ds on pertinacity in
pursuit of your victim, and Wilson was the man for that.

He was jogging home from Brigabee, where he had been distributing
groceries at a score of wee houses, when there flashed on his mind a
whole scheme for cloth-distribution on a large scale; for mining
villages were clustering in about Barbie by this time, and he saw his
way to a big thing.

He was thinking of Sandy Toddle, who had been a Scotch cuddy in the
Midlands, and had retired to Barbie on a snug bit fortune--he was
thinking of Sandy when the plan rose generous on his mind. He would soon
have more horses than one on the road; why shouldn't they carry swatches
of cloth as well as groceries? If he had responsible men under him, it
would be their own interest, for a small commission on the profits, to
see that payments were levied correctly every week. And those colliers
were reckless with their cash, far readier to commit themselves to
buying than the cannier country bodies round. Lord! there was money in
the scheme. No sooner thought of than put in practice. Wilson gave up
the cloth-peddling after five or six years--he had other fish to fry by
that time--but while he was at it he made money hand over fist at the
job.

But what boots it to tell of all his schemes? He had the lucky eye, and
everything he looked on prospered.

Before he had been a week in Barbie he met Gourlay, just at the Bend o'
the Brae, in full presence of the bodies. Remembering their first
encounter, the grocer tried to outstare him; but Gourlay hardened his
glower, and the grocer blinked. When the two passed, "I declare!" said
the bodies, "did ye see yon?--they're not on speaking terms!" And they
hotched with glee to think that Gourlay had another enemy.

Judge of their delight when they saw one day about a month later, just
as Gourlay was passing up the street, Wilson come down it with a load of
coals for a customer! For he was often out Auchterwheeze road in the
early morning, and what was the use of an empty journey back again,
especially as he had plenty of time in the middle of the day to attend
to other folk's affairs? So here he was, started as a carrier, in full
opposition to Gourlay.

"Did you see Gourlay's face?" chuckled the bodies when the cart went by.
"Yon was a bash in the eye to him. Ha, ha! he's not to have it all his
own way now!"

Wilson had slid into the carrying in the natural development of
business. It was another of the possibilities w