Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-10-29

his mother knew, but he ignored tina
just then.
ST suppose" said Mr.. Crabtree, 'tha:
you were careless, and didn't motto,
that the faucet was turned the wrons
way when you put the can in. Their
when you strained the milk of course
it all ran out again. l should thinl
that was plain enough"
We'll, l don't believe I'd be such {
fool. But supposing I was, how die
the water get into the cream in thu
other cans? It's wonder to me thai
it don't always, but why should it thi!
time more than ever? Certainly, the
turning Of one faucet would not affect
the whole?"
That is question of your own ask.
ing, SIR was the crisp reply.
The cream settled after awhile, :
said Malcolm, land I drew it off. What
shall we do with it?''
"Churn it! The Cloverdale cooper
ative creamery don't bother itself with
cream that has been doctered."
DO you mean that you think we in
tended to cheat, Mr. Crabtree?"
My orders are to treat every man as
rogue till he proves himself honest
How many spaces did you make last
night on the mornings milk?''
"Forty-one."
We'll" he said, 81 have a guage
that will tell the story about that, -
and he t11Trod tho cYoo,o into opo of
his large cans by itself, and Malcolm
knew that his honor lay in the waiting
trial, but he did not know of the milk
with which Eta had unconsciously
adulterated it.
Il am very much surprised, Mr..
Crabtree," said Mr.. Cantwell Nal
colin, my son, has charge of the cream
er, mostly, and I'd trust him with a
million dollars if l had it,
Very we'll; there would be no one
to complain but yourself if you lost it.
1t is different with me-"
1--WE mean to have everything exact
ly right" said Mr. Cantwell.
Very WELL" was the Grabbed reply
Suppose you count the spaces on that
can. How many do you make it,"
The three Cantwells bent and scru-
tlnized the glass in establishment. Not
a sign of any cream. What did it
mean?
1t was the milk tinged water which
Malcolm had strained from Ettas pail
the night before. But there was no
one who could explain.
perhaps you call that straight
work" went on the collector. II call
a man that would indulge in such
trick pretty small potatoes"
We'll" said the indignant Malcolm,
Il don't understand it at ALL but I
one would have in such thing"
Il call it mean little joke-that's
what I call it," said Mr.. Crabtree. and
there is certainly cheating going on
somewhere besides. Six spaces of
cream ought to make pound of butter
but the company can't make them hold
out. We have discovered one leak
down in Haynes Valley. We found a
couple of hypocrits down there that
pretend to be awful good, cheating
like all possessed. Thirty-six spaces
this morning" and he marched out
without another word.
Eta broke the silence that followed.
"This is romantic, quite she said,
looking at the flushed faces opposite;
''but on the whole | don't believe I'll
ioin the association -
Conjecture after conjecture ensued
cause of the mystery, but it remained
unsolved. At last they gave it up pro
tempore, and agreeing to ''say nothing
to mother" for the present, they filed
in to the dining room to partake of the
breakfast which Aunt Cynthia had
tried to keep warm.
The next morning there were four
pairs of anxious eyes that glanced per-
down the road. The time for
the arrival of the ''Old Crab" as Nal
colin dubbed the collector, was long
since past. They kept hearing some
thing" but no team came rafting up.
What a pickle we should be in,
said Rudolph, 'if the c. c. G. should
drop US, with all those COWS on our
hands"
picked in sour milk returned
who had made up his mind
to look the matter bravely in the face,
and profess indifference to results.
The two boys started for the field; but
Mr. Cantwell had business in town that
day, and when he returned he wore
very serious face.
Read that" he said, throwing a let
ter towards his sons. They read
Mr.. Cantwell:-
Sir: The cream counted yesterday
by your son holds out we'll as to the
of spaces, but it has been kept
separate, and proves to be 10 per cent
milk. Various irregularities have
been reported besides this, and we re-
greet to say that we find it necessary to
drop you from our list till further no
tice. Enclosed please find check for
ninety dollars and seventy-five one
hundredths, as payment for the past
months cream. Yours truly,
Cloverdale Cooperative Creamery.
(Per NJ.
1T beats the Dutch!' said Rudolph.
The matter had now reached a point
when mother would hear of it any
way" so the excitement burst out at
the dinner table with a velocity and
volume that surprised the still uncon-
fessed culprit exceedingly.
'sYn11 great Simnletnnt' she py-