ed their misdemeanours to the school the public had winked at
them. Disorder and ill-behaviour always seemed associated with old
McAllister, everyone felt; and indeed Mr. Cameron, the minister, was
suspected by most of the section to have had reference to the old
broken-down school-teacher when he preached that solemn discourse upon
the blind leaders of the blind. As the sermon was delivered on the
Sabbath after Scotty and Dan had knocked over the stovepipes and almost
burned down the school-house, Store Thompson declared he was "convinced
of the certainty of the application-like."

But when the boys perpetrated acts of lawlessness beyond the precincts
of school life people began to look upon them askance. Scotty had
distinguished himself rather unpleasantly on the last Hallowe'en; for
besides the usual small depredations which everyone expected on that
historic night, someone had gone to the extremity of elevating Gabby
Johnny Thompson's wagon, heavily loaded with grain, to the top of the
barn; and everyone in the Oa knew that nobody would have conceived of
such a daring thing except Big Malcolm's Scot.

Of course, the neighbours could not fail to see some poetic justice in
the affair, for Gabby Johnny, who was famed for his astute bargaining,
had been voicing a wailing desire for high wheat ever since that grain
had begun to grow along the banks of the Oro. Nevertheless, though the
neighbours might secretly approve of such retributive acts of
Providence, the medium through which they descended was liable to be
regarded with disfavour.

For while Scotty was growing up the social life of the Oro valley had
been undergoing a great transformation. John McAlpine, that great
preacher whose words always awoke his hearers to a terrible realisation
of the solemnity of life and the certainty of death, had come to the
Glen with his imperative call to higher things. And at his coming the
Sun of Righteousness had arisen over the Oro hills and the whole
countryside had awakened to a new day.

Other influences had been at work, too; the spirit of the pioneer days
was passing with the forests, the little isolated circles of cleared
land had widened out and merged into each other like the rings on the
surface of the Oro pools, and with the broader outlook came gentler
manners and more tolerant views. Then this young land was slowly but
surely absorbing into her own personality all the discordant elements
and making of them