There was a large olla (oya) in one corner of the shed, covered by a white soup-plate. The water in it was always cold. Jimmy left the churn at once, and went to the olla, and stood to take a long breath. Then he ran to the pantry for a tumbler; he did not like to drink from the tin dipper which sat in the soup-plate.
But while he was gone for the tumbler, the Morse baby slipped into the shed, making hardly any noise. She came in with that dirty, dirty doll, as full of sand as a pepper-box is full of pepper. She climbed into Jimmy’s chair, lifted the cover off the churn, which was only set on edgewise, and said, “Diny, oo go in dare!”
And then she plumped Dinah head-first into the churn.
Nobody heard or saw her. What made her do it? It is of no use trying to guess. She might have thought such a sandy doll ought to have a bath. Or perhaps she was making believe Dinah had been naughty, and she was shutting her up in the closet.
At any rate, as soon as the miserable black object was safe in the churn, Baby Morse ran away to chase the kid, and forgot all about her doll.
When Jimmy had drunk two tumblers of water, and rested a long while,—for he was not in the least haste,—he went back to the churn.
The cover was off.
“I did not know I took that off,” said he. And he put it on again quickly.
Then he turned the handle ’round and ’ro-ound and ’ro-o-ound. But how ha-rd it went! Much harder than before. How heavy the cream had grown all at once! Mrs. Chick had warned Jimmy that it would seem to grow very heavy at the last.
“Do come, Mrs. Chick!” he cried eagerly. “The butter’s done now. I know it’s done. It breaks my arm off to turn it ’round.”