ies. He'd larnt by experience, ye ken; for in the auld days, afore
I went there, ane o' the lassies wes a month awa' frae the schule--he
throosh her that severe."

About midday there was a recess, and the children ate their "pieces,"
which they had brought from home, and spent a little time outside at
play, while the schoolmaster took his simple meal. The favorite game
was a kind of shinty. It was played by the boys with a ball, driven
with sticks, each with "a big lump o' wood at the end o't."

The more advanced pupils learned grammar.

"I niver learned nae graymer masel'," said Willy. "I couldna'
onderstan' a word o't. I thocht it a gey-like leetany to hear the
graymer. 'I mak', thou mak's, he mak's'--seemed to me nae sense, ye
ken!"

There were no holidays as a regular thing. School went on in the
season every week-day. But there was one great day in the year, which
was looked forward to by both parents and children; it was that set
apart for what we more delicately reared folk in these days would
regard as cruel sport--that of cock-fighting! Sometimes as many as
thirty of the lads would each bring his bird under his arm, and these
in turn would be placed in the ring. Neighbors from far and near would
come to the school for that day.

"The best fichter," said Willy, "wes callit the King; the second best,
the Queen; the third, the Knave. Them as wouldna' ficht we callit
'fougie.' Eh, what a day that wes!"

But it must not be thought that the duties of the schoolmaster were
confined to his school. He was a personage in the community when he
had assumed his position as pedagogue. Since he was instructor of
youth, he was regarded as capable of assisting the literary pursuits of
their parents and elders.

"We callit the schoolmaster 'Dominie Dick,'" explained Willy. "He wes
a big mon i' the distric', ye ken, sir! He'd oft write letters for the
fowk roond aboot!"

I gathered from the same authority that the "Dominie," for the time
being, was also the reliable reader of the public newspaper. When the
weekly paper had arrived, all the men who were interested in what the
world was doing would gather at some specified house to listen to the
schoolmaster as he read aloud choice extracts. In his absence the best
reader of the party was requested to undertake the duty.

"My faither," said Willy, "wes aye conseedered the best aifter the
schulemaister. If he miscallit a word the dictionar' wes allas
c