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Brief Contents

PR EFA C E xvii
1 Introduction to Computer Networks and
Data Communications 1
2 Fundamentals of Data and Signals 27
3 Conducted and Wireless Media 61
4 Making Connections 101
5 Making Connections Efficient:
Multiplexing and Compression 119
6 Errors, Error Detection, and Error Control 147
7 Local Area Networks: Part 1 175
8 Local Area Networks: Part II 207
9 Introduction to Metropolitan Area
Networks and Wide Area Networks 241
10 The Internet 269
11 Voice and Data Delivery Networks 307
12 Network Security 339
13 Network Design and Management 373
GLOSSARY 401
INDEX 415

vii

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Contents

PR EFA C E xvii

1 Introduction to Computer Networks and


Data Communications 1
The Language of Computer Networks 3
The Big Picture of Networks 4
Common Examples of Communications Networks 6
The desktop computer and the Internet 6
A laptop computer and a wireless connection 8
Cell phone systems 9
Other common network systems 10
Convergence 13
Network Architectures 13
The TCP/IP Protocol Suite in Action 21
Summary 22
Key Terms 23
Review Questions 24
Exercises 24
Thinking Outside the Box 25
Hands-On Projects 25

2 Fundamentals of Data and Signals 27


Data and Signals 29
Analog vs. digital 30
Fundamentals of signals 33
Converting Data into Signals 37
Transmitting analog data with analog signals 38
Transmitting digital data with square-wave digital signals:
digital encoding schemes 38
Transmitting digital data with discrete analog signals 43
Transmitting analog data with digital signals 46

ix

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x Contents

Data Codes 49
EBCDIC 51
ASCII 52
Unicode 53
Data and Signal Conversions in Action: Two Examples 54
Summary 56
Key Terms 56
Review Questions 57
Exercises 57
Thinking Outside the Box 58
Hands-On Projects 59

3 Conducted and Wireless Media 61


Conducted Media 62
Twisted pair wire 62
Coaxial cable 67
Fiber-optic cable 68
Wireless Media 72
Media Selection Criteria 89
Conducted Media in Action: Two Examples 92
Wireless Media in Action: Three Examples 94
Summary 97
Key Terms 97
Review Questions 98
Exercises 98
Thinking Outside the Box 99
Hands-On Projects 100

4 Making Connections 101


Interfacing a Computer to Peripheral Devices 102
Characteristics of interface standards 103
An early interface standard 104
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 104
Other interface standards 106
Data Link Connections 108
Asynchronous connections 109
Synchronous connections 110
Isochronous connections 111
Terminal-to-Mainframe Computer Connections 111
Making Computer Connections in Action 113
Summary 114
Key Terms 115
Review Questions 115
Exercises 116
Thinking Outside the Box 116
Hands-On Projects 117

5 Making Connections Efficient: Multiplexing


and Compression 119
Frequency Division Multiplexing 120
Time Division Multiplexing 123
Synchronous time division multiplexing 123
Statistical time division multiplexing 128

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Contents xi

Wavelength Division Multiplexing 129


Code Division Multiplexing 131
Discrete Multitone 133
Comparison of Multiplexing Techniques 134
Compression—Lossless vs. Lossy 135
Lossless compression 136
Lossy compression 138
Business Multiplexing in Action 142
Summary 143
Key Terms 144
Review Questions 144
Exercises 144
Thinking Outside the Box 145
Hands-On Projects 146

6 Errors, Error Detection, and Error Control 147


Noise and Errors 149
White noise 149
Impulse noise 150
Crosstalk 150
Echo 151
Jitter 151
Attenuation 152
Error Prevention 152
Error Detection 153
Parity checks 154
Arithmetic checksum 156
Cyclic redundancy checksum 157
Error Control 160
Toss the frame/packet 160
Return a message 161
Correct the error 167
Error Detection in Action 169
Summary 170
Key Terms 171
Review Questions 171
Exercises 172
Thinking Outside the Box 172
Hands-On Projects 173

7 Local Area Networks: Part 1 175


Primary Function of Local Area Networks 176
Advantages and Disadvantages of Local Area Networks 178
The First Local Area Network: The Bus/Tree 180
A More Modern LAN 182
Contention-based protocols 184
Switches 186
Isolating traffic patterns and providing multiple access 190
Full-duplex switches 190
Virtual LANs 191
Link aggregation 192
Spanning tree algorithm 192
Quality of service 194
Wired Ethernet 194

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xii Contents

Wired Ethernet Frame Format 197


LANs in Action: A Small Office Solution 198
Summary 201
Key Terms 202
Review Questions 203
Exercises 203
Thinking Outside the Box 204
Hands-On Projects 205

8 Local Area Networks: Part II 207


Wireless Ethernet 208
Wireless LAN standards 211
Wireless CSMA/CA 212
CSMA/CA frame format 214
Network Operating Systems 215
Network Operating Systems Past and Present 216
Novell NetWare 217
Microsoft Windows NT and Windows Server 220
UNIX 223
Linux 223
Mac OS X Server 224
Servers 225
Client/server networks versus peer-to-peer networks 227
Network Support Software 227
Utilities 228
Internet software 230
Software Licensing Agreements 230
LAN Support Devices 232
LAN Software in Action: A Small Company Makes a Choice 234
Primary uses of current system 234
Network maintenance and support 234
Cost of the NOS 235
Any unique hardware choices affecting NOS decision 235
Single location or multiple locations 235
Political pressures affecting decision 236
Final decision 236
Wireless Networking in Action: Creating a Wireless
LAN for Home 236
Summary 237
Key Terms 238
Review Questions 239
Exercises 239
Thinking Outside the Box 240
Hands-On Projects 240

9 Introduction to Metropolitan Area Networks


and Wide Area Networks 241
Metropolitan Area Network Basics 242
SONET vs. Ethernet 244
Wide Area Network Basics 247
Types of network clouds 249
Connection-oriented versus connectionless network applications 252

