Tam O' The Scoots

e subsidences which the collapse of ancient trenches on each side of the road had caused. It was a secondary or even a t

airs with toes upturned, the fourth at such an angle, one foot with

g faintly from its grimy background. Beyond the soles with their worn and glaring nails, a disorderly rumple of brown army blankets, and between the stretchers a confusion of entangled ha

e habitations of men and women, splintered trunks of poplar avenues, great excavations where shells of an

ive people heaved a sigh of thankfulness, the sixth, he

any other country before the war, increasing its speed as it went. Red-capped policemen at the crossroads held up the tra

e, had a glimpse of the parade-ground but did not recognize the man she hoped to see-and a few minu

ore shaven, and a little envious it seemed of their comrade's dishabille and

eatly folded blankets had been put into the ambulance to replace those she had surr

cately nurtured young woman, who three years before had shuddered at the sight of a spider, could never in her wildest nightmare imagine would be brought to her sight or hearing. She was weary, body and soul, si

ng. She felt the same pangs of remorse she had experienced on the one occasion she had run away from school. She

s sitting on her bed in a

" she

?" asked Ve

rry you are

girl, sitting down and unstrapp

lmly, "and how have you rounded off all your little-friendships?"

nt MacTavish?" ask

said the gir

do you mean by

" she smiled; "there's the 'If-you-come-to-my-town-look-me-up' way.

said Ve

well, the con

agine Tam doing anything

walked to the little bare dressing

u laugh?"

lied the girl. "Here's a man who is

ve wit

, then grew virtuously indignant, which was a tactical error for if she were innocent of suc

He is a real fine man, as straight as a die and as plucky as he'

t he is perfection and therefore unlovable. All that I asked you out o

with a fine air of unconcern, "and I hope we shall part the best

s," said Elizab

he is in love with me?

mpt

hat sy

er. He drops bunches of flow

thought you had more knowledge of

ughed Elizab

ked Vera, "what ma

ng around and tying her hair, "but I will put a s

me very uncomfortable. I tell you he is a goo

don't l

ove him. What a stup

ave happened,"

said Vera; "but suppose I did, of course

did," said the girl,

zabe

my dear, you are a very rich young woman, a very well-educated young woman, you have a social position and a large number of friends.

d most honest man in the

no more think of asking for you than he would of cal

Vera, "we haven't t

ntemptuously. "You seem to forg

ent and thoughtful, excusing her taciturnity by the fact that she had a lo

tains the animal gift of unreasoning divination, preserving that clear power against the handicaps which mi

He pushed up through a fog bank at three thousand feet and reached blue skies. His engine was running sweetly, there was just the "give" in his

s how to proceed

e "pup" to earth and pla

e he was about to take

wrong?"

no' go so far as to say that there's

ooked at

gin

ook hi

ing to complain aboot only I just felt that

said B

reatest care, tested the controls, examined an

machine-he went sick

of Lieutenant Bartholomew's "pup

he matter

d strolled across and stood with Blackie wa

ind anything wrong with it. She's new from the maker," he went on, "in fact, the young gentleman who represents the fir

ce, who talked so very loudly to the officer who accompanied him that the two men by the machine fe

Mr. Theodore Mann,

took her up and didn't

ey all get it sooner or later-'the pitcher goes often to the well,'

o the machine and ji

-hi, you!" he called a mechanic, "s

ooth floor of the aerodrome an

ycroft, shading his eyes; "wh

," protested Blackie, "I'

oke two thousand feet in the air, a wing dropped off and a crumpled thing, whi

e aerodrome and Mr. Theodore Mann was dea

eturned a very thoughtful man. When Tam

ard the news

dded g

did you feel anything wrong with the

lyin'-Coor truth. I saw nothin' an' felt nothin'-the engi

ut

th grew as dry as Sunday morning? An' there was a cauld, cauld sensation under yeer belt an' the skin aboot yeer eyes was all strained an

u felt, eh?" he asked. "Well, yo

he's worried or sad that sixty-sixth sense gets throw

ly. "What's worrying you, Tam? Hav

sna keep me awake at nights," he said; "the MacTavishes are feckless, extrav

rying you?"

just a wee bit grieved. A frie

said Blackie. "Wh

lar arms and curly hair," said Tam. "His name's Jamie

mendacity the artist in Tam compe

hool together,

just now, Tam,"

same village, the village of Glascae, and tramped off to the same colleg

suggested

wi' eager ears to the discoorses of Professor Ferguson who took the Chair

ckie; "what is really worryin

Amiens, to-night, Captain Blackie, sir-r, and A've a graund poem at th

then in case Fritz tries something funny. The circus paid a v

large pad of writing-paper, an ink-well, and fitted his

sifier. He crossed out and rewrote, he destroyed sheet after sh

puir wee

e carried o

ose were the two most extravaga

was to see Vera that night and had no other feeling but one of blank helplessness, for he had neither the right no

ed and carefully rehearsed certain cautious words of farewell, so designed that she might accept them on the spot as conventional expre

t actually engaged in routine duty was present. Ordinarily they would have been dismissed after t

ice. "There's a general alarm," he said. "Everybody i

-car came flying on to the groun

brigadier. "We only just got th

to me on the road," he said; "I expect

cTavish

etting big and bold," he said; "Fritz has a new machine and

sky. The enemy came, a graceful V-shaped flight of monstrous geese, throbbing and

arrow-head had been, were four diamonds. The anti-aircraft guns were staining the evening skies brown and whi

tinguish them. They circled, climbed, dived, looped over and about one ano

ey've had enough,"

rd the enemy's lines. The fighters were going farther and farther away, all except t

wn, and all the time the ceas

earth. The fight was now between two machines, the maneuvers

yelled th

h told its own tale to the expert watchers. Th

man? Tam, f

ie no

was planing

aerodrome," sa

returning at all," said B

d been brought down a week before. It did not skim down but landed

e machine and took one glance at the pilot. Then h

e," he said; "they'

on his breast, his hand still clasped a

on becko

ith a smile. "Take your car to the aerod

d. "At the

she might, h

u see the figh

s finishing-oh, may

ild, take the Stafford car," she nodded to a

nd cranked it up. As she climbed into the

s she drove the little car along the aer

ic within her she knew i

left,

d round i

his seat by her side-it was as though he had emerged from n

ttle ditch and passed through a broken fence to where

ce before she leapt out and pu

opened his eyes. He looked in wonder from fa

y his side in a second and

thrilled at the look whic

ll she bent her he

able recoveries medical science has ever recorded. He had three bullets throug

s eyes. "Vera

eadily as the doctor stooped over the stricken man

ackie," she said, "because he kno

e," said T

aid, "we are going to be

stooped to listen.

nset flooding the scene and then she got up to her feet and they lifted the str

id the doctor wi

hands that touched the polished wheel trembled and

" she said and burst into t

himself and left his ge

ackie went to Havre to s

you ought to be dead really inst

d," corr

you think y

until the morn, then I

nd surprised Blackie, "I am sor

might smoke a wee seegair, and, believe me, Captain Blacki

-case from his pocket,

id, "you're

E

reading. Why not then own the books of

n. It transports him into a livelier, and gayer, and more diversified and interesting scene, and while he enjoys himself there he may forget the evils of the present moment. Nay, it accompanies him to h

er for a list

Popular Pr

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OF RECE

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Clarke

RIBERS

regularize usage within the Scot's dialect of the main character; otherwise, ev