it?"

"I should say it did. You know a girl that's all girl is too much girl.
But one that likes some of the things boys like--well, it helps out a
lot. Through with the grapefruit, Mary," he added, over his shoulder, to
the maid. "Have you any brothers or sisters, Mr. Kendrick?" he inquired
interestedly, when he had assured himself that the clam broth with which
he was now served was unquestionably good to eat.

"Not one--living. I had a brother, but he died when I was a little
chap."

"That was too bad," said Ted with ready sympathy. He looked straight
across the table at Richard out of sea-blue eyes shaded by very heavy
black lashes, which, it struck Richard quite suddenly, were much like
another pair which he had had one very limited opportunity of observing.
The boy also possessed a heavy thatch of coal-black hair, a lock of
which was continually falling over his forehead and having to be thrust
back. "Because father says," Ted went, on, "it's a whole lot better for
children to be brought up together, so they will learn to be polite to
each other. I'm the youngest, so I'm most like an only child. But, you
see," he added hurriedly, "the older ones weren't allowed to give up to
me, and I had to be polite to them, so perhaps"--he looked so in earnest
about it that Richard could not possibly laugh at him--"I won't turn out
as badly as some youngest ones do."

There was really nothing priggish about this statement, however it may
sound. And the next minute the boy had turned to a subject less
suggestive of parental counsels. He launched into an account of his
elder brother Louis's prowess on the football fields of past years,