The morning call., 1893-10-08

sac dirty an through liner e III no De
sumph. onyway. Ye're over clever aboot
empin' an guddiin. Iroot Mebbe ye'll get
some the ncht when ye're oot wi the kye.
But ye'll get pakins if ye let Mag lead
them into the neeps."
THE water'll he high, but mebbe guide
eneuch in the quate bits. I'll drive Mag
up the haugh amang the brummels an
whins an She'll forget the neep shaws.
Haud oot yer fingerP
Tom was on his feet holding out supple
wand OF ash, al the point of which he had
fastened loop of twisted hairs plucked
from the tail of Mag, the roaming cow, as
some compensation Tor the trouble she
gave in herding when she stole among the
turnip drills. His sister, two years older,
was on her knees on the loose straw of the
Stockyard, behind a ciump OF wild goose
berry bushes, and being a superior little
person of forethOught in the household,
had finished lecture 10 Tom on the
seriousness of life. Tom passed the
loop over her forefnger and twitched
II stent. Lucy gave a little cry of
pain. and then softened into laugh as she
caught the end of the wand and released
herself. That's the way ye emp the
troot. is it. We gowk? Its fun for you,
but no for them! -
Carefully returning the loop to a springy
circle on the point of the rod, Tom said
be would capture fish if they were IN the
water and went his way to the byre,
whence he soon emerged, driving half
dozen cows and calf before him single
file. They passed down the winding road
toward the fields beyond.
The autumn afternoon was warm, the
atmosphere hazy. the sky clear, save
where filmed with mares tail stIia, the
grain glowing under the ripenlng sun
beams, and the Jagged spurs of the
Abruchills in Western Perthshire deep in
the purple OF heather in bloom. Like
most boys of II, Tom would have pre-
ferred play to herding kline, but poor
Scotch lads are early accustom ed to earn
trifle for the family SUPPORT. and the
Waughs were so sunk In poverty that
Toms food and a few pence q week in
summertime were material considerations
in the family fortunes.
Mrs. Waugh was widow woman" with
three children to rear, the youngest beng7.
Lucy. the eldest, had no small share of the
household duties in charge while the
mother earned shilling day in cut of
door farm work, such as wedding crops,
shearing during harvest, hoeing in spring,
planting potatoes and otherwise striving
for livelihood. Their house was but
and-beD, two-roomed thatched cottage
with patch of garden mostly given up to
cabbage and leeks for the kali pot, but with
suDdry evidences of floral taste in the
honeysueke twining around the windows,
and the thyme and wall flower between the
wicket aud the door. The family status
was, perhaps, not much worse than when
Thomas Waugh Sr. was to the fore. As
farm plowman he mad but ten shillings a
week and his meals at the Lanton steading
a small holding on Lord Willoughby's
estate.
How the poor manage to exc out living
on such slender resources. keep out Of
debt and maintain responsibility and inde-
pendence those only. fathom who have
known their trials and struggles. Their
fare is rough and often scanty. But a
housewife who can make broth and bake
barley or wheaton flour bread, who is care
ful Of every half-penny. and sits up at
night sewing and nending for her chill
dren until her eyelids drOop into sDatcheS
OF unsolicited sleep, has the satisfaction of
keeping destitutiOn at short disance, and
her children, II hungry at times, as all chill
dren should be, have al least the happi-
ness of being light-hearted and young.
As soon as he could do anything Tom
was Initiated into industry-at first in run
ming errands or beating rattle to keep
birds off the seeded ground, and then as
herd to the Taylors of Reddoch. What
little headway he had made in schooling
had been picked up at the freside and the
minister's Sunday classes, and he at least
could read enough to enjoy Wilson's
Tales OF the Borders and two or three of
Scotts novels, which, with a Bible, con-
stituted the cottage library. Physically
sturdy and shapely in build for his years.
and naturally bright and quick, he gave
promise Of stepping out of pastoral pur-
suits If the jade Fortune should afford him
the opening which is helpful even to those
who are capable and willing.
4bn
cows lashing their tails in leisurely
fashion at the flies on their flanks,
and snatchlng mouthfuls of tufted
grass by the way. Tom saw that
they were heading up the slope among the
bracken and brambles, and with the conf
dence OF hopeful youth that they would
keep out OF mischief, he hied him to
the ash-verged Drumlie, meandering and
murmuring through the bottom, to Div his
''girn" for trout He had few preparations.
One leg OF his trousers was already thcked
above the knee, the other was soon rolled
high TO suit, his much-patched but not
holed jacket was laid on the bank, and he
had neither shoes nor stockings to cast off.
Into the stream he padded, moving caH-
tiously with little spashDg up the shingly
shadows and stealthily wading into the
still poOls, scarcely raising a ripple, and
peering down into the brown bed by shad-
ing off the reflections with his cap
The trout were in the usual lazy mood on
a hot day, and lay in the shadow of the
tree stumps and roots, only noticeable TO
sharp eye as head protruded from under
a moss-green stone. or tail waved from
under the waterlogged brush left by the
spates. 1t is not ideal sport any more
-shan spearing salmon, but it is exciting,
and there is much more ART in sDaring
trout with moose than in tickling and
guddling them by the gills between finger
and thumb. Tom had been initiated int
the mysteries of pool-grning by the harum-
scarum son of poacher, whose sole
thoughts day and night were fish and rab-
bits.
On he waded up stream, sitting the
eddy bends with good success, considering
that his length of limb did not permit him
TO explore the deepest and most likely re-
cesses or even to cross the stream, except
where ii brimmed over the bowlders in
brawling rapids. Little rocked he that
repeated immersions lad batEed him up
to the middle. His lusty, wriggling and
gasping prey were trophies worthy of a
ducklng. A couple of hours thus flew
past, and. he was about to wade to the
bank and take the bearings of his herd,
when something queer danced down
stream over one of the runs sharply
swirling and fOaming between the stones.
and floated off toward the reaches he had
6shed.
Ter, nod cann potI,;o0 1;i.o at. -.