“Sour milk! Laws-ee no, Chile! I uses all our sour milk fer pancakes,” returned Rachel.
“I noticed a bad smell too, when I came in, girls,” commented Mrs. James.
“Well, so’d I an’ I wonnered if I left somethin’ burnin’ but I diden’!” declared Rachel, beginning to sniff again.
The girls followed Mrs. James into the living-room, all sniffing audibly, and peering about for some cause for the smell.
“The smell in the dining-room is stronger than anywhere else, Jimmy,” remarked Natalie.
“I hope no stray cat or dog has found its way down to the cellar to die there,” ventured Mrs. James, suddenly thinking she had a clue.
“Let’s go down and see. We’ll take a flash-light and go into all the dark corners,” suggested Janet.
“We’ll open the outside cellar-way and let the sun shine in, too,” added one of the girls.
Mrs. James led the way out to the side porch to reach the cellar-door from that side of the house. But she had no sooner stepped down the steps than she quickly covered her nose with one hand and wildly waved the other hand to warn the girls back indoors.
“What is it?” everyone demanded excitedly, as Mrs. James ran in and slammed the door. Then she hurriedly went about the room closing all the windows.