Page:Zodiac stories by Blanche Mary Channing.pdf/145

128 he added. "I will be steppin' tae the Manse, an' Eppie will be givin' me a bit O' the bairns' clothes, an' Meg will ﬁnd them, dinna fear."

After Lang Jock, the minister saw big Sandy Ford, and little Jamesie Campbell, and two or three more; and when they had made their plans, they separated, each taking a different way.

Lang Jock and his faithful dog chose the moor opposite the Manse, and when Meg had carefully sniffed at the jacket Eppie had given to the shepherd, she gave an impatient bark, as if to say—"Well, let us get to work!"

"Gae find the lads, Meg!" cried Jock, "Gae find!" and she laid her sharp, slender nose to the ground, and disappeared into the mist, which was still over everything, though gradually thinning.

Jock followed, calling to the dog from time to time. After a long absence, back she came, and jumped up, whining, and