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Contents xiii

Routing 254
Dijkstra’s least-cost algorithm 256
Flooding 257
Centralized versus distributed routing 258
Adaptive versus fixed routing 260
Routing examples 261
Network Congestion 261
The problems associated with network congestion 262
Possible solutions to congestion 262
WANs in Action: The Smartphone 264
Summary 265
Key Terms 266
Review Questions 266
Exercises 267
Thinking Outside the Box 268
Hands-On Projects 268

10 The Internet 269


Internet Protocols 271
The Internet Protocol 272
Internet Protocol version 6 277
The Transmission Control Protocol 280
The Internet Control Message Protocol 282
User Datagram Protocol 282
The Address Resolution Protocol 283
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 284
Network Address Translation 284
Tunneling protocols and virtual private networks 285
The World Wide Web 286
Locating a document on the Internet 287
Internet Services 289
Electronic mail (e-mail) 289
The File Transfer Protocol 290
Remote login (Telnet) 292
Voice over IP 292
Listservs 295
Streaming audio and video 295
Instant messages, tweets, and blogs 295
The Internet and Business 296
Cookies and state information 297
Intranets and extranets 297
The Future of the Internet 298
The Internet in Action: A Company Creates a VPN 299
Summary 301
Key Terms 302
Review Questions 303
Exercises 303
Thinking Outside the Box 304
Hands-On Projects 304

11 Voice and Data Delivery Networks 307


The Basic Telephone System 308
Telephone lines and trunks 308
The telephone network before and after 1984 310
Telephone networks after 1996 311

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xiv Contents

Limitations of telephone signals 312


Dial-up Internet service 313
Digital Subscriber Line 314
DSL basics 315
DSL formats 316
Cable Modems 317
T-1 Leased Line Service 318
Frame Relay 319
Committed information rate or service level agreements 321
Asynchronous Transfer Mode 322
ATM classes of service 323
Advantages and disadvantages of ATM 325
MPLS and VPN 325
Summary of the Data Delivery Services 326
Convergence 327
Computer-telephony integration 328
Unified communications 330
Telecommunications Systems in Action: A Company
Makes a Service Choice 330
Choices 330
Making the choice 330
Summary 333
Key Terms 335
Review Questions 335
Exercises 336
Thinking Outside the Box 337
Hands-On Projects 337

12 Network Security 339


Common System Attacks 340
Physical Protection 343
Controlling Access 344
Passwords and ID systems 346
Access rights 347
Auditing 349
Securing Data 350
Basic encryption and decryption techniques 350
Securing Communications 359
Spread spectrum technology 359
Guarding against viruses 361
Firewalls 362
Wireless security 365
Security Policy Design Issues 365
Network Security in Action: Making Wireless LANs Secure 367
Summary 368
Key Terms 370
Review Questions 370
Exercises 371
Thinking Outside the Box 371
Hands-On Projects 372

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Contents xv

13 Network Design and Management 373


Systems Development Life Cycle 374
Network Modeling 376
Wide area connectivity map 377
Metropolitan area connectivity map 378
Local area connectivity map 378
Feasibility Studies 379
Capacity Planning 382
Creating a Baseline 385
Network Administrator Skills 388
Generating Usable Statistics 389
Network Diagnostic Tools 390
Tools that test and debug network hardware 390
Network sniffers 391
Managing operations 391
Simple network management protocol 392
Capacity Planning and Network Design in Action: Better Box
Corporation 394
Summary 396
Key Terms 397
Review Questions 398
Exercises 398
Thinking Outside the Box 399
Hands-On Projects 399

GLOSSARY 401
INDEX 415

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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
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Preface

Today’s business world could not function without data communications and
computer networks. Most people cannot make it through an average day without
coming in contact with or using some form of computer network. In the past, this
field of study occupied the time of only engineers and technicians, but it now in-
volves business managers, end users, programmers, and just about anyone who
might use a telephone or computer! Because of this, Data Communications &
Computer Networks: A Business User’s Approach, Eighth Edition maintains a
business user’s perspective on this vast and increasingly significant subject.
In a generic sense, this book serves as an owner’s manual for the individual
computer user. In a world in which computer networks are involved in nearly
every facet of business and personal life, it is paramount that each of us under-
stands the basic features, operations, and limitations of different types of com-
puter networks. This understanding will make us better managers, better
employees, and simply better computer users. As a computer network user, you
will probably not be the one who designs, installs, and maintains the network.
Instead, you will have interactions—either direct or indirect—with the indivi-
duals who do. Reading this book should give you a strong foundation in com-
puter networks, which will enable you to work effectively with network
administrators, network installers, and network designers.
Here are some of the many scenarios in which the knowledge contained in
this book would be particularly useful:
■ You work for a company and must deal directly with a network specialist.
To better understand the specialist and be able to conduct a meaningful dia-
log with him or her, you need a basic understanding of the many aspects of
computer networks.
■ You are a manager within a company and depend on a number of network
specialists to provide you with recommendations for the company’s network.
You do not want to find yourself in a situation in which you must blindly
accept the recommendations of network professionals. To ensure that you
can make intelligent decisions regarding network resources, you need to
know the basic concepts of data communications and computer networks.
■ You work in a small company, in which each employee wears many hats. Thus,
you may need to perform some level of network assessment, administration, or
support.
xvii

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xviii Preface

■ You have your own business and need to fully understand the advantages of
using computer networks to support your operations. To optimize those
advantages, you should have a good grasp of the basic characteristics of a
computer network.
■ You have a computer at home or at work, and you simply wish to learn
more about computer networks.
■ You have realized that to keep your job skills current and remain a key
player in the information technology arena, you must understand how
different computer networks work and become familiar with their advantages
and shortcomings.

Audience
Data Communications & Computer Networks: A Business User’s Approach,
Eighth Edition is intended for a one-semester course in business data communi-
cations for students majoring in business, information systems, management
information systems, and other applied fields of computer science. Even
computer science departments will find the book valuable, particularly if the
students read the Details sections accompanying most chapters. It is a readable
resource for computer network users that draws on examples from business
environments.
In a university setting, this book can be used at practically any level above
the first year. Instructors who wish to use this book at the graduate level can
draw on the many advanced projects provided at the end of each chapter to cre-
ate a more challenging environment for the advanced student.

