squadron has been brought down by the Creepers, and they are so sick about him that this fellow who w

, "and he will be belongin' to

ie no

e said, "and they would kick him out but for the fact

solemnly, "I ha'

is room and addre

von M

Squadron of the Imperial German Air Service were making their

nn fixed the speck with h

e said; "those Bavarian swine h

the aerodro

and inexorably onward. Then came three resounding crashes as the bombs dropped. One got the corner of a hangar and demolished it. Anothe

over and saw, too, something that was fluttering

e falling outside F

o his secon

visitor is not wholly unconnecte

" grumbled his subordinate. "Can't we do s

nn shook

ver the knuckles for my pains. The f

er and handed him a small linen parachute and a weighted bag. The squadron-leader

be careful; ther

, and Zeiglemann glowered at the speaker, a tall, unp

erocity, "the air-services do not descend to suc

uth, "I do what I think is my dut

ted rel

ain Zeiglemann finished his work in silence. The bag

ess; "this is for you, von Mahl." He handed

t him and read it

THE FIR

AVENGER

SHOES.

sel' with gu

hind the ca

'sel' into

egret yeer

Scoot is o

dome will st

with a skull a

dered from one to the othe

ered; "is it not absurd? Is i

rill little laugh, but

lemann soberly. "Although this is your private qu

ly tore the note into little pieces and flung them down. "I will

you shall pick up those pieces of paper, for it i

adquarters in time for bre

aiting for you, Tam," said Blackie with a shake of his

e no intention of riski

ng of the machi

n Front which will bring sorrow to nearly every Scottish home reached by our widely sairculated journal, an' even to others. Tam the Scoot, the intreepid airman, has gone west. The wee hero tackled single-handed t

n Archie barrage which it would have been folly to challenge. He turned south, avoiding certain cloud masses, an

for Ypres, but again fo

vered), shot down out of control a diving enemy machine that showed fight, chased a slow "spotter" to earth, and flashed over the Briti

llet and a casualty clearing station and dropped an insolent note addressed to "The Englishman Tamm." He di

shelter, and wired a requisition for three machines to replace those "destroyed by enemy

arning," said his unsmiling

g, sitting in his room. He leaped up as von Zeiglemann entered, clicked his heels

gae hame to yeer mither A'll find the hous

he Av

on Zeiglema

ked the lieutenant. "It is against the ru

ot him," said Zeiglemann dr

ou think-do y

mann n

rr Lieutenant, that Tam brought down von Müller,

Mül

er and his feud with an "English" airman and of the disastrous

ters, von Zeiglemann expressed h

y-bag back to Frankfurt, he

-he is thinking of asking for a transfer to t

you s

only safe place was a

a fortunate man if he ever lands alive from a fight with Tam. Do not, I command y

the German lines, seeking Tam. By sheer luck he was brought down by a chance Archie s

own quarrels," he said as he limped from t

fear a moment of exquisite doubt in his own courage, a bewildering

s nationality may be-but it was a mechanical valor based upon an honest b

om the atmosphere of High Finance, wherein men reduce all values to the denomination of the

le of a colonel who owned three lakes and a range of mountains

ed after his introduction to the flying service, attained to its zenith at the mom

t it has its beginnings in respect for your enemy and reaches its culminating point in contempt for your com

s comrades and sat brooding, his knuckles to his teeth, reviewing his abiliti

ourteen days' leave, and the young officer

ned. He had twice crossed fire with Tam and now knew

and two days later occurred one of those odd acc

who was one of the fighting escort, was violently engaged by two machines, both of which he forced down. In the course of a combat he was compelled to come to within a thousand feet of the ground and was

e opposite direction to that which the train was taking, h

a flash the machine and its pilot-then the windows splintered to a

rlsruhe was bombed by a French squadron.... von Mahl saw only a score of flying and vengeful Tams. He came b

ith fierce intentness an

"for A'm no' so sure that McMahl is aboot. A'

e Craigs, his two brothers having been shot down

ed the Corona from his mouth, eyeing it with a disappoi

n' game o' bridge-whist, Tam o' the Scoots is workin' oot problems in Gairman psych-I forget the bonnie waird. There he sits, the wee man wi'oot so much as a seegair to keep hi

sly believe that y

eyes t

what do ye fear w

hought

s," he

feller as bad as ye could, wou

ything more horribl

ttle toons because he's scairt of his ain little toons bein' bombed. He believes we get the wind up because

e was "concussed" in midair and retained sufficient sense to bring his machine to

philosophicall

ters and handed over to von Zei

eiglemann gravely (they were going i

rows, for the spirit

d incredulity; "why, I thought-oh, b

snarled von Mahl. "What happen

litely; "I'm afraid I can not tell

went out in a

ong a deserted by-road, his hands in his breeches pockets, his forage cap at the back of his head, looked up and sh

zz-saw going about its lawful business, and that is a Briti

and in a direction opposite to that in

this case, when it was heading straight for the sea and the English coast. Nor was it customary for an aeroplane bound for "Blighty" to begin its voyage from s

little group of officers

of that bus, Tam

sh," said Ta

ing machine. Long and silently he watched her. The sun had been behind a cloud, but now one ray caugh

ig's," he said

ne? What makes

now her anywheer. Yon's Mr.

his office. He spun the handle o

your direction-yes, one that came down in his lines last week. A Fairl

e telephone a

ritish coast town were treate

specks in the sky. They saw them wheel suddenly and pass out to sea and then those who possessed strong glasses noted a new speck coming from t

age whooped for joy, for that which seemed a slow descent was, in reality, moving twice as fast as

led about the débris of the burning machine. A little boat danced through the waves a

armchair. A businesslike doctor dabbed two ugly cuts in his head with iodine and deftly

" said the commander, "honor us with

oung man, "Royal Prussian

der. "Will you explain why you were flying

in nothing," b

sely shaven and his forehead receded. Not to be outdon

things like you on toast, would you like to make any statement which will save you from the ignominiou

hl hes

machine-it had fallen in o

nd withdrew a thick wad of canvas-backed paper which,

d the commander observed that at certain

troyer captain; "but these aren't places of mili

von Mahl; "tha

he truth, for to o