Campbell Essential Biology with

Physiology Global 5th Edition Simon

Test Bank
Visit to download the full and correct content document: https://testbankdeal.com/dow
nload/campbell-essential-biology-with-physiology-global-5th-edition-simon-test-bank/
Campbell Essential Biology, 6e, Global Edition (Simon/Dickey/Hogan/Reece)

Chapter 8 Cellular Reproduction: Cells from Cells

Chapter 8 Learning Outcomes

8 Biology and Society: Virgin Birth of a Dragon

8.1. Define parthenogenesis and explain how it occurs in the Komodo dragon.
8.1 What Cell Reproduction Accomplishes
8.2. Compare the functions, cellular processes, and cellular products of asexual and sexual
reproduction.
8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
8.3. Describe the basic structure of a chromosome including how it is packaged into an
elaborate, multilevel system of coiling and folding.
8.4. Describe key events of each phase of the cell cycle including when chromosomes are
duplicated.
8.5. Describe key events of each phase of mitosis, explaining how cytokinesis differs in
animal and plant cells.
8.6. Predict consequences of errors in the cell cycle control system including how such errors
cause cancer cells to be different from healthy cells, how benign and malignant tumors
differ, and what is meant by the “slash, burn, and poison” approach to cancer treatment.
8.7. Explain how you can reduce your risks of developing cancer or increase your chances of
surviving it.
8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
8.8. Distinguish between the following pairs of terms including structure and function of
each: sex chromosomes versus autosomes, somatic cells versus gametes, and diploid
versus haploid cells.
8.9. Compare the processes and products of meiosis I, meiosis II, and mitosis, explaining how
the independent assortment of chromosomes during meiosis, random fertilization, and
crossing over contribute to genetic diversity in offspring.
8.10. Describe the consequences of nondisjunction in autosomes and sex chromosomes.
8 The Process of Science: Do All animals Have Sex?
8.11. Describe evidence that might be used to determine whether a species has historically
reproduced sexually or asexually.
8 Evolution Connection: The Advantages of Sex
8.12. Explain why asexual and sexual reproduction are adaptive.

Global Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of scientific inquiry.
2. Demonstrate the ability to think critically and employ critical-thinking skills.
3. Read and interpret models, graphs, and data.
4. Demonstrate the quantitative skills needed to succeed in biology.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of science on society.
6. Evaluate the credibility of scientific information from various sources.
7. Demonstrate the ability to make connections between concepts across biology.
8. Communicate effectively in writing.
9. Apply the scientific method to interpret information and draw conclusions.
1
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
8.1 Multiple Choice Questions

1) A(n) ________ is an example of an organism that can sometimes reproduce asexually by

parthenogenesis.
A) cat
B) human
C) Komodo dragon
D) mouse
Answer: C
Topic: 8 Biology and Society
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.1

2) Ordinary cell division produces two daughter cells that are genetically identical. This type of
cell division is important for all of the following functions EXCEPT ________.
A) growth of a multicellular organism
B) cell replacement
C) production of sperm and eggs
D) asexual reproduction
Answer: C
Topic: 8.1 What Cell Reproduction Accomplishes
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.2

3) The chromosomes of eukaryotic cells are found in the ________.

A) nucleus
B) centriole
C) Golgi apparatus
D) nucleolus
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.3

4) Chromatin consists of ________.

A) DNA and protein
B) RNA and protein
C) protein only
D) DNA only
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.3

5) A duplicated chromosome consists of two ________.

A) centromeres
B) centrosomes

2
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
C) genomes
D) sister chromatids
Answer: D
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.3

6) Sister chromatids are joined at the ________.

A) centromere
B) spindle
C) centrosome
D) centriole
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.3

7) Which of the following occurs during interphase?

A) Chromatin becomes tightly coiled.
B) Chromosome duplication occurs.
C) Sister chromatids separate.
D) The mitotic spindle forms.
Answer: B
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.4

8) The mitotic cell cycle results in the production of ________.

A) four cells, each with the same amount of genetic material and the same genetic information
B) two cells, each with the same amount of genetic material but with different genetic
information
C) two cells, each with the same amount of genetic material and the same genetic information
D) four cells, each with the same amount of genetic material but with different genetic
information
Answer: C
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.4

3
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
9) Which of the following occurs during prophase?
A) Chromosomes line up on the midline of the cell.
B) The nuclear envelope forms.
C) Sister chromatids separate.
D) The mitotic spindle begins to form.
Answer: D
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

10) Which of the following is a stage of mitosis?

A) cytokinesis
B) telophase
C) interphase
D) DNA synthesis
Answer: B
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

11) The CORRECT sequence of stages of mitosis is ________.

A) prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase
B) telophase, prophase, anaphase, metaphase
C) anaphase, interphase, prophase, metaphase, telophase
D) interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

12) During metaphase, ________.

A) the nuclear envelope breaks up
B) sister chromatids separate
C) centromeres divide
D) chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell
Answer: D
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

4
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
13) Which of these events occurs during anaphase?
A) Sister chromatids become separate chromosomes.
B) Chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.
C) The nuclear envelope reappears.
D) The nuclear envelope breaks up.
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

14) During telophase, ________.

A) the events of prophase are reversed
B) chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell
C) sister chromatids become separate chromosomes
D) the nuclear envelope breaks up
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

15) A cell that completed the cell cycle without undergoing cytokinesis would ________.
A) have less genetic material than it started with
B) not have completed anaphase
C) have its chromosomes lined up in the middle of the cell
D) have two nuclei
Answer: D
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.5
Global LO: 2

16) Cytokinesis typically begins during the ________ stage of mitosis.

A) telophase
B) prophase
C) metaphase
D) anaphase
Answer: A
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.5

5
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
17) What is the difference between a benign and a malignant tumor?
A) Benign tumors are composed of cancer cells; malignant tumors are not.
B) Benign tumors are not the result of a failure of a cell cycle control system; malignant tumors
are.
C) Benign tumors do not metastasize; malignant tumors do.
D) Benign tumors do not form lumps; malignant tumors do form lumps.
Answer: C
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.6
Global LO: 5

18) Which of the following will help prevent cancer and increase survival?
A) Eat a low-fiber, low-fat diet.
B) Limit exercise.
C) Seek early detection of tumors.
D) Smoke only cigarettes.
Answer: C
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.7
Global LO: 2, 5

19) Homologous chromosomes ________.

A) carry genes controlling the same inherited characteristics
B) include only the autosomes
C) are a set of chromosomes that the cell received from one parent
D) carry the same versions of all genes
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8. 8

20) What chromosomes belong to a normal human male?

