44 Grannies Plunge. [oHaP. II. 
ing home, he forgathered with three loons, and accompanied 
them to the Denburn. He got a lot of horse-leeches, and 
was in the act of getting another, when, looking in the wa- 
ter, he saw the reflection ‘of grannie approaching. When 
he felt her fingers touching his neck, he let go the stone un- 
der which the horse-leech was, and made a sudden bound to 
the other side of the burn. He heard a heavy splash in the 
water. His comrades called out, “Tam, Tam, ye’re gran- 
nie’s droonin’!” But Tam neither stopped nor looked back. 
He flew as fast as he could to the Inches, where he stopped 
to take breath. The tide coming in, drove him away, and 
then he took refuge on the logs, near the Middens; after 
which he slunk home in the evening. 
His mother received him thus: “Ye’re here again, ye 
ne’er-do-well! creepin’ in like a thief. Ye’ve been wi’ yer 
ragamuffins: yer weet duds tell that. That’s wi’ yer Inch- 
es, an’ tearin’ an’ ridin’ on the logs, an’ yer whin bushes. But 
ye may think muckle black shame ©’ yersel, man, for gaun 
and droonin’ yer peer auld grannie.” ‘I didna droon her,” 
said Tom. “But she may hae been drooned for you; ye 
didna stay to tak her oot.” “She fellin hersell.” ‘ Haud 
yer tongue, or I'll take the poker t’ye! Think shame, man, 
to send her hame in sic a filthy state. But where’s the 
bread Isent ye for?’ “It’s a’ eaten.” ‘‘ We wad hae had 
a late breakfast if we had waited till now, and sine ye’ve 
no gottin it after a’. But ye’ll see what yer faither ’ill say 
to ye when he gets hame !” 
Tom was in bed by that time. He remained awake un- 
til his father returned in the evening. He was told the 
whole story by his wife, in its most dreadful details. When 
he heard of grannie’s plash into the burn, and coming home 
covered with “glaur,” he burst out into a long and hearty 
laugh. Tom heard it with joy. The father then remarked 
that grannie should ‘‘ beware of going so near the edge of 
such a dirty place.” Then Tom felt himself reprieved, and 
shortly after fell asleep. 
