American Agriculturist, September 8,1928 
163 
The Brown Mouse- 
A S the latest-coming visitors moved forward, they heard the schoolmaster fin- 
. ishing his passage at arms with the salesman. 
“You should not feel exasperated at us, Mr. Carmichael,” said he in tones of 
the most complete respect, “for what our figures show. You are unfortunate in 
the business proposition you offer this community. That is all. Even these chil¬ 
dren have the facts to prove that the creamery outfit you offer is not worth within 
two thousand dollars of what you ask for it, and that it is very doubtful if 
it is the sort of outfit we should need.” ' 
“I’ll bet you a thousand dollars—” began Carmichael hotly, when Jim waved 
him down. 
“Not with me,” said Jim. “Your friend, Mr. Bonner, there, knows what 
chance there is for you to bet even a thousand cents with me. Besides, we know 
our facts, in this school. We’ve been working on them for a long time.” 
“Bet your life we have!” interpolated Newton Bronson. 
“Before we finish,” said Jim, “I want to thank you gentlemen for bringing in 
Mr. Carmichael. We have been reading up on the literature of the creamery 
promoter, and it is a very fine thing to have one in the flesh with whom to—to—■ 
demonstrate, if Mr. Carmichael will allow me to say so.” 
Carmichael looked at Bonner, made an expressive motion with his head toward 
the door, and turned as if to leave. 
“Well,” said he, “I can do plenty of business with men. If you men want to 
make the deal I offer you, and I can show you from the statistics I’ve got at the 
hotel that it’s a special deal just to get started in this part of the State, and 
carries a thousand dollars of cut in price to you. Let’s leave these children and 
this he schoolma’am and get something done.” 
“I can’t allow you to depart,” said 
Jim more gently than before, “without 
thanking you for the very excellent 
talk you gave us on the advantage of 
the cooperative creamery over the cen¬ 
tralizer. We in this school believe in 
the cooperative creamery, and if we 
can get rid of you, Mr. Carmichael, 
without buying your equipment, I 
think your work here .may be produc¬ 
tive of good.” 
“He’s off three or four points on the 
average overrun in the Wisconsin co¬ 
ops,” said Newton. 
“And we thought,” said Mary Smith, 
“that we’d need more cows than he 
said to keep up a creamery of our 
own.” 
“Oh,” replied Jim, “but we mustn’t 
expect Mr. Carmichael to know the 
subject as well as we do, children. He 
makes a practice of talking mostly to 
people who know nothing about it— 
and he talks very well. All in favor 
of thanking Mr. Carmichael please say 
‘Aye.’ ” 
T HERE was a rousing chorus of 
“Aye!” in which Mr. Carmichael, 
followed closely by Mr. Bonner, made 
his exit. B. B. Hamm went forward 
and shook Jim’s hand slowly and con¬ 
templatively. 
“James E. Irwin,” said he, “you’ve 
saved us from being skinned by the 
smoothest grafter that I ever seen.” 
“Not I,” said Jim, “the school.” 
“He had a smooth partner, too,” said 
Columbus Brown. Jim looked at Bon¬ 
ner’s little boy in one of the front seats 
and shook his head at Columbus warn- 
ingly. 
“If I hadn’t herded ’em in here to 
ask you a few questions about co¬ 
operative creameries,” said Mr. Tal- 
cott, “we’d have been stuck—they 
pretty near had our names.” 
“I’d have gone in for two hundred,” 
said B. B. Hamm. 
“May I call a little meeting here for 
a minute, Jim?” asked Ezra Bronson. 
“Why, where’s he gone?” 
“They’s some other visitors come in,” 
said a little girl, pulling her apron in 
embarrassment at the teacher’s ab¬ 
sence. 
Jim had, after what seemed to Jen¬ 
nie an interminable while, seen the 
county superintendent and her distin¬ 
guished party, and was now engaged 
in welcoming them and endeavoring to 
find them seats—quite impossible at 
that particular moment. 
“Don’t mind us, Mr. Irwin,” said 
Doctor Brathwayt. “This is the best 
thing we’ve seen on our journeyings. 
Please go on with the proceedin’s. 
That gentleman seems to have in mind 
the perfectin’ of some so’t of organiza¬ 
tion. I’m intensely interested.” 
