Winding up the last of his breakfast, the father replied; "Did you finish your chores?"

"Yes, Yes," said Johnny, "but the last thing I did was feed the horse and he talked to me."

"Horses don't talk" said the father "but why don't you tell me how it happened and what he said."

"Well," started Johnny "I filled the feed bag with oats and hooked it behind his ears just like you taught me. Then I watched him eat, and he ate it all. When he was finished, I took the bag off his head and asked – Mr. Horse, do you want some more? – He looked right at me, slowly turned around, lifted his tail, and said; just-a-feeewwww."

The father smiled briefly and went back to his newspaper where he had been reading the comments of America's Secretary of Defense about prison abuse, military justice, and how the perpetrators have been given almost as much punishment as those who got caught smoking some of the nation's last cash crop.