Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-10-29


confession was indefinitely postponed
Eta appeared at her self-appointed
post at 6 o'clock the next morning. She
found the cream room deserted, but
there was pail partly filled with milk
sitting on the floor. tI'll strain that"
] she thought II may as well make
myself useful They must have been
called away, or they would have
strained it. heard Malcolm say that
the milk should always be strained
/ Immediately, before it begins to get
cold"
! The first can that she uncovered con-
4 tanned the cream that Malcolm had
drawn off the night before. Eta did
not know that But she knew that it
would hold that little mess of milk, so
in went the milk with yesterdays
4 cream, and on welt the cover again
and it was just at this moment that
the cream collector hustled in, fol-
| lowed by the three flats" He ratified
up the elevator rapidly, lifted out the
cans, turned the faucets, and set them
all running at their best speed.
Il don't see what was the matter
yesterday" said Malcolm. How in
tunket did all that water get mixed
with the milk" He had an idea that
his mother knew, but he ignored that
I just then.
II suppose" said Mr. Crabtree, that
I you were careless, and didn't notice
that the faucet was turned the wrong
way when you put the can in. Then
when you strained the milk of course
\ it all ran out again. | should think
that was plain enough"
| well, don't believe I'd be such a
fool But supposing | was, how did
the water get into the cream in the
other cans? It's wonder to me that
it don't always, but why should it this
4 time more than ever? Certainly, the
I 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, "and drew it off. What
shall we do with it?"
"Churn 1t! The Cloyerdale cooper
alive creamery don't bother itself with
cream that has been doctered"
DO you mean that you think we in
\ tended to cheat, Mr. Crabtree?'
4 MY orders are to treat every man as
a rogue till he proves himself honest
4 How many spaces did YOU make last
night on the mornings mike
I Forty one"
! We'll" he said, Il have a guage
\ that will tell the story about that ;"
and he turned the cream into one 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 uneonsciously
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 | had il"
Very well; there would be no one
to complain but yourself if You lost it.
It Is different with me.
I'VE 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-
tinized the glass in establishment. Not
a sign of any cream. What did it
mean?
II ,vos Tho ~, M, tinoed xuofar which
Malcolm had strained from Etta's pail
the night before. But there was no
enc who could explain
Perhaps Jou cali that straight
work" went on the collector Il call
man that would indulge in such
trick pretty small potatoes.
"Well,' said the indignant Malcolm.
Il don't understand it at all, but
don't see what object you could think
one would have in such thing"
Il call it a mean little joke-that's
what 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
ont. We have discovered one leak
down in Haynes Valley, We found
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
hut on the whole don't believe I'll
join the association"
Conjecture after conjecture ensued
among the excited Cantwells as to the
cause of the mystery, but it remained
unsolyed At last they gave 1t 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 We're four
nairs If anxious ewes that glanced Der-