The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-12

| was hASt SdhSu lhS MOuuthlu house.
But trust in buttermilk was smashed
there. and that changed the name.
When the hotel had been running for
a couple Of years the buftermilk craze
spread from east to west. and it soon
found its way to the Mountain House.
There was only one man within ten
miles of the Mountain House who saw
money in buttermilk. and his name
was Stebbins. He bought Eve cows, a
big churn and cans. and he delivered
buttermilk to the hotel In gallons and
charged IS cents for every gallon that
he delivered
Away or in New York city was
young Carroll Harper. who held sit
uation In his wealthy fathers bank.
He was an Industrious young man in
stead of a dawdler. He was anxious
to learn the banking business, and,
though rich In his own right. he stuck
to his work like some Of the employees
who were getting salaries of only $40
week. BY and by a crisis came-that
Is, young Harper found his appetite
gone, his nerves all aquiver and his
ambition about faded away. He went
to a doctor, and after being questioned
|, and thumped and paved over the doc
tor looked him in the face with stern
ness and said:
go west, young mani Go west. sirI"
"But why?' was asked.
ITO breathe In great chunks of ozone
and drink gallon of huttermilk every
day and to come back here in about
sixty days feeling as well or better
than you have in the past ten years"
And the doctor. who had heard of the
Mountain House and had sent three or
four invalids there, advised the young
man to make straight for that spot
and to order a supply Of buttermilk
as soon as he had registered. His ad-
vice was needed, and one morning the
young man descended from the stage
and entered the hotel The place was
Off the railroad by fifteen miles.
They generally find out all about you
very soon at country hotel. and It
was scarcely two hours before It was
generally known to the landlord and
among the guests that Carroll Har-
per had financial and social standing
In the big city in the east It was also
known to Mr.. Stebbins, and when he
called to take the order for buttermilk
he raised the price from % cents to
double that sum because he was deal
ing with a rich young man.
isn't that double what the others
are payingw he was asked.
"Oh, it's little more" was the re-
ply. but you are rich and can afford
it What is quarter day to man
OF millions?'
But it strikes me as extortion."
well, you can take It or leave It. I
am the only one around here with but
termilk to sell, and can put any price
ON 1t like"
The young man who was the victim
Of an extortioner planned to get even.
He took the landlord into his conf
dence, and there was a conspiracy to
smash Mr.. Stebbins' trust
After ten mile auto ride down the
valley and back only one family was
found so situated that they could help
Mr.. Harper carry out his plans. This
family was composed of widow and
a strapping daughter. They owned and
worked little farm together, but they |
did not even have one COW nor any
outfit with which to deal with the but |
termilk question. In a conversation !
the young man had with the strapping |
girl on the doorsteps he asked:
"Can you and your mother milk and |
take care Of six or seven cows?'
Yes, or ten of them" she answered. |
"Can you drive horse and wagon2"
you bet"
And what did young Mr.. Harper do?
He sent an agent out to buy six or
seven cows, big churn that turned
with crank. small cans and big cans
and horse and wagon to contract for
supply Of alfalfa to feed the cows
on during the winter When all these /
had been secured everything was pre-
sented to the widow and the daughter
as a free gift, and they were told to
go into the buttermilk industry for all
they were worth. They had to sign a
contract to supply the guests of the
Mountain hotel with all the buttermilk
wanted for the next Eve years, and
they were not to ask above 10 cents
a gallon. 1t was figured that at this
price the profits would be about IL per
cent.
One morning the mighty Mr.. Steb-
bins, who had run a one man trust
for two years. drove up to the hotel In
his mightiness and began to unload his
cans Of buttermilk. The guests ranged
themselves on the veranda with smiles
on their faces, and the landlord kindly
but firmly announced to Mr.. Stebbins
that no more Of his buttermilk was
wanted. The Stebbins buttermilk trust
was smashed. It was smashed as fat
as pancake. 1t was smashed by a
young man. widow and a strapping
girl
And when the strapping young girl /
drove up to the Mountain House for
the second time with the light of tri-
umph in her eyes and about a barrel
of buttermilk in her wagon she saw a
painter on a ladder in front Of the
house. and he was painting out the old
sign preparatory to painting in a new
one which should read ''The Butter
milk House" And the hotel Is there
yet, and the sign is there yet, and
every guest there is following the
doctors orders and Is drinking cool. |
good buttermilk. There Is a two WON. i
an trust. but II fs a trust tn ha nraiaad |