Judith smiled triumphantly. "No, I won't! Wait till you see how I train him."
"You get that from your mother, Judith. She was always gregus smart with critters," said old Johnny.
Judith laughed skeptically. "She was!" The little old man nodded his head. "I remember. I deponed that same thing to Peter the other day. How Mary could break anything when she was a girl, like you."
"Well, but Mother won't touch anything that isn't broke now!" exclaimed
Judith.
"Just what I deponed," nodded Johnny. "John broke her just like he broke old Molly horse, so she lost her nerve. I deponed just that. An awful rough breaker. I deponed just that."
"O dry up, Johnny!" grunted John, drawing his chair up to the table. "I've put up with an awful lot of drool from you, and I'm getting sick of it."
Old Johnny was always most explanatory when he was most frightened. "I wasn't drooling, John. I was just deponing. Any one can do that, can't they? And Mary did used to be like Judith."
"Will you shut up!" shouted John.
The puppy, startled, gave a sudden loud howl.
"Put that thing out and come to supper, Jude! If he howls to-night, I'll shoot him." Judith left the house indignantly.