Defining Characteristics of This Book


The major goal of this eighth edition is the same as that of the first edition: to go
beyond simply providing readers with a handful of new definitions, and instead
introduce them to the next level of details found within the fields of computer net-
works and data communications. This higher level of detail includes the network
technologies and standards necessary to support computer network systems and
their applications. This book is more than just an introduction to advanced termi-
nology. It involves introducing concepts that will help the reader achieve a more
in-depth understanding of the often complex topic of data communications. It is
hoped that once readers attain this in-depth understanding, the topic of networks
and data communications will be less intimidating to them. To facilitate this un-
derstanding, the book strives to maintain high standards in three major areas:
readability, a balance between the technical and the practical, and currency.

Readability
Great care has been taken to provide the technical material in as readable a
fashion as possible. Each new edition has received a complete rewrite, in which
every sentence has been reexamined in an attempt to convey the concepts as
clearly as possible. Given the nature of this book’s subject matter, the use of ter-
minology is unavoidable. However, every effort has been made to present terms
in a clear fashion, with minimal use of acronyms and even less use of computer
jargon.

Balance between the Technical and the Practical


As in the very successful first edition, a major objective in writing Data
Communications & Computer Networks, Eighth Edition was to achieve a good
balance between the more technical aspects of data communications and its every-
day practical aspects. Throughout each chapter, there are sections entitled
“Details,” which delve into the more specialized aspects of the topic at hand.

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Preface xix

Should readers not have time to explore this technical information, they can skip
these Details sections without missing out on the basic concepts of the topic.

Current Technology
Because of the fast pace of change in virtually all computer-related fields, every
attempt has been made to present the most current trends in data communica-
tions and computer networks. Some of these topics include:
■ More detail on arithmetic checksum
■ An introduction to a number of new terms and concepts such as: zero client,
Internet of Things, socially-engineered attack, malware, campus area net-
work, near field communications, and Lightning interface
■ The most recent Ethernet standard of 40 GbE and 100 GbE
■ An update on Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Hypertext Transfer Proto-
col Secure (HTTPS)
■ The most recent Wi-Fi standard for wireless local area networks: IEEE 802.11ac
It is also important to remember the many older technologies still in preva-
lent use today. Discussions of these older technologies can be found, when
appropriate, in each chapter of this book.

Organization
The organization of Data Communications & Computer Networks, Eighth
Edition roughly follows that of the TCP/IP protocol suite, from the physical
layer to the upper layers. In addition, the book has been carefully designed to
consist of 13 chapters in order to fit well into a typical 15- or 16-week semester
(along with any required exams). Although some chapters may not require an
entire week of study, other chapters may require more than one week. The in-
tent was to design a balanced introduction to the study of computer networks
by creating a set of chapters that is cohesive but at the same time allows for
flexibility in the week-to-week curriculum.
Thus, instructors may choose to emphasize or de-emphasize certain topics,
depending on the focus of their curriculums. If all 13 chapters cannot be covered
during one term, it is possible for the instructor to concentrate on certain chapters.
For example, if the curriculum’s focus is information systems, the instructor might
concentrate on Chapters 1, 3, 4, 6–8, 10, 12, and 13. If the focus is on the more
technical aspects of computer networks, the instructor might concentrate on
Chapters 1–11. It is the author’s recommendation, however, that all chapters be
covered in some level of detail.

Features
To assist readers in better understanding the technical nature of data communi-
cations and computer networks, each chapter contains a number of significant
features. These features are based on older, well-tested pedagogical techniques
as well as some newer techniques.

Opening Case
Each chapter begins with a short case or vignette that emphasizes the main con-
cept of the chapter and sets the stage for exploration. These cases are designed
to spark readers’ interest and create a desire to learn more about the chapter’s
concepts.

Learning Objectives
Following the opening case is a list of learning objectives that should be accom-
plished by the end of the chapter. Each objective is tied to the main sections of

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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xx Preface

the chapter. Readers can use the objectives to grasp the scope and intent of the
chapter. The objectives also work in conjunction with the end-of-chapter
summary and review questions, so that readers can assess whether they have
adequately mastered the material.

Details
Many chapters contain one or more Details sections, which dig deeper into a
particular topic. Readers who are interested in more technical details will find
these sections valuable. Since the Details sections are physically separate from
the main text, they can be skipped if the reader does not have time to explore
this level of technical detail. Skipping these sections will not affect the reader’s
overall understanding of a chapter’s material.

In Action
At the end of each chapter’s main content presentation is an In Action example
that demonstrates an application of the chapter’s key topic in a realistic environ-
ment. Although a number of In Action examples include imaginary people and
organizations, every attempt was made to make the hypothetical scenarios as
representative as possible of situations and issues found in real-world business
and home environments. Thus, the In Action examples help the reader visualize
the concepts presented in the chapter.

End-of-Chapter Material
The end-of-chapter material is designed to help readers review the content of the
chapter and assess whether they have adequately mastered the concepts. It
includes:
■ A bulleted summary that readers can use as a review of the key topics of the
chapter and as a study guide.
■ A list of the key terms used within the chapter.
■ A list of review questions that readers can use to quickly check whether or
not they understand the chapter’s key concepts.
■ A set of exercises that draw on the material presented in the chapter.
■ A set of Thinking Outside the Box exercises, which are more in-depth in na-
ture and require readers to consider various possible alternative solutions by
comparing their advantages and disadvantages.
■ A set of Hands-On Projects that require readers to reach beyond the material
found within the text and use outside resources to compose a response. Many
of these projects lend themselves nicely to writing assignments. Thus, they
can serve as valuable tools for instructors, especially at a time when more
and more colleges and universities are seeking to implement “writing across
the curriculum” strategies.

Glossary
At the end of the book, you will find a glossary that includes the key terms from
each chapter.

