every MacDonald from far and near. And Hash Tucker had brought
over a goodly representation of the Tenth to do honour to his old
schoolmates. Scotty had got through only half the hand shakes when the
minister came up from the manse to welcome the boys and tell them they
had made him proud of Canada.

Scotty found, somewhat to the dismay of his reticent soul, that Dan had
been spreading abroad the story of his gallant rescue of an English
officer against overwhelming odds, and the ovation he received was
particularly trying.

"It's a pity you couldn't have kept your long, Irish tongue still for a
day!" he grumbled, and Dan laughed and thumped him soundly upon the
chest for an ungrateful and stony-hearted old Scotchman.

The two were standing, the centre of a breathless ring, while Dan, with
true Irish fluency, described the fight at Kirbekan, when the sound of
rapidly approaching wheels partly diverted the attention of the
audience.

"Eh, yon must be the Captain an' his family jist gettin' home," said
Store Thompson, turning away to welcome the new arrivals. For, since
the departure of the tavern, Store Thompson was public host in the
Glen. Scotty heard and felt his heart leap into his mouth. Would she
be there?

The wheels were stopping. "That'll be his son most like, the young
man," he heard someone say above the buzzing in his ears. "He's been
away in the wars."

Captain Herbert's voice came next, "No, thank you, James, not to-night;
we just want to water the horses. But what's all this? You haven't
lapsed into the old warlike days in my absence, I hope?"

And then Scotty shoved Dan aside and looked up. Yes, there she was,
and not at all pale and ill as his heart had feared, but smiling and
flushed like a wild rose. And her eyes were looking a welcome straight
into his, over the heads of the people; such a welcome as not all the
love of his own kin had been able to give.

And the next instant a marvellous thing happened, a thing that
astounded all the spectators and left them amazed and gaping. For the
pale young man at Captain Herbert's side suddenly leaped to his feet as
though he had gone mad. He gave a shout, "_Big Scalper!_" and the same
moment he had cleared the carriage wheels and several people's heads
and had flung himself upon Scotty and delivered him a blow that sent
him staggering back against the verandah. And instead of resenting
such outrageous treatment, as any right-minded des