The Yale expositor., 1920-08-26
By A. CONAN DOYLE

in the darkness. And then the flame
shot higher, and l saw the red, Quiv-
ering line upon the water beyond. and
| dashed into the kitchen, screeching
to my father that the French had
crossed and the Tweedmouth light was
aflame. / can see him now as he
knocked his pipe out at the side of the
fire, and looked at me from over the
top of his horn spectacles.
"Are you sure, Jock?" says he.
"Sure as DEATH" l gasped.
He reached out his hand for the
Bible upon the table and opened ii
upon his knee as though he meant to
read to us, but he shut II again in
silence and hurried out. We went
down to the gate which opens out
upon the highway. From there we
could see the red light of the big bea-
con, and the glimmer of smaller one
to the north of us at Ayton. The old
road had more folk on it than ever
! passed along II at night before, for
many Of the yeomen up our way had
enrolled themselves and were riding
now as fast as hOof could carry them
for the muster Some had stirrup cup
or two before parting, and l cannot
forget one who tore past on a huge
white horse, brandishing a great rusty
sword In the moonlight. They shouted
! TO us, as they passed. that the North
Berwick law-hre was blazing, and that
IL was thought that the alarm had
come from Edinburgh castle. There
were a few who galloped the other
way, couriers for Edinburgh, and the
laird's son and Master Clayton. the
deputy sheriff. and such like.
But early in the morning we had our
minds set at ease. 1t was gray and
cold, and my mother had gone up to
| the house TO make a pot of tea for
us, when there came a gig down the
road with Doctor Horscroft of Ayton
| In II and his son Jim. The collar of
the doctors coat came over his ears,
and he looked in a deadly black hui
NOR, for Jim, who was but fifteen
years of age, had troOped Off to Ber-
wick at the first alarm with his IA
theirs new fowling piece. All night
his dad had chased him, and now there
he was, a prisoner, with the barrel OF
the stolen gun sticking out from be-
hind the seat. He looked as sulky as
his father, with his hands thrust into
| his side pockets, his brows drawn
down, and his lower lip thrust out.
IT'S all lie," shouted the doctor,
as he passed. "There has been no
landing, and all the fools in Scotland
have been gadding about the roads for
nothing" His son Jim snarled some
thing up at him on this. and his father
struck him blow with his clenched
fist on the side of the head, which
sent the boys chin forward upon his
breast as though he had been stunned.
Now all this has little enough to do
with what / took my pen up to tell
about; but when a man has q good
memory and little skill he cannot
draw one thought from his IL ind with
| out a dozen others trailing out behind
| 1t. And yet, now that come to think
of it, this had something 10 do with 1t
after all for Jim Horscroft had so
deadly a quarrel with his father that
| he was packed off TO Birtwhstles
| Berwick academy; and as my father
had long wished me TO go there he
| took advantage of this chance to send
me also.
There was from the first q great
friendship between Jim Horscroft. the
doctors son, and me. He was cock
boy of the school from the day he
came, for within the hour he had
thrown Barton, who had been cock be-
| fore him, right through the big black
| board in the classroom. Jim always
ran to muscle and bone, and even then
| he was square and tall, short Of speech
and long of arm, much given TO loung-
ing with his broad back against walls,
and his hands deep in his breeches
| pockets. can even recall that he had
II trick of keeping a straw in the cor
ner of his mouth, just where he used
| afterward 10 hold his pipe. Jim was
always the same, for good and for bad.
since first l knew him.
Heavens! How we all looked up to
him We were but young savages,
| and had savage's respect for power.
What tales we used TO whisper about
| Ills hOW ut put llN lSl
| through the oak panel of the game
room door. How when Long Merri-
dew was carrying the ball, he caught
| up Merridew, ball and all, and ran
swiftly past every opponent to the
| goal. 1t did not seem fit to us that
| such n one as he should trouble his
head about spondees and dactyls, or
care 70 know w N cipnpd tho MAGMA
Charta. When he said in open class
that King Alfred was the man. we
little boys all felt that very likely II
was so, and that perhaps Jim knew
more about 1t than the man who wrote
the book.
For two years we were close friends
for all the gap that the years had
made between us, and, though in pas
sion or in want Of thought he did
A