Student Online Companion


The student online companion for this book can be found at www
.cengagebrain.com, and search by title, author name, or ISBN. It contains
a number of features, including:
■ Hands-on labs that allow students to practice one or more of the chapter concepts
■ A set of more in-depth discussions on older topics such as X.21, dial-up
modems, ISDN, Dijkstra’s algorithm, SDLC, and BISYNC
■ Suggestions for further readings on numerous topics within the book

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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xxi

This Web site also presents visual demonstrations of many key data commu-
nications and networking concepts introduced in this text. A visual demonstration
accompanies the following concepts:
■ Chapter 1: Introduction to Computer Networks and Data Communications—
Layer encapsulation example
■ Chapter 4: Making Connections—RS-232 example of two modems
establishing a connection
■ Chapter 5: Making Connections Efficient: Multiplexing and Compression—
Example of packets from multiple sources coming together for synchronous
TDM, and a second example demonstrating statistical TDM
■ Chapter 6: Errors, Error Detection, and Error Control—Sliding window
example using ARQ error control
■ Chapter 7: Local Area Networks: Part I—CSMA/CD example with
workstations sending packets and collisions happening
■ Chapter 7: Local Area Networks: Part I—Two LANs with a bridge showing
how bridge tables are created and packets routed; a second example shows
one LAN with a switch in place of a hub
■ Chapter 9: Introduction to Metropolitan Area Networks and Wide Area
Networks—Datagram network sending individual packets; and virtual circuit
network first creating a connection and then sending packets down a
prescribed path
■ Chapter 10: The Internet—Domain Name System as it tries to find the dotted
decimal notation for a given URL

Changes to the Eighth Edition


In order to keep abreast of the changes in computer networks and data communi-
cations, this Eighth Edition has incorporated many updates and additions in every
chapter, as well as some reorganization of sections within chapters. Here’s a sum-
mary of the major concepts that can be found in each of the following chapters:
Chapter 1, Introduction to Computer Networks and Data Communications, in-
troduces rewrite on the different types of computer networks, along with many of
the major concepts that will be discussed in the following chapters, with an empha-
sis on the TCP/IP protocol suite followed by the OSI models. The topic of conver-
gence has been introduced in this first chapter and will be revisited as needed in
subsequent chapters.
Chapter 2, Fundamentals of Data and Signals, covers basic concepts that
are critical to the proper understanding of all computer networks and data
communications.
Chapter 3, Conducted and Wireless Media, introduces the different types of
media for transmitting data. The topic of near field communications was
introduced.
Chapter 4, Making Connections, discusses how a connection or interface is
created between a computer and a peripheral device, with a stronger emphasis
on the USB interface. The Apple Lightning interface was added to the other
types of interfaces.
Chapter 5, Making Connections Efficient: Multiplexing and Compression,
introduces the topic of compression. Lossless compression techniques such as
run-length encoding are discussed, as well as lossy compression techniques such
as MP3 and JPEG.
Chapter 6, Errors, Error Detection, and Error Control, explains the actions
that can take place when a data transmission produces an error. The concept of
arithmetic checksum, as it is used on the Internet, is included, and has been
expanded in the edition.
Chapter 7, Local Area Networks: Part I, is devoted to the basic concepts
of local area networks. These two chapters on local area networks have

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xxii Preface

been reorganized. The topics of minimum spanning tree, link aggregation, and
quality of service were introduced in the previous edition. In this edition, we
add to the list of Ethernet versions with 40 gigabit Ethernet and 100 gigabit
Ethernet.
Chapter 8, Local Area Networks: Part II, introduces wireless local area net-
works and discusses the various network operating systems and other network
software, with updated material on Microsoft, Linux, Unix, and the MAC OS X
Server. The zero-client workstation was introduced along with the latest Wi-Fi
version IEEE 802.11ac.
Chapter 9, Introduction to Metropolitan Area Networks and Wide Area
Networks, introduces the basic terminology and concepts of both metropolitan
area networks and wide area networks. Cloud computing is also introduced.
Chapter Ten, The Internet, delves into the details of the Internet, including
TCP/IP, DHCP, ARP, MPLS, and DHCP. The new topic of the Internet of
Things (IoT) was introduced.
Chapter 11, Voice and Data Delivery Networks, provides a detailed
introduction to the area of telecommunications—in particular, networks that
specialize in local and long-distance delivery of data. Frame relay, asynchronous
transfer mode, and MPLS/VPN are presented as viable data link layer protocols.
Chapter 12, Network Security, covers the current trends in network
security. The topics of malware, Transport Layer Security (TLS), and Hypertext
Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) were updated, and the concept of socially
engineered attacks was introduced.
Chapter 13, Network Design and Management, introduces the systems de-
velopment life cycle, feasibility studies, capacity planning, and baseline studies,
and shows how these concepts apply to the analysis and design of computer
networks.

Teaching Tools
The following supplemental materials are available when this book is used in a
classroom setting. All of the teaching tools available with this book are provided
to the instructor on a single CD-ROM. Many can also be found at the Cengage
Web site (login.cengage.com/sso).
Electronic Instructor’s Manual—The Instructor’s Manual that accompanies this
textbook includes additional instructional material to assist in class preparation,
including Sample Syllabi, Chapter Outlines, Technical Notes, Lecture Notes, Quick
Quizzes, Teaching Tips, Discussion Topics, and Key Terms.
ExamView®—This textbook is accompanied by ExamView, a powerful testing
software package that allows instructors to create and administer printed, computer
(LAN-based), and Internet exams. ExamView includes hundreds of questions that
correspond to the topics covered in this text, enabling students to generate detailed
study guides that include page references for further review. The computer-based
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Acknowledgments
Producing a textbook requires the skills and dedication of many people. Unfortu-
nately, the final product displays only the author’s name on the cover and not the
names of those who provided countless hours of input and professional advice.

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xxiii

I would first like to thank the people at Cengage Learning for being so vitally
supportive and one of the best teams an author could hope to work with: Charles
McCormick, Jr., Senior Acquisitions Editor; Kate Mason, Senior Product Manager;
and Divya Divakaran, Content Project Manager.
I must also thank my colleagues at DePaul University who listened to my
problems, provided ideas for exercises, proofread some of the technical chapters,
and provided many fresh ideas when I could think of none myself.
Finally, I thank my family: my wife Kathleen, my daughter Hannah, and my
son Samuel. It is your continuing love and support that keep me going, day af-
ter day, week after week, and month after month.
Curt M. White

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
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Title: From ploughshare to pulpit


A tale of the battle of life

Author: Gordon Stables

Release date: November 1, 2023 [eBook #71997]

Language: English

Original publication: London: James Nisbet & Co, 1895

Credits: Al Haines, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed


Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FROM


PLOUGHSHARE TO PULPIT ***
TOWN AND GOWN.—Page 155. Frontispiece.

