The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-26
The Buttermilk House
How a Tua Was Busted 5 By
by a Rich Young Man. NJ. QUAD
Copyright 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syniicat-.

w hen the notel llau ueeQ IullllluS LOT
a couple of years the huitcrmilk 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 Stcbbins lie bought five cows. "A
big churn and cans. and he delivered
buttcrmilk TO the hotel In gallons and
charged - cents for every gallon that
he delivered. I
Away off 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 $50
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 man! Go west, sir! /
But Why was asked.
ITO breathe in great chunks of ozone
and drink n gallon of buttermilk 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 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 mt country hotel ana 1t
was scarcely two hours before 1t was
generally known to the landlord and
among the guests that Carroll Ilar-
per had "A financial and social STANDING
in the big city in the east. 1t was also
known 10 Mr.. Stcbbns. and when he
called to take the order for buttermilll
he raised the price from % cents To
double that sum because he was deal
ing with Il rich young man.
isn't that double what the others
are paying?" he was asked.
"Oh, it's a little more" was the re
ply. but you are rich and can afford
it. What is a quarter II day to man
of mllions?
"But it strikes me as cXtorton."
"Wcll. you can take it or leave 1t.
am the only one around here with but
I termilll to sell. and | can put any price
Oh it | like
The young man who was the victim
! of an extortioner planned to get even.
! lie took the landlord into his conf
dcnce, and there was conspiracy to
smash Mr.. Stebbins' trust.
After n 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
tcrmilB question. In a conversation
the young man had with the strapping
girl OH the doorsteps he asked:
Can you and your mother milk and
take care of six or seven cowsT'
4 Eyes, or ten of them" she answered.
'Can you drive horse and wagon?"
"You bet
And what did young Mr., Harper do
He sent an agent out to buy six OF
seven cows. big churn that turned
with a crank, small cans and big cans
and II horse and wagon to contract fol
a supply of alfalfa to feed the cows
! on during the winter. When all these
had been secured everything was pre-
scented to the widow and the daughter
as n free gift, and they were told tc
go into the buttermilk industry for al
they were worth They had to sign q
contract to supply the guests of the
Mountain hotel with all the buttermill
wanted for the next five years. ant
they were not to ask above Is cents
gallon 1t was figured that ut this
price the profits would be about IL pei
, cent.
One morning the mighty Mr.. Steb
bins. who had run one man trus
for two years, drove up to the hotel II
his mightiness and began to unload his
I, cans of buttermilk. The guests ranged
themselves on the veranda with smiles
. on their faces, and the landlord kindly
but firmly announced to Mr., Stebbin'
that no more of his buttermilk wa
wanted. The Stebbins buttermilk trus
was smashed. II was smashed as fla
J as a pancake 1t was smashed by
l young man. u widow and a strappinl
: girl.
And when the strapping young cir
I drove up to the Mountain House 70
the second time with the light of tri
umph in her eyes and about barre
of buttermilk in her wagon she saw
painter on ladder in front of tn
house, and he was painting out the oil
}. sign preparatory to painting in new
one which should read "The Butter
5 milk House" And the hotel is Their
: yet and the sign Is there yet. ant
c every guest there is following tn
T doctors orders and is drinking cool
y good buttermilk. There is two won
:, an trust, but it is trust to be praised
! a 80