school. I'll be glad to have you present, though,
as one of my best scholars."

Mary went home as quickly as she could, and the first remark she made
was to Aunt Melinda.

"_Her_ class!" she said. "Why she hasn't been there in six weeks. She
had only four in it when she left, and there's a dozen now."

The Ogden procession homeward had been longer than when it went to
church. Jack understood the matter the moment he came into the
dining-room, for both extra leaves had been put into the
extension-table.

"There's company," he said aloud. "You couldn't stretch that table any
farther, unless you stretched the room."

"Jack," said his mother, "you must come afterward. You can help Mary
wait on the table."

Jack was as hungry as a young pickerel, but there was no help for it,
and he tried to reply cheerfully:

"I'm getting used to being crowded out. I can stand it."

"Where'd you sit in church?" asked his mother.

"Out on the stoop," said Jack, "but I didn't go till after I'd sat in
five pews inside."

"Sorry you missed the sermon," said his mother. "It was about
Jerusalem."

"I heard him," said Jack; "you could hear him halfway across the green.
It kept me thinking about the city, all the while. I'm going, somehow."

Just then the talk was interrupted by the others, who came in from the
parlor.

"I declare, Ogden," said the editor, "we shall quite fill your table.
I'm glad I came, though. I'll print a full report of it all in the
Mertonville _Eagle_."

"That's Murdoch, the editor," said Jack to himself. "That's his paper.
Ours was a _Standard_,--but it's bu'sted."

"There's no room for a newspaper in Crofield," said the blacksmith.
"They tried one, and it lasted six months, and my son worked on it all
the time it ran."

Mr. Murdoch turned and looked inquisitively at Jack through a huge pair
of tortoise-shell-rimmed glasses.

"That's so," said Jack; "I learned to set type and helped edit the
paper. Molly and I did all the clipping and most of the writing, one
week."

"Did you?" said the editor emphatically. "Then you did well. I
remember there was one strong number."

"Molly," said Jack, as soon as they were out in the kitchen, "there's
five besides our family. They won't leave a thing for us."

"There's hardly enough for them, even," said Mary. "What'll we do?"

"We can cook!" said Jack, with energy. "We'll cook while they're
eating. You know how, and so do I."

"You can wai