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CHAPTER THREE.

TWO BOYS AND A GIRL.


To the budding mind of young Jack Schuyler, life was a very pleasant
affair. It began each morning at six thirty; and from then on until eight
at night, there was something to fill each moment. He didn't care for
school, particularly; still, it wasn't difficult enough to cause much
discomfort. The natal pains of study were not by any means unbearable
inasmuch as he was quick to see and to understand; and furthermore, he
was possessed of a retentive memory. In his classes he assumed a position
of about eighth from the fore; and he maintained it with but little
fluctuation. In the out-of-door sports of small boys, he was usually
first--that is, when Tom Blake wasn't. When Tom Blake was, Jack Schuyler
was second.

He was a sturdy boy, active, quick, strong of limb and of body. He had
earnest, serious eyes of gray-blue, like those of his father. His mouth
and chin were delicate, like his mother's. And he was thoughtful, rather
than impulsive.

Tom Blake, on the other hand, was impulsive rather than thoughtful. He
had dark eyes and ruddy cheeks; and, at the age of nine, he had learned