Between You and Me

e always liked to sit me doon, after a show, and talk to some of those in the audience, and then it was

d of our hotel asked us if we were fishermen. He said we should be,

"Are ye as good a fisher

ood, Harry," h

ll catch fish enough for our supper, f

eemed to me the easiest thing in the world a man could do. So forth we fared together, and found the boat the landlord had promised us, and the tackle, and the bait. I'll no

-tak' the landlord's word for 't. For ne'er a one did we see, nor did we get a bite, all that day. But it was comfort

there, d

we had that day! There was an old, great trout that every fisherman in those parts had been after for twa summers. Many had hooked him, but he

been overmodest, before, when he had said he was no great ang

they never thocht that I could land him. I didna mysel'-he was a rare fish, that yin! Three hours I

aid so. But I wa

unds," said Ma

said, duly impressed. But I was st

I think he was a wee bit disappointed,

ay, were ye no? I mind the biggest fish ever I caught. I w

ghts and crosses? Whoever draws three noughts or three crosses in a line wins, and sometimes it's for lettin' the other

. "Oh, no so big. Ye'd no be in

ways like to hear of the lu

aid, as if verra reluctantly. "But-oh, no, Mac, di

lau

, man,"

nd six hundred and fou

oat into the loch. He stared

h was that, ye muck

wt to boast aboot. He gied me a battle, I'll

ter that, but only to others, and that we'd always mak' the other fellow tell the size of his fish before we gave the wei

d of the loch. We were caught as fine as ye please, and when we tried to push her free we lost an oar. Noo, we could not row hame wi'oot that oar, s

ed aboot me the way the arms of an octopus mich and it was scary work gettin' f

push from me when I went over, and was ten or twelve feet awa'. Mac was tryin' to do all he could, but ye c

d write a song to go wi' yer looks! Noo, ye'll not droon, an', as ye're s

ter, as if it were grinning at me. It was tricksy work. I didna ken hoo deep the loch micht grow to be suddenl

t back to the boat wi' the

icht fall in again, Harry, and I'll just be makin

a good deal. But on the way hame we passed a field where some boys were playing football, and the ball came along, unbenknownst to either of us, and

youngsters who had kicked the ball at him and cuffed his ear. That came near to makin' trouble, too, for the boy's f

s in the lock up! There was a time, soon after the day we went fishing, when we made friends wi' some folk who lived in a capital house wit

g our tea. Ootside the birds were singing

od to be ali

at moved a great wasp that flew in through the window just then. It wanted that jam biscuit, and Mac dropped it. But that enraged the wasp, and it stung Mac on t

s. He screamed again, and went tearing about the room holding his finger. I followed him, and I had heard that

r. I chased him round and round, seriously afr

tter the noo,

afraid they heard language from Mac not fit for any woman'

, you-you've ruined a brand new pair

nights after, for Mac's finger was badly swollen, and he could not use it. And for a long time I could make him as red as

ome of the Galloway moorlands, of which we had all heard wondrous tales. And after our concert we were introduced to a man who asked us if we'd no like a little fun on the

gs, wi' two dogs at his heel, a greyhound and a lurcher-a lurc

hifty look in his een that I didna like. He was a braw, big man, and fine looking enough

f the beauties of Galloway. Truly the scenery was superb. The hills in the west were all go

t aboot us. We could hear the cry of the whaup, a mournful, plaintive note; our own voices were the only other sounds that broke the stillness. The

sport, that hunting in the darkness, wi' the wee dogs comin' back faithfully, no

his is grand spo

nd turned to the

ust be grand to hae a moor l

eepers," I

s enow, and stern d

darkness, and feelin' the other tremble, each guilty one o' us? So it wa

asked our host

red, indifferently. "I expect they'll b

e moving hameward? If anyone comes this way I'll be

acher

es ye'll hae to be runnin' faster than the charge o'

s God's blessings ye did no

mething funny in the situation,

im, black figure

d, for sure,

said, philosophically. "What'

, and waitin' for the gun to s

id. "It's a farmer, and

r-the last I had, too, but I was too relieved to care for that. We walked along wi' him, and bade him gude nicht at the end of the road that led

they're sure to come oot this gate. Yo

kicked out. I missed them, but I caught Mac on the shins, and at the same moment he missed with his stones but hit me instead! We both fell doon, and thocht no mair

, and after them the twa dogs in full chase. One hit me as I was ge

helped me from the ditch we looked aroond for our poacher host. We were afraid to start hame alane.

. An' we were awfu' remorsefu', too, when we minded the way we'd broken

ften is! We woke wi' the sun streamin' in our window.

id he, "d'ye sme

odor came stealing up the stair

ye! Wad ye be late for the breakfas