"No, I wouldn't."
"What are the strangles?" he asked suddenly and grimly.
"It's something the ponies get the matter with them."
"Of course; but what is it? How does it come, and why? Is it infectious? Is it ever fatal to them?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know nothing about things like that."
"No use having a pony if you don't understand it. The strangles are infectious and sometimes fatal. Don't forget that."
Cora felt her temper struggling to break loose. She poured out a glass of water.
"I promise not to forget it," she answered. "Shall I put the cheese on the table for you??
"No, I thank you—unless you'll eat some."