him, he was the one that looked ashamed, whereas
he had thought it was going to be she. The others
were always waiting for this, and glad of it and
proud of her, for they knew what was going to hap-
pen, because they had had experience. When she
told the meaning of a big word they were all so taken
up with admiration that it never occurred to any
dog to doubt if it was the right one; and that was
natural, because, for one thing, she answered up so
promptly that it seemed like a dictionary speaking,
and for another thing, where could they find out
whether it was right or not? for she was the only
cultivated dog there was. By and by, when I was
older, she brought home the word Unintellectual,
one time, and worked it pretty hard all the week at
different gatherings, making much unhappiness and
despondency; and it was at this time that I noticed
that during that week she was asked for the meaning
at eight different assemblages, and flashed out a
fresh definition every time, which showed me that
she had more presence of mind than culture, though
I said nothing, of course. She had one word which
she always kept on hand, and ready, like a life-pre-
server, a kind of emergency word to strap on when she
was likely to get washed overboard in a sudden way
--that was the word Synonymous. When she hap-
pened to fetch out a long word which had had its day
weeks before and its prepared meanings gone to her
dump-pile, if there was a stranger there of course it
knocked him groggy for a couple of minutes, then
he would come to, and by that time she would be
away down the wind on another tack, and not ex-

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