And now the big book I found in England.This old book has 821 pages(8 1/2" x 11 1/2").It's Volume I of "Wilson's Historical,Traditionary,and Imaginative Tales of the Borders and of Scotland". I can not find a copyright date but it appears to be quite old.It might be rare;I'd like to find Volume Two. Stories(of which there are about 170) include: "Disasters of Johnny ARMSTRONG" Johnny,a Carlisle ironmonger(owner of a hardware store),encounters many misadventures while trying to visit relatives in northern Scotland(Brechin).Johnny was a widower with a 14 yr.-old son,Johnny,Jr. > "Mary ARMSTRONG"Mary,18,[dtr.of Reverend John Armstrong of Marston(age - about 60)]wants to elope with her lover,Henry Strafford, but his father objects.Mary (pregnant)gets ill and dies.The lover is seen grieving at the funeral.The next day the lover's father,Squire Strafford, is found killed.Is it difficult to guess who killed Squire Strafford? > "Archy ARMSTRONG" [son of Sandy(freebooter & reiver) Sandy and Elspeth ARMSTRONG] This is quite a poignant and info-filled story about their battles with soldiers of King James VI and Elizabeth of England & Scotland. [John Armstrong o' Gilnokie(kin of Sandy's family) is mentioned.] Sandy Armstrong,King of Tarrasside,lived with his wife Elspeth and their youngest son,Archy(12 years old at this time)at the Cleughfoot which was on the side of the Tarras River,10 miles from Langholm,Dumfriesshire.Archy had six brothers;five died in battle and one by bloodhound. After Archie and his Bairn(son)head up a raid on Penrith,King James Stuart VI and Elizabeth of England & Scotland send 150 soldiers(whose numbers swell to 1,000)are sent to get rid of Sandy Armstrong & Bairn. Before the battle,Sandy tells "King Jamie's men" that "I hae lived thir(Cleoughfoot)fifty years by my ain hand,an' the man was never born that dared say Sandy armstrong laid finger on the widow's cow or the puir man's mare,or that he scrimpt the orphan's meal.But I hae been a protector o' the poor and helpless,and a defender of the cowan-hearted, for a sma' but honest blackmail,that other men,wi' no half the strength o' Sandy Armstrong,wadna ta'en up at their foot. ... I shall surrender as an Armstrong surrenders -- when the breath is out." Sandy escapes, Elspeth & Archy are captured but are released because Sandy was the one they really wanted.Cleughfoot is destroyed.Elspeth becomes ill and dies.Archy buries her. Fifteen years later(Archy is 30 yrs.old),Archy has learned to read & write and is working as a herdsman for the chief of Dick Scott.Archy had wounded Dick in the battle at Cleughfoot(he had severed three of his fingers). Archy gets into a fight with Three-fingered Dick,stabs him, and has to run away to avoid prosecution.Archy comes across an old beggar whom he finds out is his father,Sandy Armstrong.Sandy had for 20 years served in foreign wars and then disguised himself as a beggar. Sandy gives Archy enough gold to quash the prosecution by Three-fingered Dick.Sandy dies and Archy buries him by Elspeth.A group of horsemen of the Elliot Clan(who were sent to find Sandy)ride up and one of the chief men of the clan has compassion for Archy and employs him to watch sheep. Archy marries the daughter of the chief of the Elliot clan and becomes a sheep farmer. Blessings,Ben STREET sessions GG G'Son of Mary ARMSTRONG,wife of Solomon STREET E-mail: bensessions@yahoo.com ===== ******************************************* Benjamin Street Sessions BenSessions@yahoo.com ******************************************* __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/