But he felt a sudden and substantial increase in courage when she had spoken, and it was with astonishing ease that he found himself saying: "Dey ain' but one lady, Mis' Flannigan, dat could injuce me ter want ter change de lonesomeness er my singleness fer de 'sponsibilities er matermony, an' I 'm feared she 'd say no ef I 'd ax her.

I bought my farm at Dunoon that he micht ha' a place o' his ain to tak' his wife tae when he married her, and where his bairns could be brought up as bairns should be, wi' glen and hill to play wi'.

It just comes over me this minute as it meant that when you was a woman you would like terrible to hae bairns o' your ain, and you doubted you never should.

I don' know w'at dey're comin' to, w'en dey ain' got no mo' rispec' fer ole ageI

Folks dat ain' never been free don' rightly know de feel of bein' free.

"As to when you'll see itwhy, just 'when the King enjoys his ain again,' as the auld sang says.

An' I think'a faint laugh'I've got a wound o' ma ain.' He sighed, his eyes on his ring.

"For ony sake," muttered the now demoralised Tosh, "drop the subject, and I'll gie ye a bit ham o' ma ain!

"He's the lover of his blidding country, going ag-ain to fighd for herand uzwhiles he can!to-day!al-lone!now!"

"An' who are you to tell me how to govern my ain hoose?" he demanded.

'The king shall hae his ain again.'

Last night I dreamed a dreary dream, And I ken the day's thy ain.

" "But look a-here, Mr. Watson,Dr. Miller, is we-all jes' got ter set down here, widout openin' ou' mouths, an' let dese w'ite folks hang er bu'n a man w'at we know ain' guilty?

" The servant tittered: "Yas, suh, so whah it flop up-siden de cup it leave a lemon-yalleh sta-ain.

And then, I was liking my ain hame fine, and the idea of going awa' frae it for many months was trying tae me.

Some folks 'lows a hoss trader ain' got no conscience, but dey doan know me, fer dat is my weak spot, en de reason I ain' made no mo' money hoss tradin'.

Thanks to the custom of the halls, I was soon obliged to ha' a motor brougham o' my ain.

" "Effie, Effie," cried the mother; "and we have done this thing to George Lindsayta'en from him his basket and his store, yea, the bread o' his mouth, in recompense for trying to save your life by offering his ain!"

But ever since I can remember anything I have aye been humming at some lilt or another, and it's been, for the maist part, airs o' my ain that I've hummed.

See whar the edge o' t' bell took him, and smashed his ain, the self-same lids.

Has he bairns o' his ain?

Do they nae think I've friends and relatives o' my ain that ha' the first call upon me?