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.

“No, you won’t, Dad,” said Douglas quietly, as he buttered a biscuit.

“If you’re going to give me back talk, young fellow, you leave the table now, before I lose my temper.”

“I’m not giving you any more back talk than you deserve,” replied Douglas.  “Any man that would threaten to shoot a pup because it howls deserves something more than back talk.  Let’s forget it.  Johnny, how about this stunt of Mother’s breaking horses?”

Old Johnny gave John a timid glance.  “I don’t remember,” he muttered.

Mary laughed.  “What’s the use of a woman breaking horses when she’s got a man to do it for her?”

“Did you ever see her break a horse, Johnny?” insisted Doug.

“Once,” said the old man, “a lot of the boys tied me on a mule and the mule ran away.  It wasn’t broke, that mule.  Seem like it had run a gregus long way when Mary come along.  She was just a walking and she reached up and grabbed the mule and she rode him back with me.  And she made them untie me.  And I loved her ever since.  I came up here every year to see how John is treating her.  I depone—­”

John rose and, striding around the table, he seized the old man by the collar.  Douglas put his hand on his father’s arm.

“Drop it, Dad, or I swear I’ll think old Johnny is a better man than you.  I asked him to tell.  Throw me out if you want to.  Keep your hands off this little chap.  One thing is sure.  He appreciates Mother more than any of the rest of us have.”

“Get the half-wit out of my sight, then,” growled John, returning to his seat.

“I wish a lot of folks with whole wits knew how to be as good a friend as Johnny,” said Douglas stoutly.

“So do I!” Mary’s voice trembled, but her glance at the little old man was very lovely.

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, Douglas turning over in his mind this strange new picture of Judith’s mother.  Could anything, he wondered, change Judith so?  A curious anger against his father’s stupidity was at that moment born in Douglas’ heart, an anger that never was wholly to leave him.