“I don’t know a thing against him, Doris, and I don’t think a person ought to believe anything bad without giving a friend a chance, do you?”
“You could see that Father liked him,” returned Doris. “I should imagine you could be friends with Jack Huxley and not hurt anything at all. He has such nice manners; and when he is with you he is as polite as can be.”
“Yes, always, Doris.”
“There’s something about you, Betty, that makes the boys do that. They never get fresh or act silly as they do with some of the girls.”
“I don’t like that expression, Doris—but I think boys know the kind of girls they’re with; and besides, the kind of boys I like aren’t that sort. I like fun, Dorry—you know that, but I like to talk sense, too. That is one thing about Jack. You would laugh at some of his clever remarks; and then he can tell me about something just as if he were grown up and explaining, like Father.”
“Do you like him better than Chet?”
“Don’t ask me, Doris. I don’t like any of them as well as I do Carolyn!”
“Then you’re safe for a while,” laughed Doris.
“I’m always going to be safe,” laughed Betty. “Imagine getting engaged in high school and then finding somebody you liked much better when you went to college! But Doris, I’m not going to pay any attention to gossip about Jack. I’m sure he’s a nice boy. He’s different and I know he thinks some ideas that our people have are ‘old fogy,’ but people can’t be all alike and I believe in letting other folks—well, they have the same right to their opinions that we have.”
There was no one to remind Betty that opinions and action based upon them are very likely to agree. Doris saw Betty’s firmly set lips and nodded her head in assent to her sister’s opinion. “Anyhow,” said Doris, “having Jack Huxley for a friend is going to give you some good times and maybe Chet won’t think he owns you.”