A) 22 autosomes and two Y chromosomes
B) 44 autosomes and two Y chromosomes
C) 44 autosomes, one X chromosome, and one Y chromosome
D) 46 autosomes, one X chromosome, and one Y chromosome
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.8

6
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
21) What chromosomes belong to a normal human female?
A) 22 autosomes and 2 X chromosomes
B) 44 autosomes and 2 X chromosomes
C) 44 autosomes, one X chromosome, and one Y chromosome
D) 46 autosomes and two X chromosomes
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.8

22) Chromosomes that do NOT determine the sex of an individual are called ________.
A) homologous chromosomes
B) nonhomologous chromosomes
C) sex chromosomes
D) autosomes
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.8

23) Sexual reproduction in humans ________.

A) allows a haploid sperm cell to fertilize a haploid egg cell
B) produces a haploid individual
C) produces an individual with 23 chromosomes
D) combines two diploid gametes, producing a zygote
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9

24) In meiosis, how does prophase I differ from prophase II?

A) During prophase I there is one diploid cell; during prophase II there are two haploid cells.
B) During prophase I chromosomes line up single file in the middle of the cell; during prophase
II the chromosomes line up in double file in the middle of the cell.
C) During prophase I the chromosomes coil up; the chromosomes are not coiled up during
prophase II.
D) In prophase I the sister chromatids are attached; in prophase II the sister chromatids are
separated.
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2

7
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
25) How much genetic material is present in a cell during prophase I compared to a cell that has
completed meiosis II?
A) one-quarter as much
B) four times as much
C) one-half as much
D) twice as much
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 4

26) During metaphase I, ________.

A) crossing over occurs
B) homologous chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell
C) the nuclear envelope breaks up
D) sister chromatids separate and migrate to opposite poles
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9

27) Upon completion of telophase I and cytokinesis, there is(are) ________ cell(s).
A) four haploid
B) two diploid
C) two haploid
D) one diploid
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9

28) Which of the following is a characteristic seen in prophase I that does NOT occur in
prophase II?
A) Chromosomes move to the middle of the cell.
B) Spindle formation occurs.
C) The number of chromosomes doubles.
D) Crossing over occurs.
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 7

8
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
29) Anaphase II is essentially the same as mitotic anaphase except that in anaphase II ________
and in mitotic anaphase ________.
A) the cells are diploid... the cells are haploid
B) chromosomes line up double file in the middle of the cell... chromosomes line up single file in
the middle of the cell
C) crossing over occurs... crossing over does not occur
D) the cells are haploid and sister chromatids separate... the cells have the same number of
chromosomes as the original cell and sister chromatids separate
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 7

30) One difference between mitosis and meiosis is ________.

A) mitosis produces cells genetically identical to the parent cell, but meiosis does not
B) mitosis produces more daughter cells for each division than meiosis
C) mitosis produces haploid cells, but meiosis produces diploid cells
D) mitosis requires only one parent cell, but meiosis requires two parent cells
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 7

31) Genetic variation is accomplished by all but one of the following. Choose the exception.
A) the events of meiosis I
B) crossing over
C) independent assortment
D) the events of meiosis II
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2

32) Which of the following is the best description of the events of anaphase I?
A) Half of the chromosomes inherited from the mother go to one pole along with half of the
chromosomes inherited from the father.
B) Sister chromatids separate and the daughter chromosomes migrate to opposite poles.
C) Homologous chromosomes randomly separate and migrate to opposite poles.
D) All of the chromosomes inherited from the mother go to one pole of the cell, and all of the
chromosomes inherited from the father go to the other pole.
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Knowledge/Comprehension
Learning Outcome: 8.9

9
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
33) For a species with four pairs of chromosomes, ________ chromosome combinations are
possible.
A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 20
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 4

34) Crossing over during prophase I results in ________.

A) nondisjunction
B) reciprocal translocation
C) duplication
D) genetic recombination
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2

35) A karyotype (a chromosome display) would be unable to determine ________.

A) sex
B) Down syndrome
C) Turner syndrome
D) eye color
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

36) How many chromosomes can a gamete possess as a result of nondisjunction?

A) n + 1 or n - 1
B) 2n + 1 or 2n - 1
C) 2n - 1 only
D) 2n + 1 or n - 1
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

10
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
37) How many chromosomes does an individual with Turner syndrome have?
A) 2n + 1
B) n + 1
C) 2n − 1
D) n − 1
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7

38) Sexual reproduction appears to be absent in bdelloid rotifers. Which of these, if found in this
group, would bring into question the idea that they reproduce ONLY asexually?
A) female rotifers with eggs
B) significant differences of two different alleles among different populations (one population
having mostly allele A and one having mostly a).
C) cells in which meiosis occurs
D) related groups (not bdelloid rotifers) which reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Answer: C
Topic: 8 The Process of Science
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.11
Global LO: 1, 2, 6

39) Which of these describes the type of reproduction that is most adaptive in a rapidly changing
environment with many different parasitic diseases present?
A) asexual reproduction because the currently successful genotypes can reproduce quickly
B) asexual reproduction, because asexual reproduction uses less energy, which leaves more for
each individual to adapt to the changing environment
C) sexual reproduction because the diversity of genotypes increases the likelihood that there is
one which can survive in a new environment
D) sexual reproduction because this type of reproduction allows the production of a greater
number of offspring thus providing more individuals to take advantage of any environmental
challenges presented
Answer: C
Topic: 8 Evolution Connection
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.12
Global LO: 2

11
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
8.2 Art Questions

1) Examine the figure below. Nucleosomes are made of ________.

12
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
A) RNA and protein
B) DNA
C) proteins
D) DNA and histone proteins
Answer: D
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.3
Global LO: 2, 3

2) As shown in the following figure, plant cell cytokinesis differs from animal cell cytokinesis
because ________.

A) plant cells produce more daughter cells

B) plant cells form a cell plate and animal cells do not
C) animal cells produce more daughter cells
D) animal cells form a cell plate and plant cells do not
Answer: B
Topic: 8.2 The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.5
Global LO: 2, 3

13
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
3) This diagram of the human life cycle shows that ________.
A) meiosis produces a diploid zygote
B) meiosis produces haploid sperm and egg cells
C) fertilization produces a haploid zygote
D) a diploid zygote undergoes meiosis to produce an adult human
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 3

4) What is the chromosome number found in humans cells after meiosis I is completed?
A) 46 autosomes
B) 43 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes
C) 22 autosomes and a sex chromosome
D) 44 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 3, 4

14
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
5) The above figure shows that ________.
A) meiosis results in the formation of four haploid daughter cells
B) fertilization results in four haploid daughter cells
C) the human 2n number is 4
D) meiosis forms diploid gametes
Answer: A
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 3

6) The 2n number for the cell depicted here is ________.

