Tam O' The Scoots

rway of Squadron Hea

," said Blackie, and Tam's h

g which had only one significance. There w

al Headquarters have asked me to

, si

Médaille Militaire, the Russian medal of

ackie, sir-r, but A'

an act of valor on January 17, 1915?

, si

day and he reported rather unfavorably upon a practise of yours-er-ours. It was a question of discipline-you know it is not usual for a non-commissioned officer t

dded g

he had a horrid feeling of chagrin, of disapp

re was no disrespect in it. A' know ma place an' A'm no' ashamed o' it. There's a shipyard on the Clyde that's got ma name o

"I'm just telling you-so that you'l

ed and wa

their flippant greetings with as stiff a salute as he was

am?" they demanded simult

d locked the door and sat down

ion with his juniors. The mechanics treated him as being in a class apart and respected him since the day when, to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, he had followed a homesick boy who had deserted, found him and hammer

ry development his mentality had undergone. He had come to the army resentfully, a rabid socialist with a keen contempt for "the upper classes" which he had never concealed. The upper classes were p

ored his existence, and only came to Scotland to shoot and fish-whereon they assumed

y gad!"-but somehow he understood them and could see, beneath the externals, the fine and lovable qualities that were theirs. He had been taken into this strange and pleasant community and had felt-he did not ex

was a Clydeside worker and they were the quality. He told himself this and knew that he lied-he and the

use, and after a moment's hesitation, Tam wheeled the machine to the yard. Then he remembered that he was in his working tunic, and since it was

x-but his best t

zzled, and summoned his ba

d the other young officers came over for it three days ago. They got me

iled q

, in view of the disciplinary measures which headquarters were taking. This incident meant another little pang, but the freshness of the mornin

the town held. He had intended amusing himself through the day and returning at night, but, even before the restaurants began to fill for l

met Adventure-Adventure so novel, so bewildering, that he felt that he had been s

d behind the wheel of a small motor ambulance and it happened that th

evertheless, Tam found himself on his hands and knees at the feet of the lady-driver, having taken

nd Order

aren't hurt," said

ted his hands and his knee

nel helmet was set at a rakish angle over her golden-bro

dary road and yours is the main-I should have slowed

ican and Tam's slow sm

re drivin' an ambulance-but it's a hairse ye ought to be dri

e girl penitently. "I'm afr

ike anyway; it belongs to one of the hatefu' governin' c

l blankly, then sh

kwardly, "as I was respon

ary allowance," he said gravely, "an' maybe ye could spare a few thousand dollars or cents-A've no' got the exact co

id hurriedly, flushing deeper than ever, "le

d buckled, but this was easily remedied, and by the time the girl had bro

ch," she said, producing a basket from under the

aring to depart. "Weel, A'll be gettin'

ay and lunc

dinner," sai

ou have?" s

rice pudding,"

yway I guess it won't h

lying, for she served him with a portion of her simpl

sat cross-legged on the grass. "I come from

replied. "A'm

land-I like

shed an

e American Ambulance Section, but they wouldn't ha

," corre

lish if I like,"

no' for me to check ye i

people are funny-tell me about Scotland. Is it a wonderful country?

y, "by what A' read in the pa

nd glens and things

he red deer in Glascae air no' sae plentifu' as they used t

m, then, it seemed for the fi

ught-I thought by your 'wings' you were a

when he smiled there was an in

mistakin' me for an officer, an' A'd no' the heart to stop ye, for it's a

his cycle-she ran after him

I wanted to ask you about a sergeant of your corps-you know the man that everybody is tal

eyes on the d

fellow-a wee chap wi' an'

offed, "why, Capta

ck and gazed at him wide

went

never wear your medal ribb

and started to push his machine, "they ca'

ightened color blaming herse

that diff

e had a cause for gratification in that she knew his name. Evidently, it was something to be a sergeant if by so being

d into his working clo

eneral Hospital the next morning, exchanging views on the big things w

ombing hospitals-it's British, silly-no, it's a German, I sa

ur cars, lad

" sharp voice sca

s a bomb-no, it's a message

in which it fell they discovered that it was i

ent read the la

9743, 131st General Hospital'-this

, Mrs.

ard, a picture of aston

o is it, Vera? O

t a letter. It bore the same address as

e off the end

per written in a boyish hand.

