"What do ye say tae a game, Mac?" I asked him.

"I'm no sae glide a player, Harry," he exclaimed, a bit dubiously.

For once in a way I was honest, and admitted that I'd never played atall. We hesitated, but our landlady, a decent body, came in, and madelight of our doots.

"Hoots, lads," she exclaimed. "A'body plays gowf nooadays. I'll gie ye thelend of some of our Jamie's clubs, and it's no way at a' to thelinks,"

Secretly I had nae doot o' my bein' able to hit a little wee ball likethem we'd found so far as was needful. I thought the gowf wad beeasier than digging for coal wi' a pick. So oot we set, carryin' oursticks, and ready to mak' a name for ourselves in a very recent way.

Syne Mac had said he could play a little, I told him he must take thehonor and drive off. He did no look sae grateful as he should ha'done, but he agreed, at last.