FROM PLOUGHSHARE TO
PULPIT
A Tale of the Battle of Life
BY

GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M.

(Surgeon Royal Navy)

AUTHOR OF “THE CRUISE OF THE SNOWBIRD,” “JUST LIKE JACK,”


“CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAIN,” ETC. ETC.

“Who walked in glory and in pride,


Following his plough along the mountain-side”

SECOND EDITION.

London
JAMES NISBET & CO.
21 BERNERS STREET

Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co


At the Ballantyne Press

TO

MY OLD PROFESSOR
SIR WM. D. GEDDES
PRINCIPAL OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY

This Book is Dedicated


WITH SUNNY MEMORIES OF AULD LANG SYNE

BY

THE AUTHOR
CONTENTS
BOOK I.

THE STUDENT AT HOME.


CHAP. PAGE
A DEATH THE MOST DREADFUL LOOMED BEFORE
I. HIM 3
II. AT THE OLD FARM OF KILBUIE 11
III. THE PLOUGHMAN-STUDENT AT HOME 21
IV. AN IDYLLIC LIFE 30
SORROW NEVER COMES SINGLY—CHRIST-LIKE
V. CHRISTIANITY 39
VI. SMASHING A BULLY—GENTLE WILLIE MUNRO 49
VII. THE LOVE-DARG—THE BALL AT KILBUIE 61
VIII. THE STORM—SNOWSHOES—A SLEIGH-RIDE 70
IX. THE ADVENTURE AT BRUCE’S CAVERN 81

BOOK II.

UPS AND DOWNS OF UNIVERSITY LIFE.


I. THE GREAT COMPETITION 93
II. VICTORY—POOR HERBERT GRANT 104
III. HARD WORK AND EARNEST STRUGGLES 114
IV. A STRANGE DUEL—BAD BOYS’ PRANKS 126
V. AMONG THE WHITE HARES—HOGMANAY NIGHT 137
VI. IN SNOW-TIME—A TOWN AND GOWN 147
VII. THE INSTALLATION RIOT 158
VIII. BACK AT THE DEAR OLD FARM 168
IX. WISE WEE JOHN AND WITTY EPPIE 178
X. LIFE AT JOHN’S COTTAGE—THE FISHING 185
XI. SINKS BEFORE THE VERY EYES OF THOSE ON SHORE 195
XII. A STRANGE TERROR CREEPS OVER SANDIE’S HEART 205

BOOK III.

FAR, FAR AT SEA.


I. “NAE POSSIBLE!” SAID TIBBIE 217
II. “REMEMBER, REMEMBER THIS FIFTH OF NOVEMBER” 227
“WE HAVE BEEN AS BROTHERS: WE ARE BROTHERS
III. STILL” 237
IV. THE DANGER AND DIFFICULTY WAS TO COME 247
V. FIGHTING THE FIRELANDERS 257
VI. THE LAST OF THE BRAVE BARQUE “BOO-BOO-BOO” 267
VII. AFLOAT ON A DERELICT SHIP 273
VIII. CRUSOES—PREPARED FOR ANYTHING 281
IX. “O MY POOR, DEAR FATHER!” CRIED SANDIE 291
X. HOW IT ALL ENDED 302
BOOK I