A) one
B) two
C) four
D) eight
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.9
Global LO: 2, 3, 7

15
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
7) The karyotype above shows ________.
A) abnormal sex chromosomes
B) trisomy 21, a cause of Klinefelter syndrome
C) Turner syndrome
D) trisomy 21, a cause of Down syndrome
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 5, 7

8) Which of these could lead to the mistake evident in the karyotype?

A) a failure of cytokinesis after meiosis I in gamete formation
B) a nondisjunction in meiosis II in gamete formation
C) crossing over in meiosis I in gamete formation
D) fertilization by two sperm in zygote formation
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 5, 7

16
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
8.3 Scenario Questions

Please read the following paragraph and answer the following questions.

Amanda's parents realized that her body was not developing properly about the time she was 12
years old. She was shorter than most of her friends and was not going through changes normally
associated with female puberty. They took her to a doctor who initially diagnosed Amanda with
Turner Syndrome because of her physical features. He ordered a karyotype that confirmed his
diagnosis. Amanda was born with only one X chromosome. Although there is no specific cure,
the doctor was able to treat her and correct some of the problems associated with the condition.
For example, she received growth hormone to improve her growth and estrogen to help her
develop the physical changes of puberty.

1) Amanda's abnormal number of sex chromosomes resulted from ________.

A) independent assortment of chromosomes
B) crossing over
C) nondisjunction
D) random fertilization
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 5, 7

2) With respect to her sex chromosomes, Amanda would be designated as ________.

A) XYY
B) XO
C) XOY
D) XX
Answer: B
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Application/Analysis
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 5, 7

3) What percentage of Amanda's gametes would likely have the normal number of
chromosomes?
A) zero
B) 100 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 25 percent
Answer: C
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

17
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
4) If only some, but not all, of Amanda's somatic (body) cells had only one X chromosome, this
could indicate that an error occurred ________.
A) during mitosis leading to the sperm or egg that came together to form Amanda
B) during meiosis in the first cell division of the original cell that was Amanda (the zygote)
C) during meiosis which occurred in Amanda's ovaries
D) during mitosis which occurred at a multicellular stage of Amanda's development
Answer: D
Topic: 8.3 Meiosis, the Basis of Sexual Reproduction
Skill: Synthesis/Evaluation
Learning Outcome: 8.10
Global LO: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

