Oor ain folk times

PREFACE xi
exercise of the literary faculty, so that I am keenly
conscious of the literary defects of this volume. I have
had to work at it amid distractions that at times proved
almost overwhelming, and which more than once have
forced me to suspend my task altogether.
In sorting my twenty years' collection of materials,
I have had to set aside a multitude of stories of Scottish
wit and humour, most of which I do not think have
ever been printed. This collection is now almost ready
for the press, and if the reception given to the present
book be as encouraging as I am told by partial friends I
may venture to expect, then my original collection of
' Mair Scotch Stories ' may shortly be published.
To my genial friend, Professor M'Callum, of Sydney
University, I must express my thanks for many a plea-
sant word of kindly encouragement.
JAMES INGLIS.
'Ceaigo.' Steathfield, N.S.W.,
1st July 1893.