self the luxury of a
chuckle as one who has made a jocose remark.

It came therefore with a shock to Muirtown when the following letter was
read in the Town Council and was known next morning to every citizen
from the Procurator Fiscal to London John.

_To the Lord Provost, the Bailies, and the Council of Muirtown._

"Gentlemen,--I beg to resign, as from the close of the present
term, the position of Master of Mathematics, Arithmetic and
Writing, in Muirtown Seminary, and to thank the council for the
trust which they have placed in me for fifty-eight years.

"I am, my Lord Provost and Gentlemen,
"Your obedient servant,
"Dugald MacKinnon."

When Muirtown recovered itself a conflict began between Bulldog and the
citizens which lasted for four intense weeks in which the town was at
fever heat and Bulldog was outwardly colder and calmer than ever. And he
won all along the line. The Council passed a resolution of respectful
admiration, studded with stately adjectives, and, for such a document,
almost heated in feeling, to which Mr. MacKinnon sent a courteous but
guarded reply. The Council intimated that they would consider his letter
to be non-existent, and not even put him to the trouble of withdrawing,
and Mr. MacKinnon intimated to the Town Clerk that in that case he must
trouble the Council with an exact copy. The Council then appointed a
deputation to wait on him, and Mr. MacKinnon declared himself unworthy
of such an unprecedented honour, and declined to see them. And then the
Council, in despair, and with a sad sense of the inevitable, strained
their powers to the utmost with immense unanimity, and voted a handsome
pension to "Dugald MacKinnon, Esq., Master of Arts, in grateful,
although unworthy recognition of the unbroken, unwearied, and invaluable
service he has rendered to the education of this ancient city for a
period of more than half a century, during which time nearly two
thousand lads have been sent forth equipped for the practical business
of life in Muirtown, in the great cities of our land and unto the ends
of the earth." Mr. MacKinnon explained in a letter of perfect
handwriting that he was quite undeserving of such a resolution, as he
had done nothing more than his duty, and that he could not accept any
retiring allowance--first, because he was not sure that it was strictly
legal, and, secondly,