Part 26 (1/2)

It hurt o so chilly all of a sudden, but I replied frankly, ”Both It does indeed worry s”

”Yes,” she said, s down on me, ”I ken fine the distinction betater-brose and has”

”We are still in Staffordshi+re,” I said cheerily, ”and I'll go ahead and see what I can do for you Now, Donald, your best foot first!”

He and I started ahead again, leaving her waiting for the rest of the party, detained by some explanation on the Colonel's part of the military aspects of the lie of the land

”There's a wheen foine leddies wi' ta Prince, Got bless hist 'e o' craws She'll ding 'em a'”

I expected that Donald would cherish ill will toe, he quite obviously liked me for it He had a fist, or nief, as he called it, nearly as big as a leg of la he did ere alone was to hold it out, huge, dirty, and hairy, and put it alongside h head in his perplexity

”At Gladsmuir,” he said, ”'er nainsell did take ten Southron loons wi'

'er own hant, wi' nobody to help 'er, an' now one callant had dinged 'er clean senseless wi' nothin' but a bairn's nief”

”It wasn't clean fighting, Donald,” said I ”Nothing but a sort of trick

If you were to hit me fair and square I should snap in two like a carrot

Tell ish story, at any rate as he told it, in quaint uncertain English, interot excited over the account of his prowess One of the out of his old watch, lawful prize from his point of view, taken out of the officer's fob

”Ta ta was alife when I raxed 'er out of 'is poke,” he said, ”but 'er went dead sune after She can 'ave 'er for a shi+llin'”

He had no idea, nor could I make him understand, what it was and what purpose it served When it had run down for want of winding, to his simple mind it had 'died' He pushed it into my hand as indifferently as if it had been a turnip, and I proain and Margaret had the bag

”'Er nainsell wad rather 'ave a new pair o' progues,” said he ”And what for does anybody want a thing tat goes dead to tell ta tio dead”

As alked rapidly we overtook our party soon after settling the uide told me ere near the road to Leek, and I let hi our way, and a ht, and we halted till the main body came up

”What is it, Oliver?” asked the Colonel

”Breakfast, sir,” said I

We e in military array At our head strode Donald, stout of heart andaway at his heels, and the clans it out bravely two abreast behind thearet came next, with ht up the rear

Our arrival created as hlanders, in twos and threes, swar hosts to prepare theed in was, for the first tihlander, with claymore, dirk, and loaded e

A touch of ordinary human nature was, however, added, when the children, fearless and happy in their ignorance, sidled up to the sentries and stared at theerly as if they had been war-painted Indians in a travelling show

At first, we, the gentry for short, intended to seek accoh it looked, and Donald was ordered thither to give instructions The Colonel and the chieftain rode along the village to observe how things were going, and this left Margaret and e For as Donald approached the inn-door, the hostess, a sharp-nosed, vixenish woed at him with a very dirty besom and routed him completely Truth to tell, Donald, who had the sound, sweet nature of a child, had all the natural child's indifference to dirt, but even he, long-suffering in such matters as he was, had to stop to scrape the filth out of his eyes This gavepeace, and I went up and explained that we should pay for everything like ordinary travellers, good ood fare

”Oh aye!” she said

”Jonnock!” said I

”You're a Stafford chap,” she asserted

”I areed, ”and I'll see you done well by”