18
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 It was comfortable enough in summer nights, but when in winter the
window was banked high with snow, when the winds howled wild and drear
without, and the temperature had sunk almost to zero, then study in such a
room was something of a hardship.
But although night was really the only time Sandie had for study, he
never gave in. And in the darkest, dreariest nights of winter you might have
found him here, his bonnet pulled down over his ears, a Scottish plaid rolled
round his chest, and a horse-rug over his knees, deep in the learned
intricacies of Juvenal, Horace, Homer, or Livy, or translating English into
Latin and Greek, calm, sleepless, defiant of Boreas or any wind whatever.
And strangers passing along the high-road at midnight, ay, or even long past
that hour, would see the light blinking from the little window, and know that
Sandie M‘Crae, the ploughman-student, as he was usually called, was hard
at work.
It is not too much to say that Sandie was almost an enthusiast in his
studies, so no wonder he sat late, night after night, in that rustic little
chamber of his, where there was no sound to disturb him, save outside, now
and then, the barking of Tyro, the bawsent-faced collie, or the crowing of
some wakeful cock, and inside, beneath him, the occasional sound of a
horse’s hoof upon the brick floor. Yes, Sandie was an enthusiast, and so the
time glided very quickly by. The rolling thunder-laden lines of Homer
carried the lad quite away; the poems of Horace, so full of scenes of country
life, were music to his ear, the Bucolics of Virgil brought before his mind’s
eye such visions of rustic beauty, of rural joys, as fairly dazzled his senses;
while to him the bonnie wee Greek songs of Anacreon gave a pleasure he
could not well define, except by saying that Anacreon was the Burns of
Greece. But Sandie revelled in History as well. He was with the Greeks in
their wondrous march as described by Xenophon; he went into raptures
with the soldiers when they saw the sea. Nor were the Romans forgotten.
Livy was an especial favourite with Sandie. Cæsar he considered too
simple, but Cicero, in his grand Orations, was truly a delight. And strangely
enough, while reading either Cicero or Livy, he could quite identify himself
with every scene that was spread out before him. He was no longer sitting
on a hard-bottomed chair by a rustic table in a grain loft. No, he was in the
midst of great, busy, bustling Rome. Blue skies were shining over him, the
green of the orange-tree was in every garden, flowers and fruit were
everywhere, while around him was a strangely dressed multitude whose
every attitude appealed to him. Or he would be lounging in the baths or in
the Forum, or in the great theatres, while sometimes, sword in hand, he
would be fighting by a bridge or on the city walls. Is it any wonder, I ask,
that the time glided quickly by till Sandie’s immense great silver turnip of a
watch warned him that it was what Burns calls—
“The wee short hoor ayont the twal?”
Then what do you think my hero did? Well, he slowly closed his books
to begin with; then he reached him down a tiny New Testament which had
been translated into Greek. From this he read a chapter, then he quietly
knelt him down to pray. It is but fair to my hero to say that he was not what
might be called greedy or ambitious in his prayers. The part of the Lord’s
Prayer, for instance, which is most difficult of all for poor mankind to pray,
is that which says, “Thy will be done on earth.” But Sandie had somehow
mastered that, so that, in making his wishes known to Heaven, just as a
child does and ought to, to its earthly father, this earnest student never
forgot to append the words, “if it be for my good.” So might Heaven bless
his one grand ambition to become a clergyman in the Church of Scotland.
He could not conceal from himself, however, what a dark and
troublesome ocean there was to navigate before ever he could reach the
goal he had set his face towards. Sometimes his heart would sink with
doubts and fears as he thought of the little likelihood there was of his being
successful. He was positively almost penniless, and he had never a friend in
all the wide, wide world, even had he not been too proud to accept
pecuniary assistance, while his parents were far too poor to assist him. No,
it must be bursary or not bursary—bursary or utter failure.
After Sandie had said his prayers, he lit his lantern, blew out his oil
lamp, and started for the house. Tyro, the dear kind-hearted collie, always
met him at the stable door, and always insisted on dancing a ram-reel with
him before permitting him to go. But ten minutes after this ram-reel, poor
Sandie M‘Crae was sleeping the sleep of the tired and weary. This
ploughman-student possessed, however, wonderful recuperative powers, for
he always awakened by eight o’clock, feeling as fresh as a mountain trout,
to begin the hard day’s manual labour on the farm.
I should say he was awakened every morning, and by no less a
personage than Tyro, the beautiful and wise collie. Exactly at a quarter to
eight every morning, this doggie used to run feathering up the stairs, open
his master’s door with a bang, and arouse him by licking his cheek and ear
with soft, warm, loving tongue. There was a stream ran by at no great
distance from the house, and in the stream a deep brown pool, or pot, as it is
called in Scotland. Into this, winter or summer, all the long year through,
Sandie and Tyro plunged, revelled for a few minutes, and then would
Sandie dry himself and dress.
Breakfast would be eaten—porridge, that blithesome Jeannie knew so
well how to make, and bread and milk to follow. No, no tea; Sandie cared
but little for it, and was glad of this, for he knew it affected the nerves and
produced sleeplessness. Why, tea-drinking might really ruin all his
prospects!
. . . . . .
On that beautiful morning in May described in my first chapter, Sandie
had an errand to a distant mill by the Donside. There was no great hurry;
the work on the farm was somewhat slack at present; ploughing was of
course all over, the potatoes had been planted a month ago, and were
peeping blue and green above the drills, and even turnip-sowing had been
finished, and the young leaflets were already appearing in long lines of
emerald along the centre of the flattened ridges. It was the horses’ holiday
season, and Sandie wouldn’t have taken even Lord Raglan, the orra beast,
away from the delights of that beautiful meadow, where all five of them
waded pastern-deep in the richest grass and whitest of white clover, pausing
now and then in the act of eating to stand neck to neck and nibble each
other’s shoulders.
No, Sandie would walk—he would dawdle along the road, and enjoy the
sight of all the happy creatures he might see on every side of him, trees and
birds and flowers, and even the shoals of minnows that wantoned and
gambolled in the sunlit pools, or the blithe little frogs that leapt lightly
through the still dewy grass. But Sandie took a companion with him—a
companion, too, well suited for just such a day as this—and that companion
was his good friend Horace, who had been to him a solace many a day and
many a year.
There was one particular poem that struck Sandie as very beautiful and
true to nature. In order to enjoy it more thoroughly, he had seated himself
on a bank under the shade of a silver birch. He was now on the main road,
and not a very long way from the mill. While still reading, there had fallen
upon his ears the rapid rattling of a swiftly advancing trap, and the sound of
a horse’s hoofs coming onwards at full gallop. Sandie took in the situation
at a glance. He knew the extreme danger of the hill and the precipice, and
resolved to act on the spur of the moment, even although it was at the risk
of his own life.
How bravely and how well he acted we already know, and we also know
how successful he was, though, alas! so sadly stunned and wounded.
Luckily, while Larnie was still plunging on the ground, the minister
sitting on his head, and poor Sandie lying so stark and still, two countrymen
came up. The trap and pony, from whom now all spunk had clean gone,
were righted, and Larnie’s head turned homewards.
Sandie was got on board and made as easy as possible, and a doctor
being sent for, Larnie was driven slowly homewards.
The ploughman-student never spoke, but he was breathing.
Mackenzie had bound up his wounded head with his own and Maggie
May’s handkerchiefs, and the bleeding was in a measure staunched,
. . . . . .
“Mother, mother, where am I?”
It was the first words Sandie had spoken for a long weary week. It was
the first time he had opened his eyes.
“Where am I?”
He well might ask this. He was in a room which, as far as beauty of
furnishing went, was as unlike his own little bed-closet as Paradise might be
supposed to be unlike a kitchen garden. The prettily dressed mantelpiece,
the cheerful paper on the walls, the mirrors, the brackets, the pictures and
flowers, all combined to cause Sandie to think he was in a dream.
Besides, by the window-side, sewing some white seam, sat a beautiful
child, that Sandie thought must be a fairy.
But his own mother was not far away; she was seated knitting near his
pillow.
“The Lord’s name be praised,” she said fervently. “He has heard my
prayer, and my laddie will live. But ye maunna speak, my dearie, ye
maunna talk. The doctor says, ‘No.’ And the doctor kens best.”
“But, mother, one question: What has happened?”
 Little Maggie May now dropped her white seam and advanced towards
the bed.
The tears were chasing each other adown the child’s face.
“Larnie, our pony, ran off,” she said simply; “father was driving, but
couldn’t hold him. We were close to Cauldron Hill, and would all have been
killed; but you jumped up and catched the bridle and stopped us. Only you
got hurt. Father says God sent you, you dear, dear boy.”
Sandie did not speak for a few moments. He had but little breath.
“I think,” he said, “that God must have sent me. But don’t cry, because
I’ll soon get better.”
“It is—it is—for joy I’m crying now.”
“What is your name, child?”
“My name is Maggie May. But I’m not a child.”
“Well, when I opened my eyes I took you for a fairy, and——”
What more he would have said may never be known, for just then the
doctor entered the room. He smiled to find Sandie awake, re-dressed his
wounds, then gave him a draught, and commanded silence.
The fairy went back to her white seam; Mrs. M‘Crae once more took up
her knitting; Sandie’s eyelids began to droop; wave after wave of sleep
appeared to roll up and over his brain, and soon he was once more in the
land of forgetfulness.

