Jack, and Many Things Concerning Him 93 



Of course the clean floor was quickly ruined, 

 much to Mary's disgust and Jack's delight. 



At other times, when Jack noticed that 

 Mary was about to commence scrubbing the 

 floor, he would deliberately stretch himself 

 out on it, and quietly resist any attempt, 

 on her part, to get him to move. In vain 

 would she feed the other dogs, or by loud 

 calls get them excited and barking furiously 

 outside. Jack had been fooled once or twice 

 in this way, and so now he resisted all her 

 schemes to make him move. Once, when 

 she did, by some clever trick, get him out, 

 she fastened the door so securely that all 

 his rattling of the latch availed him nothing. 

 Getting discouraged in his efforts to open 

 the door in the usual way, he went to the 

 wood-pile, and seizing a big billet in his 

 mouth he came, and so pounded the door 

 with it, that Mary, seeing that there was 

 imminent danger of the panel being broken 

 in, was obliged to open the door and let him 

 in. 



Jack marched proudly in with the stick 

 of wood in his mouth. When he had de- 

 posited it in the wood-box, he coolly 

 stretched himself out on the spot where he 

 would be the biggest nuisance. Poor Mary 



