Part 22 (2/2)

'Bide a wee, though, lad Ca' canny[7] Now listen, the lot o' ye Ye see, Murdoch ood bit of er place, down that cottage must come, with an expense ofthatto live after your cottage is knocked down and while your ht to so house bit by bit'

'In wings?'

'Preceesely, sirs; ye can add and add as you like, and as you can afford it'

It was now our time to cry, 'Bravo, Moncrieff!'

'I wonder, Donald, we didn't think of this plan'

'Ah,' said Moncrieff, 'ye canna put young he'ds on auld shoulders, as my mither says'

So Moncrieff's plan was finally adopted--ould build our house wing by wing

It took us weeks, however, to decide in what particular style of architecture it should be built Aland with hiood azines; and it was from a picture in one of these that we finally decided what our Coila Villa should be like, though, of course, the plan would be slightly altered to suit circued bungalow of only one story, with a handsome square tower and portico in the centre, and verandahs nearly all round So one wing and the toas commenced at once But bricks were to be made, and timber cut and dried and fashi+oned, and no end of other things were to be accomplished before we actually set about the erection

To do all these things we appointed a little army of Gauchos, with two or three handy ardens were planned and our bushes and trees were planted

Terraces, too, were contrived to face the lake, and Dugald one evening proposed a boat-house and boat, and this was carried without a dissentient voice

Dugald was extremely fond of our sister Flora We only wondered that he now spoke about her so seldoht the more, and we could see that all his plans for the beautification and adornht and gratification of its future little ald! he had such a kind lump of a heart of his own, and never took any of our chaff and banter unpleasantly But I am quite sure that as far as he himself was concerned he never would have troubled hiardens either, for every idle hour that he could spare he spent on the hill, as he called it, with his dog--a lovely Irish setter--and his gun

Ioff as usual with Dash, the setter, close beside the littleover his back

'Where away, oldthe hills, and Ito-day'

'Well, you're off early!'

'Yes; there is little to be done at home, and there are some rare fine ducks up yonder'

'You'll be back to luncheon?'

'I'll try If not, don't wait'

'Not likely; ta-ta! Good luck to you! But you really ought to have a Gaucho with you'

'Nonsense, Murdoch! I don't need a groom Dash and old Tootsie, the mule, are all I want'

It was the end of winter, or rather beginning of spring, but Moncrieff had not yet declared close tied to supply the larder with ame than we could tell the naht ho; birds of all sizes, from the little luscious dove to the black swan itself; and one day he actually ca up the avenue with a dead ostrich He could ride thatthe parapet of London Bridge, so ere never surprised to see Dugald draw rein at the lower sitting-roo and ood luck; but the day he landed that ostrich he was fairly ith exciteiven to the Gauchos, and they made very merry over it: invited their friends, in fact, and roasted the huge bird whole out of doors They did so in true Patagonian fashi+on--to wit, the ostrich was first trussed and cleaned, a roaring fire of wood having been made, round stones were h this kind of stuffing is not very eatable, but it helps to cook the bird The fire was then raked away, and the dinner laid down and covered up Meanwhile the Gauchos, uitars, of course, were the instruments, and two of these ain, and wound up by wishi+ng Dugald all the good luck in the world, and plenty ame-bird were carefully packed and sent home to mother and Flora