CHAPTER IV

AN IDYLLIC LIFE
When Sandie awoke again, he felt so much fresher, lightsomer, and better,
and was admitted by the doctor to be so far recovered that he was permitted
to sit up a little and engage in conversation with his mother and gentle little
nurse, Maggie May.
The latter interested Sandie very much indeed. He had never before seen
a child-girl half so lovely. To him she was idyllic, a poem, a dream-child. It
seemed to this romantic ploughboy-student as if Maggie May—what a
sweet name, too!—had flown straight out from the pages of Anacreon.
 Of course there may have been a good deal of super-sentimentality about
all this, for the mind is always more sensitive when the body is feeble and
weak; and weak Sandie still was, and would be for many a day. However, it
may be confessed, before we go any farther, that Maggie May was an
innocent, artless, and a very beautiful child.
I have myself an opinion that no girl can be really beautiful who is not
truly good, whose heart is not imbued with religion and in touch with
nature. If the soul, in all truthfulness, does not shine through the eyes, be
they brown or be they blue, then, ah! me, beauty is far, far away. And yet
many girls now-a-days think that the more closely they approach in figure,
face, and complexion to the waxen dummies we see in the windows of
hairdressers the prettier they must be. A greater mistake could not be made.
Let me say earnestly to every girl who may read these lines, “Cultivate
mind and soul if you wish to become beautiful.”
This is a digression, and I apologise for it, and proceed with my true
story.
A day or two afterwards, Sandie’s sister came over to the manse, and the
mother went home.
Maggie May and she soon became fast friends, and together it was
evident they would soon nurse Sandie back to life.
Maggie May possessed a zither, on which, for so young a girl, she
played charmingly, singing thereto old Scotch songs, such as “The Flowers
of the Forest,” “The Parting,” “Wae’s me for Prince Charlie,” and other
Jacobite lilts, that caused the tears to come welling up into Sandie’s eyes till
he could see nothing for the mist they produced; for Sandie was still very
weak and hysterical.
The minister came daily, twice a day, to see the patient. One day he
brought Sandie’s Horace.
“Do you mean to tell me, Sandie,” said the minister, “that you read
Latin?”
“Oh, yes, just a little. And a little Greek,” he added.
Mackenzie patted his thin white hand, and looked wonderingly down
into his pinched and worn face.
From that moment Sandie knew he had found a friend.
 Then he told him all—all his ambitions, all his struggles, and all his
doubts and fears.
Mackenzie was silent for a time after he had ceased speaking. Then he
took Sandie’s hand in his. “Listen!” he said. “I was a bursar at my
University, or I would not be where I am now, for my people were only
fisher-folks at Peterhead. I was a bursar, and I have ever since kept up my
classics. Now, I can put you in the way of working up for the Grand
Competition at the end of October, if you care to come over here about
twice or thrice a week.”
Once more came that wildering mist of tears to Sandie’s weak eyes.
“The Lord be praised and you be thanked,” he said, pressing Mackenzie’s
hand. “He has raised me up a friend, and I am more happy now and hopeful
than I have ever been in life.”
For another whole week Sandie was still so weak as to be unable to
leave his room; then he was able to totter out into the minister’s garden, and
seat himself on the summer-seat, in the warm spring sunshine, in the
healthful bracing breath of the sweetest month in all the year.
Maggie May went with him, and sat near him, and read to him little
stories, in which he pretended to take great interest, though it really was the
story-teller, not the story, he was studying all the time. Soon after his first
out-going, young blood began to assert itself, and he somehow felt ashamed
of being ill or a patient. He was getting rapidly stronger, at all events, and
one morning announced his intention of going home. The minister knew it
would be useless to argue with him. Genius is wilful, and there was every
probability even now that Sandie would eventually prove that he possessed
genius. “What is genius after all,” said somebody, or words to this effect,
“but the capability of plodding and steady work?” I am certainly not
prepared to agree with this. Genius depends greatly on brain power and
brain formation. I never would expect much except a grunt from a sow,
however much she applied herself to study.
Sandie went home. The spring and merry May were now almost gone.
The joy of June would soon be here. The men, and even Jeannie, the simple
servant lassie, were busily engaged thinning the young turnips. As Sandie
drove slowly down the loanings in the gig, he could hear their merry voices
as they talked and laughed, with now and then Jeannie’s gentle voice raised
in song, to which Jamie appended a deep broad bass. The horses were still
in the fields as he had seen them last—Glancer nibbling the shoulder of
Tippet, Tippet nibbling that of Glancer, the best proof one horse can give
his fellow that he loves and respects him.
The banks by the dike and ditch-sides were now all ablaze with the most
charming wild-flowers. I might be accused of making copy were I to
mention the half of them; but on the water itself floated the spotlessly white
water-anemone and the wild forget-me-not. On the banks near by nodded
the crimson ragged-robin and blood-red selené. They seemed to be looking
at and admiring their own sweet faces reflected from the pools beneath. But
the banks were also patched with sky-blue speedwells, starred over with
great, solemn-looking, oxeye daisies, and backed by a profusion of the tall
and lordly purple orchis.
Sandie took all this in at a glance. His own humble home was the chief
part of the picture before him; the banks of wild-flowers, and the clear
flowing wee burns or streamlets, were but settings.
His doctor had warned him that he must not use his study for some days
to come. Sandie had promised, and he determined to obey. Well, he could
not work just yet, so he determined to fall back upon Robbie Burns and
Anacreon. With a volume of each in his pocket, he went to the fields every
day, and just dawdled along behind the workers, the rooks in turn following
up at a respectful distance behind all. Sandie read to the workers, and read
so pleasantly, that one moment he would have all hands laughing enough to
scare the very rooks, and next the men-folks looking solemn and sad, and
the salt, salt tear in Jeannie’s eyes. Dear me! what a power there is in poetry
and song when it is well and feelingly read! Somehow I cannot help
thinking that, to read poetry well, the reader himself must be possessed of a
portion of the divine afflatus.
“Well, mother,” said Sandie one evening, just after June had come in,
“I’ve made up my mind to go in for the bursary competition in the end of
October. I can but fail.”
“You winna fail, laddie. I’ll pray.”
“Ah! mother, prayer is only one thing. I’m going to work.”
“You winna kill yoursel’?”
“No fears, mother. Honest work never killed anybody, though the hoofs
of a daft Shetland pony skilfully applied might. No; I’m going to work,
mother mine, and go over twice a week to see Minister Mackenzie. It really
is good of him to promise to put me on the straight road, isn’t it?”
“It is, laddie. It was mebbe all for the best that the pony hurt you.”
“I think it was.”
“God moves in a mysterious way, Sandie.”
“He does, mother; but now there is something else worrying me. Should
I succeed in getting a bursary, that, with the addition of a little pupil-
teaching, will be enough to support me, won’t father miss my work very
much all winter?”
“We maun do the best we can, laddie; that maunna stand in the way o’
your advancement. Na, na, Sandie; banish a’ sich thochts frae your heid.”
“Weel then, mother, I’ll make my first run over to the minister’s to-
morrow, and to save time I’ll ride on Lord Raglan. He’ll be turned into one
of Mackenzie’s fields till I’m ready to come back.”
. . . . . .
That was one of the most pleasant day’s outings that ever Sandie had
had, and there were many such to follow during the long sweet summer
days.
Mackenzie was simply astonished at the amount of the lad’s erudition.
He, however, managed to put him right in many little things; that is, there
were subjects that Sandie had been studying, and studying hard too, which
would not be required of him while competing for a bursary. It would be
obviously worse than useless to continue with these. So the minister was of
real service to our ploughboy-student.
But Mackenzie was wise in his day and generation. No one knew better
than he that a brain kept constantly on the rack soon becomes a weakened
brain, and that poverty of blood and body follows. So on the days when
Sandie came over to the manse, the kindly minister just granted him three
hours of tuition in the forenoon; then came luncheon, and after that he was
sent off to fish. On these little piscatorial forays, Sandie’s constant
companion was little Maggie May. None knew better than she where the
best
“HE WANTED TO WATCH MAGGIE MAY”—Page 37.
and biggest mountain trout lay, or where to use fly and where to fish with
bait; and her knowledge she invariably communicated to her big
companion. And he—well, he never had been very much of a fisherman,
but now it seemed to him that he was less artistic than ever. If the truth must
be told, he could not do so much as he could have wished, because he
wanted to watch Maggie May. There was something in every look and
movement of this beautiful child, and in her innocent prattle as well, that
drew Sandie irresistibly towards her. To his way of thinking she was idyllic.
Was he falling in love with the bonnie bairn? Oh, I do not wish for a
single moment to suggest anything of the sort; only be it remembered that
Sandie really was a poet at heart, and that poets love all things lovely that
they see around them.
Towards six o’clock sport always ended, and with their bags on their
backs, and fishing-rods over their shoulders, they went together slowly back
to the manse.
Dinner followed. Mackenzie would always insist on his pupil staying to
dinner. Then, in the calm summer’s gloaming, Sandie would bid his friends
adieu, mount Lord Raglan, and ride slowly home. Mrs. M‘Crae and his
father invariably sat up for him, and he had always much that was hopeful
to tell them. But he must even yet spend a few hours in his study; for,
pleasant though they were, Sandie could not help looking upon those
fishing excursions as so much time wasted or thrown away. Therefore he
resorted to his rustic study in the corn loft, and there he would sometimes
sit till grey daylight in the morning. This at the summer’s height is not
necessarily very late, for, far away north in Aberdeenshire, about mid-
summer, there is really very little darkness.
But never, I ween, did sleeper sleep more sweetly than did Sandie when
his head was at last on the pillow. Slumber stole over his senses—
immediate, instantaneous—and he never awoke until Tyro the collie put his
paws on the bed and licked his ear; and thus for the present was his life
almost an idyllic one. Alas! this is a kind of life that does not last long with
any one in this weary world.

