Wallace Gray

by Joseph Ritson

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. ...That night Wallace took counsel with his father as to how they should fasten the windows. Wooden pegs had been suggested, but Wallace's father assured him that the master would quickly snap them in two. 'Cannot ye give him a few lang nails?' said Mally, who for once was in thorough sympathy with Wallace's freakishness; 'they waddent brick sae easy.' 'The varra thing,' said John, who was not quick at invention; 'ah hae some fine Strang six-inch nails, ah lay they'll keep him oot.' 'And sarra 'im richt,' said Mally, 'wuv his new fangled stuck-up idees; what for cannot he let the bairns hev a bit fun as they've ailways had ivver sin' ah can mind?' 'An' what hev ah to say,' inquired Wallace, 'if the maister gits ta ken ah teiike the nails?' 'Tell him thee father gae thee them, and if he wants to ken owt mair, tell him to come to me, and if he comes he'll gan away as sharp as a cat off a het girdle.' Next morning Wallace, by appointment, was called at seven o'clock, and in little more than half an hour he was on his way to school. He was among the first arrivals, and found some half dozen of the bigger boys standing round a back window, the bottom half of which they had raised. The difficulty was as to how the windows should be fastened. Several had provided themselves with pegs, but they were necessarily of no great thickness, and it was feared would be of no use. Wallace at once produced his nails, the appearance of which was greeted with a skout of delight. Entering by the open window they first fastened the other windows, and then secured the door with a 'slot,' so as to prevent the latch being raised. A couple of sentinels were next sent out to inform the rest of the scholars as they arrived as to what was going on, and also to give...

28 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2013

About the author

Joseph Ritson was an English conveyancer, antiquary, writer, compiler and editor.