192 THE FAT OF THE LAND 
all declaimed him handsome, and the boys 
said :— 
«That isn’t the best of it, —he’s a trump! 
Wait till you know him.” 
Jane was too loyal to Jack to admit that his 
friend was any handsomer or in any way a 
finer fellow than her brother. 
“Who said he was?” said Frank. «Jack 
Williams is out and out the finest man I know. 
We were sizing him up by such fellows as Phil 
and me.” 
«Jack’s the most popular man at Yale,” said 
Phil, “but he’s too modest to know it; Jarvis 
will tell you so. He thinks it’s a great snap to 
have Jack for his chum.” 
These things were music in my ears, for I was 
quite willing to agree with the boys, and the 
mother’s eyes were full of joy as she led the 
way to the dining room. That was a jolly 
meal. Nothing was said that could be remem- 
bered, and yet we all talked a great deal and 
laughed a great deal more. City, country, farm, 
college,and seminary were touched with merry 
jests. Light wit provoked heavy laughter, and 
every one was the better for it. It was nine o’clock 
before we left the table. I heard Jarvis say :— 
«Miss Jane, I count it very unkind of Jack 
not to have let me go to Farmington with him 
last term. He used to talk of his ‘little sister’ 
as though she were a miss in short dresses. Jack 
is a deep and treacherous fellow!” 
Se 
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