CHAPTER V
 SORROW NEVER COMES SINGLY—CHRIST-LIKE
CHRISTIANITY
I don’t think there is a more truthful aphorism in our language than that
which tells us that sorrows seldom come singly.
Fortune or fate had dealt so very hardly with honest Farmer Kilbuie last
season, that he might reasonably have expected now some surcease of
sorrow—a respite, if not indeed a flow of good luck. Alas! it was otherwise.
The turnips had been thinned and earthed up—they were already
beginning to cover the drills—and the haymaking season was in full blow.
It was hot sunshine now every day, with now and then a gentle breeze
blowing from westward or south, a breeze that blew through the tossed and
tumbled hay and made and “won” it.
There was still a good deal to cut down, however, and Sandie himself
was walking behind the reaping-machine with the great horse Glancer
dragging. This machine not only cut the hay, but tossed it into wreaths.
Sandie didn’t look particularly like a student or genius at present. He
wore little save a blue checked shirt, his trousers, and a wide-brimmed
straw hat, inside which was a cabbage leaf as a security against sunstroke.
The mowing went merrily on.
In another part of the field the servants, with Mr. M‘Crae himself, were
busily and cheerfully engaged among the hay that had been cut down
yesterday, and which was already dry enough to put into “cocks” or “coles.”
Sandie was just about half-way down a ridge, when he pulled up to wipe
his wet perspiring brow. Just at that moment Glancer threw up his head and
emitted a kind of pained and stifled cry. He reeled for a moment, then fell
heavily on his side. Coup de soleil, or sunstroke, without a shadow of
doubt.
Mr. M‘Crae and the servants saw the poor horse fall, and hurried at once
to Sandie’s assistance. At first an attempt was made to raise the animal, but
this was found impossible; the neck drooped, the legs were paralysed.
M‘Crae had always been his own veterinary surgeon, and perhaps knew
quite as much about the ailments of cattle and horses as did the drunken
little smith and farrier who lived in the neighbouring village. So Glancer’s
harness was unloosened, a bundle of soft dry hay was placed under his
head, and a canvas shelter was erected to save him from the burning rays of
the sun. His poor head, too, was kept constantly wet with the coldest of
water, and now and then his tongue was pulled to one side, and a cooling
draught administered.
Sandie and Jamie never left him all that day; Jeannie brought their
dinner out to the field, and their supper also, and they ate it beside the dying
Glancer.
Poor Tyro, the collie, seemed to know he was in the presence of death.
He sat or lay, though not asleep, near to the horse till the end, often heaving
deep sighs, for the farm nags were all special favourites of his.
Tyro really was a faithful and kind-hearted dog. I need not tell the reader
he was wise, because he was a Scottish collie, and collies are the kings of
the race canine. Yes, he was loving and gentle, and he was an excellent
guard by night. Once upon a time he surprised a hawker-tramp robbing the
fowl-house. Tyro did not fly at the man and bite him, as a less sensible dog
would have done. No, he simply placed that fowl-house, with the itinerant
hardware merchant inside, in a state of siege.
“If you dare to come out,” Tyro told him, “I will cut your throat, as
certain as sunrise.”
So the unhappy man preferred capture to a cut throat; and when M‘Crae
came round in the grey dawn, he found the tramp, and in due course he was
landed in prison.
But in the interests of truth, I must state here that Tyro had one fault, and
a very sad one it was. In company with another dog, a smooth-coated cross
’twixt a greyhound and collie, he used in the season to go hunting the
turnip-fields for hares or rabbits. They worked very systematically, Spot
going into the field to start the game and chase it towards the gate, where
Tyro lay in wait to seize and kill it. In this way they sometimes laid dead as
many as six or eight hares a night, bringing home one each in the grey of
the morn, and hiding the others to be recovered by degrees.
Tyro had even been accused of sheep-killing, but the crime was brought
home to another dog, and Tyro left without a stain on his character.
Just as the sun had dipped behind the wooded hills of the west, and
gloaming shadows began to fill up the hollows, it was evident that great
Glancer’s minutes were numbered. The fast glazing eye and the stertorous
breathing told the watchers that. Soon after, he had a few fits of shivering,
one last long sigh, and then he lay still—all was over.
Jamie Duncan had kept up till now, but when he heard that sigh, and
knew the horse was dead, he lost all control over himself, and threw himself
on the body in a paroxysm of grief and tears.
You must remember he was an illiterate ploughman, reader.
“O Glancer, Glancer!” he cried; “oh! my poor dead friend Glancer, will I
never mair clean your harness, or lead you to the fields in the mornin’? O
Glancer, my heart is br’akin’! my heart is br’akin’!”
And so he kept on for a time, until Sandie insisted on leading him
homewards.
But Jamie wasn’t well for days.
The next death at Kilbuie occurred about two weeks after this, and
affected Mrs. M‘Crae and her two children more than any one else. It was
that of Crummie, a cow nearly fifteen years old, but yet in calf. She took
what is called the “quarter-ill,” or mortification of one joint or limb, and
quickly succumbed. There was a halo of romance about this wise old cow.
Like the bovine in the old Scotch song called “Tak’ your auld cloak about
you”—

