Are you?"
He shook his head "No."
"I believe he _is_," said Podge, turning to Agnes, who had entered. "He
looks as if he had asked that question of himself."
Duff Salter seized his handkerchief and sneezed into it, "Jericho-o!
Jericho-wo!"
Podge was sure he was suspicious the next night when she read on his
tablets the rather imputative remark,
"Is there anything demoralizing in teaching public schools?"
She replied tartly, "Yes, stupid old visitors and parents!"
"Excuse me!" he wrote; "I meant politicians."
She replied in the same spirit as before, "I think politicians are
divine!"
Duff Salter looked a little wondering out of those calm gray eyes and
his strong, yet benevolent Scotch-Irish countenance. Podge, who now
talked freely with Agnes in his presence, said confidently:
"I believe I can tantalize this good old granny by giving him doubts
about me! I am real bad, Aggy; you know that! It is no story to tell
it!"
"Oh! we are both bad enough to try to improve," exclaimed Agnes
absently.
"Jericho! Jericho! Jericho!" sneezed Duff Salter.
He came down every evening, and began respectfully to bow to Agnes and
to smile on Podge, and then stretched his feet out to the ottoman, drew
his tablets up to the small table and proceeded to write.
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