224 FTVE ACEES TOO MUCH. 



dangerous shocks from them; the touch even of 

 their hands had oiten produced palpitations and 

 electrical phenomena of the strangest kind. There 

 could be no anticipating what might be the result if 

 the cream was affected by their presence. While 1 

 was hesitating what to do, I suddenly thought of 

 Patrick. There was nothing electrical about him. 

 He might be dirty his hands and face usually were 

 but there was no other danger. He was called at 

 once, and told to milk the cow himself in future, 

 and be sure to wash his hands and face first; to 

 which directions he gave a surprised assent, won 

 dering, no doubt, at the sudden interest his master 

 evinced in his personal appearance. I took charge 

 of the dairy myself, to exclude all possibility of elec 

 trical phenomena, and skimmed the cream carefully. 

 Cushy had been falling off lately for some incom 

 prehensible reason, having done so well for eighteen 

 months ; and when, at the end of a week, the churn 

 arrived, it seemed ludicrously large for the small 

 bowlful of cream that had been collected not 

 much more than a pint in all. Patrick, when I 

 called upon him to wash his hands and set to work, 

 burst forth with the astonished inquiry, 



&quot; Sure yer honor does not want me to churn that 

 little speck ov crame in this big tub. It would get 

 lost intirely.&quot; 



