River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-11-10

only. 1t wouldn't run within ten feet
Of a calf or a steer. 1t was worth 60
ing ten miles to see that mixer dodge
stumps. Its movements were the po-
etry of motion. Its four little legs
swung along as rhythmically beautiful
as a quatrain by Kipling-"
But where was the milk collected?"
asked the Doctor.
Il am coming to that" replied The
Man. From the tank of the mixer
proper there extended back to the
edge of the lot four rubber tubes, the
other ends of which were fastened in
side a porcelain bathtub standing on
its own platform on the other side OF
the pasture fence. The tubes, being
on the reel in the mixer. and rubber
a that, would OF course stretch as
the ground covered by the mixer in
creased"
And, gentlemen, the strangest
thing about my mixer was that ii
was its own skinner, its own churn,
its own cutter, its own stamper. You
think l am telling you an untruth. ]
viii explain. As the milk ran through
these rubber tubee to the bathtut
on the other side of the fence and
fell into the little vat there pro
vided, a set of paddles were put into OPP
GRAFTON that so jiggled the milk that
the cream rose to the surface almost
he h@4 4IaI
there at once and taken to the dairy
house, or wherever else Il was needed,
by the bathtub attendant. The re-
naming milk was handled in this way.
The aforesaid paddles did not cease
operations. They continued their con-
slant churning until the butter had
thoroughly formed, when four knives
would drop from the top of the tub and
cut il into chunks Of The required
size. These would be instantly seized
by another set of paddles, which would
work the butter and roll ii into long
bars.
THAT was all there was to the ma
chine" said The Man. 1T was upon
that machine that l based my hopes;
il was by that machine that they were
shattered"
"How?" asked Cleaver. Didn't you
give it a trial?"
yes" replied The Man. "And thou
sands are the times since that l have
wished | hadn't"
what about the trial?"
at was made out in Washtenaw
county, this state. had managed TO
interest a dairyman by the name OF
Sutherland, who lived about six miles
east Of Ypsilsnti. took the machine
down there. 1t was a beautiful day
in early summer. 1t was the grass
butter time of the year. set up the
bathtub attachment just outside the
pasture. l stretched the tubes over
the fence and connected them with
the mixer.
when all was ready 1 set the ma
chine going.
Gentlemen, you should have been
there!
81 shall never forget the result OF
that trial as long as l live.
with q whirr and a rip of wheels
that mixer started for a mich COW
about ten rods down the pasture
The cow heard the noise and turned
Instantly her ears and tail stood per
pendicularly parallel. She gave one
deep low and made a break for the
open even before the other COWS in
the field had had time to observe the
cause Of her fright. She dashed
through the rail fence and broke for
Z -
At the shattered fence the machine
hesitated an instant, owing to the
tubes having stretched TO their ut
most, then with a snort, ii seemed 10
me, the mixer tore loose from the
wires and rubber of her fastenings and
darted after that COW. On and on she
sped-the cow. And en- and on down
that country road dashed the mixer
The speed of each was awful. Suther.
land and | ran across lots to head of
either the COW or the mixer, but when
we reached the road, half a mile below
we were Just in time to see the milk.
er pass on its wild chase. There, upon
little knoll, we watched il tearing
through the dust after the COW. On
and on it ran until finally 1t had
crossed the last hillock of the road
and then it disappeared. l said moth
ing. Leaving the bathtub attachment
! by the pasture fence, l went back tc
the crossroads station and took the
train for Huntsville. Later had &c
pay for the cow, for she never re
turned.
At this juncture the doctor rose
from his chair, and taking a dollar
from his vest pocket offered it to the
man. Thereupon each of us gave him
coin. He stood and bowed his thanks
Then he put on that battered hat ana
| slipped down the steps. We heard
the gravel crunch beneath his heels
The darkness of the night swallowed
him and he disappeared.-Detroit Free