Kit set the cup on a stump and retired.
Sarah Ketchum tried to persuade everybody else to try, but the other boys were afraid of failure and the girls were afraid of the cow. Sarah said if somebody would hold the animal's head so that it couldn't hook, she'd milk—she knew she could. But nobody offered to take the cow by the horns; so everything came to a stand-still except Sarah's talking and the cow's eating. Then Bob Trotter came in sight, all his pockets standing out with nuts. They called him. Sarah Ketchum explained the situation and asked him if he could milk.
"I do the milkin' at 'ome," Bob replied.
"Wont you please milk this cow for us? We don't know how, and we want the milk for dinner."
There came a comical look into Bob's face, but he said nothing. The eight knew what his thoughts must be.
"We oughtn't to have said that you couldn't have any of our lunch," said Sarah Ketchum.
"We didn't really mean it," said Clara. "When lunch-time came we would have given you lots of good things."
"That's so," said Dick. "Sarah told us an hour ago that she meant to give you her snow-ball cake because she felt compuncted."
By this time Bob had approached the cow. He spoke some kind words close to her broad ear, and gently stroked her back and flanks. Then he set to work in the proper way, forcing the milk in streams into the cup, the boys watching with admiration Bob's ease and expertness, Dick wondering why he couldn't do what seemed so easy. In a few seconds the cup was filled.
"Now, what're you going to do?" said Bob. "This wont be a taste around."