"Well, he worked for my pa last summer, and oh, I liked him _so_ much.
I think he's the _bestest_ boy in the world. And isn't his face
beautiful?"

"I never thought of it," said Mary. "What makes you think him so
handsome?"

"Oh, I don't know unless it's because he makes such nice popple
whistles!" and as if the argument were conclusive, Jenny unrolled her
pantalet, and tried to wipe some of the mud from her dress, at the
same time glancing towards her sister, who at some little distance was
reclining against an old oak tree, and poring intently over "Fairy
Tales for Children."

Seeing that she was not observed, Jenny drew nearer to Mary and said,
"If you'll never tell any body as long as you live and breathe, I'll
tell you something."

Mary gave the required promise, and Jenny continued: "I shouldn't like
to have my mother know it, for she scolds all the time now about my
'vulgar tastes,' though I'm sure Rose likes the same things that I do,
except Billy Bender, and it's about him I was going to tell you. He
was so pleasant I couldn't help loving him, if mother did say I
mustn't. He used to talk to me about keeping clean, and once I tried a
whole week, and I only dirtied four dresses and three pair of
pantalets in all that time. Oh, how handsome and funny his eyes looked
when I told him about it. He took me in his lap, and said that was
more than he thought a little girl ought to dirty. Did you ever see
any boy you loved as well as you do Billy Bender?"