lock who might stumble into the pitfall of the
Temperance hall on their way to church.

The visiting minister drove into the village, passed the hall in a
whirl of dust, and hurried into the church. Dusk was falling, the
lamps were lit in both gathering places and the light shone from the
windows.

It was now on the eve of eight o'clock, in another moment the meeting
on the hill would open, and the Piper had not yet appeared. Marmaduke
and Trooper, consulting in the middle of the street where there was a
view of the hill up as far as the Lindsay gate, were growing anxious.
It would be quite too bad if, after all their plans, the Piper should
fail them. Trooper was for going after the missing musician, but Duke
counselled patience. He fancied he saw a figure on the hill now and
any moment they might hear the pipes.

But eight o'clock came, the group of watchers on the hill moved inside,
and the strains of a hymn came through the open door and windows of the
Methodist church. There was no hope of catching any stray sheep in the
Piper's net now!

Tremendous K. came rushing out of the hall declaring that they could
not wait any longer, the boys were beginning to stamp and yell for the
programme, and Dr. McGarry was as mad as a wet hen. Then Dr. McGarry,
who was chairman, came right on his heels, his watch in his hand,
demanding what in common sense and thunder they meant by holding up the
meeting this way. That confounded piper of theirs could play for an
hour after he got here if he wanted to, but were they going to sit up
all night waiting for him? He had been called to go and see old Granny
Anderson just as soon as this show was over, and she wouldn't be likely
to put off dying until that Piper appeared as if he was Gabriel with
his trump!

The Doctor was a hard man to argue with when he was angry, inasmuch as
he did not stop talking at all, and so there was no chance to state
your case. So it was decided that the Choir had better sing the
opening chorus, while Trooper would go up the hill and hasten the
Piper's tune if possible, Duke remaining on guard at the door to see
that he did not enter during the rendering of some other selection.

So Tremendous K. and the Doctor dashed back into the hall and Trooper
ran up the village street. But before he had come to the bridge across
the stream, he discerned a figure appearing out of the dusk on the
hillside and the next moment, high, clear and thrilling sound