THE STUDENT AT HOME

FROM PLOUGHSHARE TO PULPIT

CHAPTER I

A DEATH THE MOST DREADFUL LOOMED BEFORE


HIM
There was something well calculated to raise the spirits of such a man as
Mackenzie on this balmy spring morning. Mackenzie was the minister of
the parish of Belhaven, a parish that lies far up the winding Don, in a
country that combines all the beauties of Lowland vegetation and treescape
with the wilder scenery of the true Scottish Highlands.
Mac had been called to this parish when very young, but had remained
here ever since, and he was now over forty, hale, handsome, and as straight
as the ramrod of the old muzzle-loader he used when shooting rabbits;
cheery also to a degree, and he seldom moved around anywhere without
singing some old Scotch lilt or merry jig. Well, the fact is Mac’s life was a
very easy one. His Church was the Established, not the Free Kirk, and he
therefore was to all intents and purposes independent. He had not to depend
upon the whims and caprices of the people for his salary, nor upon the state
of the crops at harvest-time. Not only had he a good stipend “bound to his
head,” as his parishioners phrased it, but a bonnie stretch of glebe land,
quite a farm, in fact, that extended for over a mile along one bank of the
river.
On this fair day in May, with its blue, blue sky and its fleecy cloudlets,
against which, like little dots of darkness, the laverocks quivered and sang,
the corn braird was waving green on the braes; the fields, in which sleek-
coated kine were roaming, were yellow with buttercups, and starred over
with gowans or mountain daisies—Burns’s “wee, modest, crimson-tippèd
flower”—and a cool soft breeze went sighing through the lofty pine-trees.
Here cawed the busy rooks, here the magpies chattered, and the cushats
croodled and moaned; but elsewhere birds were seen and heard in every
direction. In the thickets of spruce the blackbird and the mavis had their
nests, and their musical rivalry was delightful to listen to, while high up in
the lordly rowan-tree by the minister’s gate, the merry bold chaffinch
chanted loud and long, and would not be denied. But it was away across the
minister’s hill, perhaps, where spring was seen in its greatest beauty to-day.
It was a heather hill and a blaeberry[1] hill, and it was gilded over here and
there by great patches of golden whins or furze. These were now all in
compact masses of bloom, and the rich delicious odour from their blossoms
—Ah! surely there is no finer perfume in nature—filled the air on every
side.
There would have been silence up there to-day, save for the plaintive
bleating of lambs, the occasional barking of the shepherd’s collie, the hum
of bees among the whins, and the sweet tender notes of the rose-linnet
perched on a thorn twig above them.
Yes, it was indeed a day to raise the spirits of any one possessed of a
soul, and that is just one thing that Mackenzie had, and a very sensitive one
too. Not that he was ever much cast down, even in the gloomiest or
murkiest of weather, but when the sun glinted in silver radiance off the river
that went singing past the old-fashioned manse, with its old-fashioned front
garden, and its gate-posts made out of a whale’s jaw-bones;—when the sun
was bright, I say, and warm balmy western winds were blowing, then,
whether in his study or out of doors, Mackenzie could no more help singing
than could the mavis on the lawn, or the starling on the one solitary poplar-
tree.
Mac’s life was not a very busy one. He bothered himself far less in
visiting even his sick parishioners, and praying with them or talking good
things to them, than English parsons invariably do; for most of this sort of
thing he could with confidence leave the honest elders of his kirk to
perform. But on this particular morning it happened that one of those very
elders was lying ill and must be visited. So soon after breakfast, Mac had
ordered out the Shetland pony and the little four-wheel trap.
Few who have not seen these ponies in their own wild homes in
Shetland, the sea-girdled peat-mosses of the Northern seas, nor seen them in
the Highlands of Aberdeenshire, which county seems congenial to the
development of their health and powers, could believe the strength they are
able at times to put forth, and the self-willed determination they exhibit
when they take an idea into their hirsute little noddles.
Larnie, the minister’s pony, was no exception. But indeed he never had
been thoroughly broken, since bought for a five-pound note out of a drove
at Alford market. Stuart, the minister’s orra man, or, in plain English, man-
of-all-work, had pretended to break in the beastie, but Stuart hadn’t really
done anything of the kind, and Mackenzie himself was easy-going and far
too apt to take things for granted.
But soon Larnie with his little trap was on the gravel in front of the
porch, and looking full of life and spirit, despite the fact that Stuart held
him not only by the bridle but by the snout as well; and the little animal
casting sharp sidelong glances towards the house, kept scraping up the
gravel as if impatient to be off.
“Maggie May! Maggie May! are ye coming?” shouted the minister as he
strolled out. “It’s a heavenly morning, my lassie.”
Maggie May had appeared in the porch for just a moment in answer to
the summons.
A sweet-faced girl of little over twelve, but tall for her years, with blue
eyes, an intelligent face, and a wealth of brown hair flowing loose over her
shoulders. A slight shade of sadness seemed natural to her, but rather
increased than detracted from her singular beauty.
But a smile lit up that bonnie face of hers when she went to smooth and
cuddle Larnie.
“Come,” Larnie appeared to say, if ponies’ eyes can speak, “kissing is all
very well, but I want some more substantial proof of the affection you
pretend to have for me.”
Back to the house ran Maggie May, and next minute had returned with a
delicious slab of well-baked white oatcake, and Larnie was happy for once.
“Yes, father, I will gladly go with you; I have merely my cloak to put on.”
. . . . . .
The day was so truly delightful that Mackenzie would have been glad to
drive quite leisurely in order to enjoy the sweet spring scenery. But Larnie
took another view of the matter. He scented oats at the other end of the
journey, and determined to push on and have the business over.
The flowers were nodding in dingle and dell; the young crimson-
tasselled larch-trees brightened many a hillside; the rich yellow primroses
peeped coyly up at their feet; the silver-stemmed birch-trees were drooping
on the braelands, their sweet-scented foliage still weeping with the dews of
night; but nothing of all this saw Larnie—his thoughts were on oats intent.
Many a strange and beautiful wild bird made wood and welkin ring with
his glad notes, but Larnie heard not the songs. Up yonder in a green corn
patch a hare pauses in the act of washing his face, that he may sit up and
stare curiously at the fast flying equipage—Larnie takes no heed. Rabbits in
little groups of five or six scurry here and there among the boulders on bare
hillsides, but Larnie takes not the slightest notice. Oats alone absorb his
thoughts, so on he flies.
The road was a very winding one. It kept well away from the river,
though sometimes approaching it. It was up hill and down dell too, and
Larnie was wise enough to get up extra speed when rushing down a hill, so
that the momentum might carry the vehicle half-way up the next hill. This is
the Highland plan of driving, and in some ways is sensible enough.
But now they were within half-a-mile of the most dangerous part of all
the road, for here there was a terribly steep descent, with a high precipice
and sharp curve right at the bottom. More than one fatal accident had
already taken place at this place, so Mackenzie set himself to the task of
immediately restraining the impetuosity of his Shetland steed. This he
might have succeeded in doing without much difficulty, but for once fate
seemed against him, for just at that moment a hare suddenly bounded from
a bush of broom, and crossed the path almost among Larnie’s feet. So
startling an apparition caused the nervous little animal to lose all control
over himself. Larnie felt as if under the influence of some dreadful
nightmare, and I am convinced this is precisely how horses do feel under
such circumstances, and off he dashed at a speed that was perfectly
uncontrollable by his driver, and which would have been so even had he
been a younger and stronger man.
Death, and a death the most dreadful, loomed before him and his little
daughter. When they should make the descent and reach the precipice,
nothing on earth could save them!
The ground beneath goes rushing past like a grey bewildering mist, the
bank at each side, with its greenery of ferns and its wild flowers yellow and
crimson, glides by like a lovely rainbow. Maggie May sits quiet and pale,
holding on to the side of the trap; Mackenzie himself has almost ceased his
futile endeavours to rein up, and abandoned himself to fate, yet his lips are
moving in prayer.
And now they are within a hundred—seventy—fifty yards of the
dreaded brae that has death at its foot.
Soon all will be over for ever and for aye.
. . . . . .
But see, while still within thirty yards of the hill, a stalwart young figure,
who has been reading by the bush-side, takes cognisance of the situation at
a glance. He drops the book, and next moment has sprung into the road.
Will he succeed in catching the reins? That is the momentous question.
And if he catches them, will all his young strength suffice to restrain the
speed of that equine demon? He has but a moment to brace himself for
action. Next instant he has sprung like catamount upon its prey.
Brave lad! The attempt so manfully made has succeeded. Yes, he is
successful, but the trap is overturned, and he himself has been dragged and
is sadly stunned.
What matters that? we may say. He has saved two precious lives, for
both Mackenzie and his little daughter are unhurt—intact.
But who is the hero? Who is this bold yet unfortunate stranger?

