dkin, son of widow
Rudkin, the most bustling woman in the parish. How she could ever have
had such a stolid[17] boy as Job for a child, must always remain a
mystery. The first time Tom went to their cottage with his mother, Job
was not indoors, but he entered soon after, and stood with both hands
in his pockets staring at Tom. Widow Rudkin, who would have had to
cross Madam to get at young Hopeful--a breach of good manners of which
she was wholly incapable--began a series of pantomime signs, which
only puzzled him, and at last, unable to contain herself longer, burst
out with, "Job! Job! where's thy cap?"

[17] #Stolid#: dull.

"What! beant ee on ma head, mother?" replied Job, slowly extricating
one hand from a pocket and feeling for the article in question; which
he found on his head sure enough, and left there, to his mother's
horror and Tom's great delight.

Then there was poor Jacob Dodson, the half-witted boy, who ambled
about cheerfully, undertaking messages and little helpful odds and
ends, for every one, which, however, poor Jacob managed always
hopelessly to embrangle.[18] Everything came to pieces in his hands,
and nothing would stop in his head. They nicknamed him Jacob
Doodle-calf.

[18] #Embrangle#: mix up.

But above all there was Harry Winburn, the quickest and best boy in
the parish. He might be a year older than Tom, but was very little
bigger, and he was the Crichton[19] of our village boys. He could
wrestle and climb and run better than all the rest, and learned all
that the schoolmaster could teach him faster than that worthy at all
liked. He was a boy to be proud of, with his curly brown hair, keen
gray eye, straight active figure, and little ears and hands and
feet--"as fine as a lord's," as Charity remarked to Tom one day,
talking as usual great nonsense. Lords' hands and ears and feet are
just as ugly as other folks' when they are children, as any one may
convince himself if he likes to look. Tight boots and gloves, and
doing nothing with them, I allow make a difference by the time they
are twenty.

[19] #Crichton#: a Scottish gentleman of the sixteenth
century, called for his learning and skill "The Admirable
Crichton."

TORYISM OF SQUIRE BROWN.

Now that Benjy was laid on the shelf, and his young brothers were
still under petticoat government, Tom, in search of companions, began
to cultivate the village boys generally more and more. Squire Brown,
be it said, w