er did so at once, but the female said, rather
anxiously: "You are sure as you don't know who we is?" Their hostess
shook her head, and then he of the poker offered her three guesses, a
daring thing to do, but all went well, for her first guess was Shovel
and his old girl; second guess, Before and After; third guess, Napoleon
Buonaparte and the Auld Licht minister. At each guess the smaller of the
intruders clapped her hands gleefully, but when, with the third, she was
unmuzzled, she putted with her head at Mrs. Sandys and hugged her,
screaming, "It ain't none on them; it's jest me, mother, it's Elspeth!"
and even while their astounded hostess was asking could it be true, the
male conspirator dropped his poker noisily (to draw attention to
himself) and stood revealed as Thomas Sandys.

Wasn't it just like Thrums, wasn't it just the very, very same? Ah, it
was wonderful, their mother said, but, alas, there was one thing
wanting: she had no Hogmanay to give the guisers.

Had she not? What a pity, Elspeth! What a pity, Tommy! What might that
be in the bed, Elspeth? It couldn't not be their Hogmanay, could it,
Tommy? If Tommy was his mother he would look and see. If Elspeth was her
mother she would look and see.

Her curiosity thus cunningly aroused, Mrs. Sandys raised the coverlet
of the bed and--there were three bridies, an oatmeal cake, and a hunk of
kebbock. "And they comed from Thrums!" cried Elspeth, while Tommy cried,
"Petey and the others got a lot sent from Thrums, and I bought the
bridies from them, and they gave me the bannock and the kebbock for
nuthin'!" Their mother did not utter the cry of rapture which Tommy
expected so confidently that he could have done it for her; instead, she
pulled her two children toward her, and the great moment was like to be
a tearful rather than an ecstatic one, for Elspeth had begun to whimper,
and even Tommy--but by a supreme effort he shouldered reality to the
door.

"Is this my Hogmanay, guidwife?" he asked in the nick of time, and the
situation thus being saved, the luscious feast was partaken of, the
guisers listening solemnly as each bite went down. They also took care
to address their hostess as "guidwife" or "mistress," affecting not to
have met her lately, and inquiring genially after the health of herself
and family. "How many have you?" was Tommy's masterpiece, and she
answered in the proper spirit, but all the time she was hiding great
part of her bridie beneath he