in the sink to fill it from the pails of rich, frothy milk Barney had brought in the pails. 

 "Sally come fresh this morning, Miz Thompson," he said. "Got herself a real fine little bull calf." 

 Hetty looked at the two pails of milk. "Well, where's the rest of the milk, then?" 

 "That's Queenie's milk," Barney said. "Sally's is still out on the porch." 

 "Well bring it in before the sun clabbers it." 

 "Can't," Barney said. 

 Hetty swung around and glared at him. "What do you mean, you can't? You suddenly come down with the glanders?" 

 "No'm, it's just that Sally's milk ain't no good," he replied. 

 A frown spread over Hetty's face as she hoisted one of the milk pails and began pouring into the can in the sink. "What's wrong with it, Barney? Sally seem sick or something?" she asked. 

 Barney scratched his head. "I don't rightly know, Miz Thompson. That milk looks all right, or at least, almost all right. It's kinda thin and don't have no foam like you'd expect milk to have. But mostly, it sure don't smell right and it danged well don't taste right. 

 "Phooey." He made a face at the memory of the taste. "I stuck my finger in it when it looked kinda queer, and took a taste. It shore tasted lousy." 

 "You probably been currying that mangey old horse of yours before you went to milking," Hetty snorted, "and tasted his cancerous old hide on your fingers. I've told you for the last time to wash your hands before you go to milking them cows. I didn't pay no eighteen hundred dollars for that prize, registered Guernsey just to have you give her bag fever with your dirty hands." 

 "That ain't so, Miz Thompson," Barney cried indignantly. "I did too, wash my hands. Good, too. I wuzn't near my horse this morning. That milk just weren't no good." 

 Hetty finished pouring the milk into the cans and after putting the cans in the refrigerator, wiped her hands on her jeans and went out onto the porch, Barney trailing behind her. She bent over and sniffed at the two milk pails setting beside the door. "Whew," she exclaimed, "it sure does smell funny. Hand me that dipper, Barney." 

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