“Crummie was a usefu’ coo,

And aft she wet the bairnie’s mou’.”

Ah! that was just where the sorrow came in. Long, long ago, when
Sandie and Elsie were but toddling thingies, in the bright and early days of
her husband’s love, when all was hope and happiness about the smiling
farm, and sorrow seemed very far away indeed, that old-fashioned cow had
given the milk for the bairnies’ porridge, and the cream for butter. During
all these long years she had kept the same stall in the byre, and woe be to
any other cow beast that thoughtlessly dared to enter it. The retribution was
sharp and swift.
Hardly ever a day passed either that, before going to her stall, after
having been out for water or away in the green fields, Crummie did not
come to the back door and knock with her head, and Mrs. M‘Crae, or
Jeannie latterly, would present her with a nice piece of oat-cake, after which
she would gracefully retire, that is as gracefully as a cow can, walking
backwards a considerable way, as if she had been in the presence of royalty.
But now Crummie was “nae mair,” as Jeannie phrased it, and the bairns
and the mother were inconsolable.
In a week more the calf would have been born. As it was, its skin was
utilised. There is a curious but rather beautiful superstition away in northern
Aberdeenshire, namely, that the very large family or hall Bible should be
covered with the skin of a calf that has never been born. So poor Crummie’s
calf’s skin was used by M‘Crae to cover his great Brown’s Bible.
. . . . . .
Now I must tell you that Kilbuie was very much respected and beloved
by the neighbouring farmers. For Kilbuie was a farmer, and not an upstart.
He had been among them all his life. His father, too, had farmed Kilbuie
before him. Had M‘Crae been a shopkeeper or sailor turned farmer, they
would have left him severely alone. They were clannish.
Well, one evening there was a secret meeting of these farmer folks in the
little village school-house. It was a secret meeting, but they weren’t plotting
to blow up the manse with dynamite, or set the old town-hall in a blaze. No,
and the result of the secret meeting one day about a week after walked
down the long loaning towards Kilbuie, in the shape of a fine sturdy young
cart-horse, as like Glancer as possibly could be. He was, as may be guessed,
a gift to the unfortunate M‘Crae from his kindly neighbours. To refuse
would have been to offend. So what could he do but accept, to thank and
bless them? The neighbours’ kindness did not end here. They had heard that
Sandie M‘Crae meant to compete for a bursary, and, after taking his Master
or Bachelor of Arts degree, study for the ministry. Well, it occurred to them
that, one way or another, Kilbuie would be rather short handed for the
ensuing harvest, that is, if Sandie was going to get anything like fair play,
and be allowed to make preparations for the competition; so they
determined to give Kilbuie a love-darg, not only for the harvest, but with
the subsequent ploughing.
In case there may be some readers of mine in the far south who do not
know what a love-darg means, I must explain. I have said already that the
farmers of the North are clannish. Well, it often occurs that when, through
misfortune, one of their number falls behind-hand, say in the ploughing, the
neighbours all assemble in force with horses and ploughs, and in one day
turn over every yard of his stubble or leas; or in the same way they may
sow his oats in spring, or reap them for him in harvest-time.
Surely this is genuine and Christlike Christianity!
They did not, however, communicate their intention to the farmer
himself, but to Sandie they did. Sandie’s eyes sparkled with joy.
“Hurrah!” he cried, “the bursary is as good as won. How can I thank
you, gentlemen?”
“By no thankin’ us at a’,” returned Farmer Mon’ Blairie, the spokesman.
“Man!” he added, “we’re a’ as prood o’ ye, lad, as prood can be. We’d
like to hae a minister reared frae among oursels, and we’ll hae you.”
“I hope so.”
“Weel, keep up a good heart. Ye can study a’ the hairst.”
“I’m going to do something else besides.”
“Weel?”
“Ye see, if I can manage to get just one month at the Grammar School of
Aberdeen before the competition, it will ensure my success.”
“To be sure; weel?”
“Weel, by the merest chance yesterday I met Lord Hamilton at the
minister’s manse. He was having lunch there. He was bemoaning the fact
that when the grouse-shooting began on the Twelfth, he should not have a
single keeper who thoroughly knew the hills. Then a happy thought
occurred to me, and something made me speak.
“ ‘My lord,’ I said, smiling, ‘there isn’t a corrie nor a knowe, a height
nor a howe, all over these hills that I haven’t known since my childhood;
will you accept my services as your head-keeper? I’ll serve you well and
faithfully till past the middle of September.’
“ ‘But you,’ cried his lordship, laughing, ‘the minister’s friend and a
farmer’s son! I should never think of offering you a post so menial. Oh! no,
boy; you must be joking.’
“ ‘But I’m not joking,’ I insisted.
“Then I told him all the truth, and all my ambition to win a bursary and
to study for the ministry, and to do all and everything by my own exertions
entirely.
 “He smiled once more; then he stretched out his soft white hand and
grasped mine.
“ ‘Sandie M‘Crae,’ he said, ‘I admire your pluck; you’re a Scotsman
every inch. Yes, I accept your services. Be at the shooting-box the day
before the Twelfth.’ ”
. . . . . .
The Twelfth of August—that glorious day on Scottish hills—came round
at last, and Sandie found himself starting off to the heather with Lord
Hamilton and party long before sunrise. There was to be no battue shooting,
none of that unfair driving so common in Yorkshire: each man walked
behind his well-trained setter and retriever. This was real sport, and gave
the birds a chance, as well as showing what kind of a shot each man was.
Sandie attended personally on Lord Hamilton, and gave such entire
satisfaction that his lordship was loud in his praises at eventide, when he
found his bag so large that two ordinary keepers were needed to carry it.
There was a great dinner-party that day in the shooting-box, and wine
and wit sparkled bright and merrily; but Sandie, as soon as he had dined
sumptuously in the kitchen with the other keepers, begged leave to retire,
and sought the solitude of his little bedroom, where his books were, there to
study as usual till far into the night.
He was up and ready for Lord Hamilton, however, some time before that
gentleman appeared, and another excellent day on the hill succeeded.
Well, why need I say more about it? Each day was like another, and so
the time flew on, only Sandie grew every day more brown and hard, till at
the end of the six weeks he left Lord Hamilton’s service as happy as a king,
with his lordship’s words of praise ringing in his head, and quite enough
money jingling in his pocket to maintain him for a whole month and a week
at the Grammar School.

