along its back, and down its erratic legs. "Some dog, Judith! You'll have
to muzzle him by the time he's six months old."

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.