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"Use this ointirl with nettle rash, "and don’t scratch"

4

WEDDING GIFTS

THE DAY HADN’T CLEARED, but the rain had ceased for the e pots, as people hastened to take advantage of the momentary cessation to feed their carefully hoarded coals, pushing da blazes in a hasty effort to dry dah, and clouds of woodsh the trees

One such pluer turned to skirt it, rass that soaked his stockings, and hanging boughs of pine that left dark patches of wetness on the shoulders of his coat as he passed He paid the damp no mind, intent on his ons first, to buy so present for Brianna What would she like? he wondered A bit of jewelry, a ribbon? He had very little ift of soer when they made their vows, but she had insisted that the cabochon ruby that had belonged to her grandfather would do fine; it fit her hand perfectly, and there was no need to spend ly so, in contrast to his own ro practical but ornamental, then--like a painted chamber pot? He smiled to hiered, tinged with doubt

He had a vivid memory of Mrs Abercrombie, a staid and practical ation, who had arrived at thethat she had killed her husband, and whatever should she do? The Reverend had left Mrs Abercrombie in the teer, then a teenager, had hastened to the Abercrombie residence to see what had happened

They had found Mr Abercrombie on the floor of his kitchen, fortunately still alive, though groggy and bleeding profusely fro been struck by the new electric steam iron which he had presented to his wife on the occasion of their twenty-third wedding anniversary

"But she said the old one scorched the tea towels!" Mr Abercrombie had repeated at plaintive intervals, as the Reverend skillfully taped up his head with Elastoplast, and Roger ory splotches on the worn lino of the Abercroht be, but this was their wedding Better, worse, death do us part He’d go for ro, threepence

There was a flash of red alih; he stopped, bending to peer through an opening in the branches

"Duncan?" he said "Is that you?"

Duncan Innes ca shyly He still wore the scarlet Cameron tartan, but had left off his splendid coat, instead wrapping the end of his plaid shawllike round his shoulders in the cozy old style of the Highlands

"A word, a Srave;raich?" he said

"Aye, sure I’m just off to the tinkers’--ith me" He turned back to the trail--now clear of smoke--and they made their way coer said nothing, waiting courteously for Duncan to choose his way into the conversation Duncan was diffident and retiring by temperament, but observant, perceptive, and stubborn in a very quiet way If he had soiven time At last he drew breath and started in

"Mac Dubh did say to me as how your Da was a er said, rather startled at the subject "Or at least--my real father was killed, and my mother’s uncle adopted er wondered why he should feel it necessary to explain For ht and spoken of the Reverend as his father; and surely ithis tongue in sympathy

"But ye will have been Presbyterian yourself, then? I did hear Mac Dubh speak of it" Despite Duncan’s nore of his ragged er replied dryly He’d be surprised if the whole Gathering hadn’t heard Mac Dubh speak of it

"Well, the thing about it is, so aer looked at hiht you were Catholic!"

Duncanthe shoulder of his arandda on my mother’s side was a Covenanter--verra fierce in his beliefs, aye?" He sood bit before it caodly, but Da wasna much of a one for the kirk, nor was I And when I h he’d asked er nodded, with a brief grunt of comprehension Duncan hadWhile most of the Jacobite troops had been Catholic, he knew there had been Protestants of different stripes a them, too--and most would likely have kept quiet about it, outnumbered by the Catholics in close quarters And it was true enough that Ja would have offered few occasions for religious discourse

"Aye, so And your wedding to Mrs Caht"