CHAPTER VI

SMASHING A BULLY—GENTLE WILLIE MUNRO

A low large squat building, with an iron-railed quad, a building with two
wings in front and two running out behind, abutting on to the grounds of the
Gordon Hospital or Sillerton Boys’ School, such was the old Grammar
School of Aberdeen, which has given literary birth to so many men of
eminence, including the great poet Lord Byron himself.
On the top of the main hall this seminary had a little belfry, in which was
a little bell, which it was the duty of old John the porter to ring at stated
hours every day, in order to call the noisy students to study and to work.
. . . . . .
At eight o’clock on a dull September evening Sandie M‘Crae was
trudging along one of the best terraces in the west end of the Granite City.
The lamps were bright enough surely, and the houses were as white as the
driven snow. Yet Sandie had some difficulty in finding a certain number. By
the help of a Herculean policeman he was successful at last, however, and
trotting up the steps, he knocked modestly at the door. His own heart was
beating at that moment far more vehemently than any door-knocker could
have done. The next half-hour would be big with his fate.
Was Mr. Geddes,[3] Rector of the Grammar School, in, and could he see
him?
These were the questions he put to the neat-fingered Phyllis, who held
the door a little open, and peeped round the edge of it.
She would see in a moment. What name?
Alexander M‘Crae of Kilbuie.
Nanny returned in half a minute.
Then Sandie was admitted, and ushered into a room in which he could
hear a voice wishing him good evening, but could see nothing save the
glimmer of the gas-light and the hazy flicker of the fire. The whole room
was filled with tobacco-smoke as with a dense cloud.
“Nanny, show the young gentleman into the drawing-room,” said the
Rector; and next minute Sandie found himself in a cool and pleasant room
indeed, a great portion of whose furniture was books—poets, novelists,
theologians, historians, all sorts and in all tongues apparently.
And now there entered the Rector himself, and Sandie stood up to greet
him, but was waved back to his seat. The Rector took a seat very close to
him, as if to read his every thought.
“I await your pleasure,” said Rector Geddes.
 Then Sandie opened fire and told him he desired to take a month or six
weeks at the Grammar School, if he might do so previous to the annual
competition for bursaries.
The Rector at this time was a young man of probably not more than
seven-and-twenty, tall, very dark in hair, and with cheeks as rosy as those of
a ploughboy. He looked Sandie up and down before he replied; he even
scanned his boots, and doubtless noted that the legs of his well-worn
trousers were hardly long enough to meet the boots, thus showing a
considerable expanse of blue ribbed stockings.
“No doubt,” he said at last, “you have been at the best parish schools?”
“With the exception of a few lessons, sir, given me by the Rev. D.
Mackenzie of Belhaven, within the last few months, I am entirely self-
taught.”
“You are ambitious, young sir.” Geddes was smiling now.
“I am, sir, and I am something else.”
“And that is?”
“Hopeful.”
“Well, I shall be the last to throw cold water over those hopes. On the
one hand, I shall not extinguish them; on the other, I should be the last to
fan them into a blaze if they are false. I shall now,” he added, “see what you
can do. Shall I try you with Cæsar?”
“No, please, I hate it. It is only fit for babies.”
“Omne Gallia divisa est in partes tres! ha! ha! ha!”
And Sandie burst out laughing.
The Rector joined him right merrily.
“No,” continued Sandie, “let me try Livy and Cicero and Virgil, with
Horace, Homer, Anacreon, and Juvenal.”
The Rector got up from his seat and left the room. Presently he returned,
carrying a whole pile of books, and next half-hour flew by on the wings of
the wind, apparently so busy was Sandie, reading and translating passages
from his favourite authors.
The Rector was delighted, astonished; and when he learned that all day
long this lad worked as a farm-labourer, studying only in the evenings and
at night, he marvelled still more.
 “Will I do?” said Sandie at last. “Have I a chance?”
His whole soul seemed to go out with these two simple questions; his
whole happiness hung on the answer thereto.
That answer was forthcoming at once.
“Do!” said the Rector, “yes, my dear boy, you’ll do. Yours is more than a
chance; it is all but a certainty of success. You will, I feel convinced, reap
the guerdon of all your long and weary nocturnal studies, and that right
soon. But,” he added, “you are not a solitary example of the indomitable
energy and perseverance of the Northern Scottish student. You are not the
only ploughman-student. Every year we have them. They come from the
lowliest of Lowland hamlets and crofters’ cottages, and from the meanest of
little Highland huts and shielings. Their mind is in their work. They live
apparently on the wind, but night and day they study, and at the end of the
curriculum go out into the world an honour and a glory to themselves, and
to our great Northern University.
“But now, Mr. M‘Crae, you’ll lose no time. You will come to-morrow. It
is version or translation day. Seat yourself at the bottom of the lowest
faction, and next morning, when the versions have been examined, you will
find your level.”
When Sandie walked homewards that evening, after this memorable
interview with the Rector, he felt as if he was treading the air instead of the
hard granite streets. He had found himself a lodging in Union Terrace, an
attic three storeys high above the street, and which he was to share with a
bank-clerk, each paying the modest sum of three shillings, which would
include cooking and attendance. The clerk was a modest and retiring young
man, but he showed great interest in Sandie’s welfare, and was delighted to
hear the result of the interview with the Rector.
Next morning Sandie was early at the Grammar School. He stood
modestly in a corner of the quad until such time as the door should be
opened by the porter, John. This functionary presently presented himself
before Sandie, where he stood for a few moments smiling but silent; then he
took a large pinch of snuff, and handed the sneeshin mull to Sandie.
“A stranger, aren’t you?”
“I am that.”
“Well, I’m going to give ye a bit o’ advice.” The old man’s bright eyes
sparkled as he spoke, and his rosy cheeks seemed to grow rosier. “The