essful snap at
Gav, and Corp had gloomy fears that he would lose his head in presence
of the Teuch and Tasty, from which humiliation indeed he was only saved
by the happy idea of requesting Tommy to shout "Deuteronomy!" in a
warning voice, every time they drew nigh Californy's seductive stand.

Was there nothing for sale, then, that the three thirsted to buy? There
were many things, among them weapons of war, a pack of cards, more
properly called Devil's books, blue bonnets suitable for Highland
gentlemen, feathers for the bonnets, a tin lantern, yards of tartan
cloth, which the deft fingers of Grizel would convert into warriors'
sashes. Corp knew that these purchases were in Tommy's far-seeing eye,
but he thought the only way to get them was to ask the price and then
offer half. Gav, the scholar, who had already reached daylight through
the first three books of Euclid, and took a walk every Saturday morning
with his father and Herodotus, even Gav, the scholar, was as
thick-witted as Corp.

"We'll let other laddies buy them," Tommy explained in his superior way,
"and then after the Muckley is past, we'll buy them frae them."

The others understood now. After a Muckley there was always a great
dearth of pence, and a moneyed man could become owner of Muckley
purchases at a sixth part of the Muckley price.

"You crittur!" exclaimed Corp, in abject admiration.

But Gav saw an objection. "The feck of them," he pointed out, "will
waur their siller on shows and things to eat, instead of on what we want
them to buy."

"So they will, the nasty sackets!" cried Corp.

"You couldna blame a laddie for buying Teuch and Tasty," continued Gav
with triumph, for he was a little jealous of Tommy.

"You couldna," agreed Corp, "no, I'll be dagont, if you could," and his
hand pressed his money feverishly.

"Deuteronomy!" roared Tommy, and Corp's hand jumped as if it had been
caught in some other person's, pocket.

"But how are we to do?" he asked. "If you like, I'll take Birkie and the
Haggerty-Taggertys round the Muckley and fight ilka ane that doesna
buy--"

"Corp," said Tommy, calmly, "I wonder at you. Do you no ken yet that the
best plan is to leave a thing to me?"

"Blethering gowks that we are, of course it is!" cried Corp, and he
turned almost fiercely upon Gav. "Lippen all to him," he said with grand
confidence, "he'll find a wy."

And Tommy found a way. Birkie was the boy who bought the pack of cards.
He saw Tommy l