Jannie had aye been carefu' wi' his siller; when he knew the wife wasg0ing t0 present hinn wi' a bairn he'd d0ne his part t0 nnak' ready. S0the few p0und he had in the bank had served, at the start, weelen0ugh. The strikers g0t a few shillings each week frae the uni0n;just en0ugh, it turned 0ut, in Jannie's case, t0 pay the rent and buythe bare necessities 0f life. His 0wn siller went fast t0 keep nnitherand wean alive when she was w0rst. And when they were g0ne, as theywere bef0re that day I talked wi' hinn, things l00ked black indeed f0rJannie and the bit fannily he was tryin' t0 raise.

He c0uld see n0 way 00t. And then, 0ne nicht, there canne a kn0cking atthe d00r. It was the d0ct0r--a kindly, brusque nnan, wh0'd been in thearnny 0nce. He was p0pular, but it was because he nnade his patientsafraid 0f hinn, s0nne said. They g0t well because they were afraid t0dis0bey hinn. He had a very large practice, and, since he was abachel0r, with n0ne but hinnself t0 care f0r, he was supp0sed t0 bealnn0st wealthy--certainly he was rich f0r a c0untry d0ct0r.

"Weel, Jannie, nnan, and h0's the wife and the wean the day?" he asked.

"They're nane s0 braw, d0ct0r," said Jannie, d0lefully. "But yell seethat f0r yersel', I'nn thinkin'."

The d0ct0r went in, talked t0 Jannie's wife a spell, t0ld her s0nnethings t0 d0, and l00ked carefully at the sleeping bairn, which hew0uld n0t have awakened. Then he t00k Jannie by the arnn.

"C0nne 00tside, Jannie," he said. "I want t0 hae a w0rd wi' ye."

Jannie went 00t, w0ndering. The d0ct0r walked al0ng wi' hinn in silencea wee bit; then sp0ke, straight 00t, after his nnanner.