The Pilgrimage of Strongsoul; And Other Stories (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1896 Excerpt: ... The Pilgrimage Of Strongsoul CHAPTER I On one of the paths that wind about Dunmyatt, at four o'clock on a June morning, a little boy walked slowly, bearing a heavy burden on his back. Larks were shouting in the sky, and in and out of the clefts in the rocks grey-cowled jackdaws flew croaking and screaming. The little boy trudged wearily along, seeing and hearing nothing, his head bent forward like an old man's. With one hand he supported his burden, for the rope that tied it round his waist and shoulders had slackened. In his other hand he carried a stick of oak, which he used at every A step to help him on. It was no wonder he was tired, for he had been on the road since two o'clock that morning. Still he would not give in, and he tottered along the winding sheep-path, gasping for breath, and with the sweat running down his face. He was a strong little boy; his legs were like little oak-trees. He would have gone on until he dropped had he not met another boy on the sheep-path. The other boy was much taller, and carried, rolled up under his arm, a white apron. He was a shepherd's son, apprenticed to a grocer, on his way to open his master's shop in Tullibody, a village about two miles from Dunmyatt. The grocer's boy said, 'Whaur are ye gaun?' The little boy looked at him very closely and said, 'Who are you?' 'Never you mind. Tell me whaur ye're gaun.' 'I'm going away to the west, ' said the little boy. 'I see that. But whaur tae?' 'I don't like to tell you. If I knew who you were I might. Are you Obstinate?' 'Eh?' said the grocer's boy angrily. 'What dae ye mean?' 'You can't be Pliable, ' said the little boy, 'because you're too gruff; but then you seem to be coming the wrong way. You're not Evangelist, are you?' 'Look here, my mannie, nane o' your impidence, ...