CHAPTER II

AT THE OLD FARM OF KILBUIE


The farm of Kilbuie was by no means of large dimensions, though it was a
farm, and not merely a croft. Nor was it, at the time our story commences,
in very flourishing conditions, for only one year ago more than twenty head
of fat cattle had been taken dead from the byres, a sad and almost
irreparable loss to honest Farmer M‘Crae, or “Kilbuie,” as he was more
often called, according to the custom of the country.
That last summer and autumn had been a disastrous one all through, for
besides the loss in fat cattle, a cow had succumbed in calving, a splendid
horse had died; then in the autumn, ere the corn was cut, but when it was all
ablaze and ready for the scythe, there had come a terrible storm of wind and
hail, and the destruction to the standing crop was pitiable. There was lost at
least as much seed as would have sufficed to sow the ground twice over.
“The hand of the Lord is against me,” said the farmer sadly and piously.
And he tried to remember what sins he had been guilty of, that he might
“repent,” as he phrased it, in “sackcloth and ashes.”
But there were really many far worse and more wicked men in the world
than honest Farmer M‘Crae. He hadn’t a neighbour all around who would
not have trusted him with their uttermost farthing. Indeed, every Friday,
when he took his butter, eggs, and milk to the far-off city of Aberdeen by
train, to dispose of in the New Market, his neighbours sent with him large
sums of money to bank, and gave him many important commissions
besides.
Then, as far as the internal economy and discipline of the farm and farm-
steading were concerned, everything was as complete as could be desired.
Kilbuie lay some miles from the river, well into the quiet, still, beautiful
country indeed, and at the foot of a highish hill, around whose lower
portions grew the golden furze and the bonnie yellow broom, but on whose
braes in autumn the heather bloomed purple and crimson. It was a romantic
kind of a spot, because there was also not far off a pine wood of tall weird
trees, branchless till near their summits, and with no undergrowth, though
the ground was soft carpeted with the withered fir-needles of many a long
year. This wood was dark even by daylight, and gazing into it from the
fields on a summer’s day gave one the idea one was looking into some
gloomsome pillared cave. This wood was the home, par excellence, of the
cushat or wild pigeon, whose mournful croodling could be heard all day
long. But here hares also dwelt, and the cony had many a well-arranged and
comfortable burrow. On the whole, although the wood occupied more than
a score of acres of the farm, it paid its way after a fashion, for it required no
cultivation, it afforded excellent sport, and it kept the larder full when the
purchase of meat would have been entirely out of the question, for more
reasons than one.
The live stock and working plant of Kilbuie farm consisted of two pairs
of sturdy horses and an orra beast. There is no word in the English language
that could do duty for the term “orra.” An orra horse is one, say, about
thirteen or fourteen hands high, and perhaps half-blooded. He is capable of
doing duty either in a gig or a single harrow, or he will pull a large roller;
you can ride on him to church or market, mill or smithy; and so long as he
has enough to eat and drink, he is by no means particular as to the quality.
He will eat good oats with relish, but he won’t refuse poor hay or even
thistles, and I have known one drink sour beer or butter-milk, and smack his
lips after it. He is generally good-natured and willing to do anything to
oblige, and I do believe he likes his orra life and his constant change of
employment.
Well, as there was an orra beast or horse, so there also was an orra man,
and his were odd jobs also. To be sure, he did not milk the cows or kye—
the indoor servant lassie Jeannie did that—but he fed and attended to them;
he took them out in the morning and in at night, and he also attended well to
the orra horse, did work in the garden, ran errands, and did everything he
was told, like the willing and honest lad his master called him. He was up
with the lark in the morning, and in summer-time to bed with the mavis at
night.
His name was Geordie Black. But nobody ever thought of putting the
Black to his Christian name. Geordie was just Geordie to all and sundry,
and nothing more.
There being two pairs of horses, two horsemen were necessary. The first,
or best pair, was worked by a tall, hardy, and handsome young fellow, as
smart as some ancient Norseman, as tough as an old sea-king. He rejoiced
in the simple name of Jamie Duncan, and took the greatest pride possible in
his tall and handsome horses. He spared no pains in grooming them, so that
what with the brush and the currycomb, and an occasional wash, there were
no horses in all the countryside whose hides glittered and glanced as did
Jamie’s. When Jamie marched them to the distant smithy to get their shoes
seen to, riding sideways on one of them, and singing to himself some old
Scotch lilt, the animals elicited universal praise and encomiums. Then
Jamie was a happy man indeed.
Nearly all his spare time of an evening was devoted to cleaning the
harness of his pets, till the black became like polished jet, and the brass like
burnished gold.
Oh, I am not going to say that Jamie had not a sweetheart that he went to
see at times, but I do aver that not even for her did he ever neglect the
comfort of his horses.
Well, the other pair of horses were worked and seen to equally well by
the farmer’s only son, while the only daughter, a blithe and intelligent lassie
of sixteen, assisted her mother and Jeannie with the household work, the
making of butter and cheese, cooking and cleaning. Jeannie was always
cheerful, always merry, never frivolous. Like every one else in this book,
she is a character from the real life, and while writing about her, I cannot
possibly banish from my mind a bonnie old Scottish song, one verse of
which I may be allowed to give, because it paints Jeannie herself. It is
called—

THE NAMELESS LASSIE.

There’s nane may ever guess or tell


My bonnie lassie’s name;
There’s nane may ken the humble cot
My lassie ca’s her hame.
Yet, though my lassie’s nameless,
Her kin o’ low degree,
Her heart is warm, her thoughts are pure,
And oh! she’s dear to me!