t-pilot, fe

u' thing

ome to you

ay say-a

ed doon on

ook doo

r height of p

r high sp

scorned the

er sweet

'm just that

see yo

She shaded her eyes and looked up. The tiny airplane

ked the superintendent

rane-I ran into him-he

e man-I should like to see him. Everybody is talking about him just n

d a note of defiance in her voice, and the su

answer," said Vera to her confidante and room-mate t

. "After all, my dear, you don't want to start a flirtati

ing on the edge of the bed favo

e, I should as certainly be unaffected by the rank of my victim. In America

aid the ot

d up in the bed and drew

ple hate being call

st leave that young man alone. And please get al

ence-

leepy voice, and the rapid fire of her friend's

the letter

r. Tam

xcuse me? I am going into Amiens next Friday and if you have quite forgiven me, will you pleas

peated Tam. "A've no

live with craft. Bombing raid, photographic reconnaissance and long-distance scouting kept the airmen busy. New squadrons appeared which had never been seen before on this front. The Franco-

orderly with his messages or waited religiously on the mat. As for the of

w men over to his bunk the night

n officer, Tam," he yelled. "D

the locked door and

reluctantly and adm

. Brandspeth, but Captain Blackie w

nt you to meet

aced young athlete and s

" said the smiling youth, "a

ich would have crushed a ha

e young lady in ma trav

a moment to-day and she asked me

coat pocket a siphon of soda, a large flask of amber-brown liquid and a bundle of cigars, a

She is a citizen of a neutral country. She can have the bulliest time any girl could desire, and yet she elects to come to France, dr

was filling

tly a pauper and yet you risk breaking your neck for ten

d a box of Perfectos from under his bed; "ye may take

with a sense of depression. He had no social ambitions, he had no desire to be anything other than the man he was. If he looked forward to his return

Scottish youth. Rather did he possess ambition's surest antidote in

Thirty-first General Hospital accepting the invitation to lunch and had received one of Blackie

"while A'm bravin' the terrors of

machine, Sergeant?" dema

irm applied by philosophers of the Royal Flyin

hair!" said the di

laird o' the manor, but the hair ye breathe when ye're no' smokin'. An' while A'm away in the morn A' want ye to go to Mr. Brandspeth's servant an' get

ing that same "auld" tunic, "you wouldn

why

mphantly, "that's one of the ca

e, then: "Are ye s

I was in Amiens

nd presently began

ok down a thin, paper-covered v

s," he said present

a short week. They penned him to his class, confined him to certain nar

the big squadron that was assembling on the flyi

bing squad. Mr. Sutton before you and Mr. Benson behind. You will get turning signals from me. Altitude twelve thousand-tha

tly and climbed i

they maneuvered for position, and presently the leader's machine spluttered little balls of colored lights and the

flamed under the heavy bombardment. Quick splashes of light where the bombs exploded, great columns of gray smoke mushrooming up to the sky, then feeb

ron swung

ngers on his flank, was a mere automaton. There was no oppo

climb. The other fighters were rising steeply, though not at such an angle that they could not see their lead

d Tam, "the sky's

nd home. So far as Tam could see there were eight separate forma

the right and dipped to the attack, his machine-guns spraying his nearest opponent. Sutton, a

ing one another at eighty miles an hour, failure to seize the psychological moment for striking your blow leaves you in one minute exactly three miles to the rear of your opponent. The

ee minutes later and agai

g machines turn out of the line, and at the s

s. Tam with a little leap of heart recognized in the distance a familiar triangular field of unsullied snow, searched for and found t

" he said, "but she sha

helpless wild duck seeking to shake off the

prayed Tam, and he prayed with the assura

ts and knew his machine was struck. Then his enemy crumpled and fell. He did not wait to investigate. The bomber was firing up

man scout on his tail. Tam followed in a dizzy drop. Three thousand feet from earth t

ould adjust his direction to cover pilot and gunner, Tam had both in line. His two guns trembled and flamed for

drifting to a landing; the squadron was out of sigh

as you-I kne

the fuselage at the

"an' A'm michty glad ye was lookin'

stepped clear of the obstructing planes of his machine and looked anxio

ord," he said and

ne preparatory to returning to the aerodrome when t

ful I am. My brother says you saved his lif

like you read aboot in books-'twas ma low, theatr

get you're lunching with

aid ye'll have to postpone t

d firmly, and Tam flew back to t

ll, and when he landed he had no answer to make t

atman was cleaning a pair of boot

en saw the folded coat upon his bed. "Ah, ye go

p the coat

no' min

one the officers had made for you. They wan

ked at

, Angus," he said; "an' w

and saluted w

ot a commission, an' Mr. Brandspeth says that the

on the bed, b

you! Ye'll find a seegair in the box under th