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"Has Ian brought friends? Or--his fa, and that was nearly two years back The child--if all had gone well--h to walk

Jamie’s smile dimmed a little at that

"No," he said "He’s alone Save for the dog, of course," he added, with a nod at Rollo, as lying on his back, paws in the air, squirht

"Oh Well" I s to think what ought to be done regarding the quilters, the fresh hog, and so would deal with that

"How long is he staying, did he say?"

Jaood," he said, and his voice was full of joy--but with an odd tinge of sadness that made me look up at him in puzzlement "He’s co, the quilting, and the supper were all finished, and the visitors finally left, charged with gossip Though not so ossip as all that; Ian had been friendly to everyone, but reticent, saying very little about his journey fro at all about the reasons behind it

"Did Ian tell you anything?" I asked Ja him temporarily alone in his study before dinner He shook his head

"Verra little Only that he had co dreadful happened to his wife? And the baby?" I felt a deep pang of distress, both for Ian, and for the slight, pretty Mohawk girl called Wakyo’teyehsnonhsa--Works With Her Hands Ian had called her E the Indians

Ja sober

"I dinna ken, but I think itof the kind He hasna spoken of thereat deal older than he is"

Lizzie had appeared at the door then, with an urgentdispositions for supper, and I had to go Following Lizzie toward the kitchen, though, I couldn’t help wondering just what Ian’s return ht in our suppositions about Ian’s Mohaife

Lizzie had been half in love with Ian, before he had left, and had pined forhis decision to stay with the Kahnyen’kehaka But that wasti person’s life

I knehat Jamie meant about Ian’s eyes, and knew for certain that he wasn’t the same impulsive, cheerful lad we had left with the Mohawk Lizzie wasn’t quite the tiirl-h, was Manfred McGillivray’s betrothed I could only be thankful that neither Ute McGillivray nor any of her daughters had been present at this afternoon’s quilting circle With luck, the glamor of Ian’s return would be short-lived

"Will you be all right down here?" I asked Ian, dubiously I had put several quilts and a goose-down pillow on the surgery table for hi politely rejected Mr We’s desire to make him a comfortable pallet before the kitchen hearth

"Oh, aye, Auntie," he said, and grinned at me "Ye wouldna credit the places Rollo and I have been sleeping" He stretched, yawning and blinking "Christ--I’ve no been up past sunset anytime this month or ht you ht be better in here; no one will disturb you, if you’d like to sleep late in the hed at that

"Only if I leave theopen, so Rollo can coh he seeh inside"

Rollo was seated in the middle of the floor, muzzle lifted in anticipation, his yelloolf-eyes fixed unwaveringly on the upper cupboard door A low ru in a kettle, issued froie ye odds on the cat, Ian," Jah opinion of himself, has wee Adso I saw him chase a fox, last week"

"The fact that you were behind hi away, of course," I said

"Well, not so far as yon cheetie’s concerned," Ja

"Cheetie," Ian repeated softly "It feelsverra good to speak Scots again, Uncle Jahtly

"I suppose it does, a ot all your Gaelic, then?"

"’S beag ’tha fhios aig fear a bhaile rave;o," Ian replied, without hesitation It was a well-known saying: "Little does the landsratified surprise, and Ian grinned broadly back His face eathered to a deep brown, and the dotted lines of his Mohawk tattoos ran in fierce crescents from nose to cheekbones--but for a ain the lad we had known

"I used to say things over ina little "I’d look at things, and say the words in et" He glanced shyly at Jamie "Ye did tell me to remember, Uncle"

Jamie blinked, and cleared his throat

"So I did, Ian," he lad of it" He squeezed Ian’s shoulder hard--and then they were e each other’s backs ordless emotion

By the time I had wiped my own eyes and blown my nose, they had separated and resunore my descent into female sentiment