n were constrained to stir up trouble! As
soon as the children's choir was put into its proper place, these two
"limbs," as Mrs. Johnnie Dunn called them, slipped away from the
confines of the hay wagon, and no one missed them till a terrible
scream from the crossing bridge announced that one of them had fallen
into the creek.

Mrs. Martin echoed the scream and called out as she always did in time
of disaster, "Oh, Alfred!" And Alfred left his horses and ran to the
rescue. Willie Meek dropped his flag and Piper Lauchie dropped his
pipes, and joined the crowd that was pulling the eldest Martin out of
the soft mud and water of the creek. And at the same moment the shriek
of the train just on the other side of the bend came thrilling through
the woods. Tremendous K. saw that there was nobody to flag the train
and he rushed gallantly onto the track, waving his hands and shouting
on the monster to stop.

But they might have known that the train would stop if there had been
no one there at all. For all the way from Toronto hadn't two returned
soldiers been tormenting the conductor with warnings to stop at Silver
Creek Crossing, if he valued his life. And at every station he would
come into then and say hopefully, "Only six more stops, boys," or "Just
five more, and we're there," and finally it had been "Silver Creek
comes next," and, with fine sarcasm, "Did you say you wanted to get off
there?"

And so, when the train swept round the bend out of the swamp, with a
shriek and a roar, and came thundering down upon the Crossing, there
was no need for Tremendous K., who, nevertheless, stood his ground in
the middle of the track, waving his arms to be quite sure there was no
danger of its tearing through, and carrying Gavin on to Algonquin.

The roaring monster stopped with a grumbling of brakes and an impatient
hissing of steam, with Gavin's car right in front of the waiting crowd.
All eyes were turned upon the two khaki-clad figures. The young
officer was in the background, the kilted figure was on the step.
Gavin was leaning far out, his eager eyes sweeping the crowd. He
looked very tall and very, very thin, with a red spot burning on either
sunken cheek, but his eyes were bright and he stood up very straight
and looked a gallant figure for all he held a heavy stick in his one
hand, and his poor empty sleeve was tucked into his pocket.

And at the sight of him Auntie Elspie gave a cry, and before any of the
commit