ow."

"Hooch!" cried his host angrily, "sit down with ye!" He snatched up
Old Farquhar's carpet-bag and flung it into a corner, and there it had
lain ever since.

And in another corner, the warm one by the chimney, Old Farquhar had
sat every winter since, too, smoking his pipe in utter content. Always
in summer his Bohemian nature asserted itself again, and he would take
his stick and wander away, remaining, perhaps, for months; but as soon
as the silver maple beside the house began to turn to gold he would
come hobbling back, sure of a warm welcome in the home where there was
no stint.

The family gathered about the cheerful hearth: every one of them, to
Scotty's great delight, for there was not half the fun at home when
"the boys" went off in the evenings. At one side of the fire sat his
grandmother, her peaceful face bent over her knitting, and opposite her
Big Malcolm smoking and happy. Hamish, as usual, retired to the old
bench behind the table, and with the one candle close to him, was soon
absorbed in a book. In some miraculous way Hamish always managed to
have reading material at hand, though the luxury sometimes cost him a
tramp half-way across the township of Oro. Near the fire, balanced
uneasily on the woodbox and whittling a stick, sat Callum; for Callum
could never sit down quietly, even at home. Callum Fiach, or Wild
Malcolm, they called him in this land of many MacDonalds, where the
dearth of names necessitated a descriptive title. Unfortunately,
Callum's especial cognomen was quite appropriate and the cause of much
anxiety to his gentle mother. But Scotty thought it was fine; he
intended to be just like Callum when he grew up. He would stand up
straight and grand and cut down great trees and fight the Murphys, and
go off in the evenings and be chaffed about having a sweetheart. Rory
was always teasing Callum about Long Lauchie's Mary, and Scotty was
resolved that, when he was big, he would go to see Mary's sister,
Betty; for then he and Callum could go together. He cordially despised
the chosen Betty as a girl and a cry-baby, who gave her brother, Peter,
endless trouble; but he was determined to shirk no task, however
unpleasant, that would make him more like his hero.

When they were all ready to listen to him, the boy seated himself upon
a bench beside Rory, and proceeded to relate once more to his admiring
family the wonderful experiences of the day; the greatness of the
schoolmaster;