The farm-steading of Kilbuie lay fully four miles back from the river,
into the interior of the wild and beautiful country, a country but little known
to the wandering Englishman, but romantic enough in all conscience, and
rendered famous if only from the fact that here Robert the Bruce lay long in
hiding before he made his grand and successful attempt to secure his
kingdom and free his land from the tyranny of the Saxon invader. It is a
country of hills and dells, of wood and water, lochs and roaring streams; a
country almost every acre of which has been in days long gone by a battle-
field; and hardly can you walk a mile here without stumbling upon the ruins
of some feudal castle. Could these strongholds but speak, what tales we
should have to listen to—tales that would cause our very heart’s blood to
tingle, and nervous cold to run down our spines!
Although four miles from the river and about the same distance from a
railway station, the farm was not over a quarter of a mile from a main road,
being connected therewith by a level straight road, with a ditch at each side,
called the “long loanings.” On each side the fields, level and green, were
spread out, and all were surrounded by sturdy stone fences called dikes. A
dike in England means a ditch, in Scotland it signifies a wall of loose stones
—that is, stones built up without any lime.
The fields around Kilbuie were not, however, all level. By no means.
There were hills on the farm so steep that it taxed all the ingenuity of the
men to plough or harrow them.
A word about the steading itself. There was in front the square-built
unpretentious square house, with bow windows below, and a good old-
fashioned garden in front, a garden in which grew vegetables of all kinds,
bar potatoes, and whose borders round about were filled with gooseberry
and rose trees time about, with fine old-fashioned flowers between. Behind
the house was the steading proper, and which was similar to those we see in
England, with one most important exception, a dirty dunghill did not lie
between the living house and the cattle houses. This is an unsanitary
arrangement never beheld in Scotland. Such places are kept well away from
the stable, byre, and dwelling-house.
It spoke well, I think, for Farmer M‘Crae’s kindliness of heart and
manner, that none of his servants had left him for the last four years, nor
were thinking of leaving him even now. You see, he never was a tyrant, and
he as often as not took Jamie into consultation before carrying out any plan
or beginning any new piece of work. Farmer M‘Crae was not much over
forty, though his son was eighteen. He had married very young, but it seems
never had had reason to repent it, for he was always happy and cheerful,
even in situations where other men might have been much cast down, as
during his recent terrible losses of cattle and corn. There were just two
things, however, that Kilbuie insisted on: one was the presence of all the
servants and family in the best room every evening to family worship; a
chapter read from the Book of Books; a prayer and short dissertation from
Norman Macleod’s book. That was all, short and simple, and every one felt
the better for it. The son’s name was simple enough in all conscience. It was
Sandie.
There were few more handsome lads in all the parish round than Sandie.
You might have taken him to be two-and-twenty from his build and general
deportment, and from the incipient whisker on his cheek and hair on his
upper lip. His cheeks and lips were the rosiest ever seen, while his very blue
eyes sparkled with ruddy health. Yet had he many ways that might have
been called almost childish.
That evening, for instance, before the accident to the minister’s trap,
Sandie entered the best room, where, near to the fire—the evenings are cold
even in May in the far north of Scotland—his gentle mother sat knitting.
He took a low stool, and, seating himself by her knee, laid his head in
her lap.
He had a little book in his hand, a Latin classic, Virgil to wit; but though
his forefinger retained his place, he was not looking at it now. He was
gazing at the fire. He gazed thus for some time, while his mother smoothed
his brow with her soft hands.
“Is my laddie tired?”
“I dinna know, mother. Sometimes I’m happy and hopeful that I’ll take a
bursary,[2] at other times I’m dull and wae and think I won’t.”
“Weel, laddie, you maun keep up your heart and pray.”
“Oh, yes, of course, mother, but I must work as well as pray. I think
you’d better do the principal part of the praying, and I’ll do the work. The
Lord is more likely to listen to you, mother, than to sinful me.”
“Whisht! Sandie; whisht! laddie. But pray I do, mornin’, noon, and
nicht. Ay, and my boy is clever, too. I’ll hear him preachin’ yet in one of the
best pulpits in a’ broad Scotland. And oh! Sandie, that will be a happy,
happy day to me.”
The thoughts of it caused the tears to flow to the good lady’s eyes, and a
lump to rise in her throat that for the time being effectually arrested speech.
“Well, mother, you see it’s like this. Work as I may, I come upon bits o’
hitches here and there that I can’t get over. I have nobody to help me, and
can’t afford a tutor. Again, you see I have nobody else to compare my
knowledge with. In the parish of Drumlade here, our minister is too old; I
wouldn’t think of worrying him, and I don’t know Mackenzie of Belhaven,
though they do say he is very clever, and was in his day a first bursar at
King’s College in Auld Aberdeen.”
“Well, live in hope, my boy, and work awa’.”
“That is just what I mean to do.”
“And may be the Lord will raise you up a frien’.”
“Who can tell?”
Sandie was silent for a while. Then he raised himself up till his glance
could meet that of his mother.
“O mother, dear,” he said gleefully, “won’t it be nice when I’m a
minister, and when I get a call! It must be to some bonnie country parish,
mother. I couldn’t stand the noisy town. I must hear the wild birds sing, see
the wild flowers bloom, and listen to the winds sighing through the pine-
trees. I must be near a stream where on bonnie summer evenings I can fish
and read. My manse must be a bonnie one, too, surrounded by trees and fine
old-fashioned gardens. Mother, I already can hear the church-bell ringing
on the Sabbath morn, and I can see you and father—for, of course, you both
will live with me—coming arm in arm through the auld kirkyard to the
church-door, and slowly up the passage to your pew beneath the pulpit
stairs. Oh, it will be a happy life! But now, mother, I’m off to my study, to
struggle another hour or two with Virgil. I’ll be in again in time for supper.
Ta-ta, mother.”
And off strode Sandie, and his mother resumed her knitting, the tear,
however, still glancing in her eye.

CHAPTER III

THE PLOUGHMAN-STUDENT AT HOME


Sandie M‘Craw’s study was unique in its way. To get to it he had to enter
the stable first, then scramble up a straight ladder fastened against the wall,
and so through a trap-door. This landed him in a large granary and straw
loft. There was a window at the far end, and around this window Sandie,
with his own hands, had boarded off a portion about ten feet square. Here
were a table, a chair, and some rough book-shelves, and this was Sandie’s
study.

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