“I’d like to call a little meetin’ here,” 
said Ezra to the teacher. “Seein’ we’ve 
busted up your program so far, may 
we take a little while longer?” 
“Certainly,” said Jim. “The school 
will please come to order.” 
The pupils took their seats, straight¬ 
ened their books and papers, and were 
at attention. Dr. Brathwayt nodded 
approvingly as if at the answer to 
some question in his mind. 
“Children,” said Mr. Irwin, “you may 
or may not be interested in what these 
gentlemen are about to do—but I hope 
I 
/ 
you are. Those who wish may be mem¬ 
bers of Mr. Bronson’s meeting. Those 
who do not prefer to do so may take 
up their regular work.” 
“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Bronson to the 
remains of Mr. Carmichael’s creamery 
party, “we’ve been cutting bait in this 
neighborhood long enough. I’m in fa¬ 
vor of fishing now. It would have been 
the biggest disgrace ever put on this 
district to have been swindled by that 
sharper, when the man that could have 
set us right on the subject was right 
here working for us, and we never let 
him have a chance. How many here 
favor building a cooperative creamery 
if we get the farmers in with cows 
enough to make it profitable, and the 
equipment at the right price?” 
Each man held up a hand. 
“Here’s one of our best farmers not 
voting,” said Mr. Bronson, indicating 
Raymond Simms. How about you, 
Raymond?” 
“Ah reckon paw’ll come in,” said 
Raymond, blushingly. 
“He will if you say so,” said Mr. 
Bronson. 
Raymond's hand went up amid a 
ripple of applause from the pupils, who 
seemed glad to have a voter in their 
ranks. 
“Unanimous!” said Mr. Bronson. “It 
is a vote! Now I’d like to hear a mo¬ 
tion to perfect a permanent organiza¬ 
tion to build a creamery.” 
“I think we ought to have a secre¬ 
tary first,” said Mr. Talcott, “and I 
nominate Mr. James E. Irwin for the 
post.” 
“Quite correct,” said Mr. Bronson, 
“thankee, A. B. I was about to forgft 
the secretary. Any other nominations? 
No ’bjections, Mr. Irwin will be de¬ 
clared unanimously elected. Mr. Irwin, 
will you please assume the duties?” 
Jim sat down at the desk and began 
making notes. 
“I think we ought to call this the 
Anti-Carmichael Protective Associa¬ 
tion,” said Columbus Brown, but Mr. 
Bronson interrupted him, rather 
frowningly. 
“All in good time, Clumb,” said he, 
“but this is serious work.” So ad¬ 
monished, the meeting appointed com¬ 
mittees, fixed upon a time for a fu¬ 
ture meeting, threw a collection of 
half-dollars on the desk to start a 
petty cash fund, made the usual joke 
about putting the secretary under 
bond, adjourned and dispersed. 
“TT’S a go this time!” said Newton 
lto Jim. 
“I think so,” said Jim, “with those 
men interested. Well, our study of 
creameries has given a great deal of 
language work, a good deal of arith¬ 
metic, some geography, and finally 
saved the people from a swindle.” 
“My mother has a delayed luncheon 
ready for the party,” said Jennie to 
Jim. “Please come with us—please!” 
But Jim demurred. Getting off at 
this time of day was really out of the 
question if he was to be ready to show 
the real work of the school in the 
afternoon session. 
“This has been rather extraordi¬ 
nary,” said Jim, “but I am very glad 
you were here. It shows the utility of 
the right sort of work in letter-writ¬ 
ing, language, geography and arithme- 
By Herbert Quick 
tic—in learning things about farm¬ 
ing.” 
“It certainly does,” said Doctor 
Brathwayt. “I wouldn’t have missed 
it under any consideration; but I’m 
certainly sorry for that creamery 
shark and his accomplice—to be 
routed by the Fifth Reader grade in 
farming!” 
The luncheon was rather a wonder¬ 
ful affair—and its success was un¬ 
qualified after everybody discovered 
that the majority of those in attend¬ 
ance felt much more at home when 
calling it dinner. Colonel Woodruff 
had fought against the regiment of 
the father of Professor Gray, of 
Georgia, in at least one engagement, 
and tentative plans were laid for the 
meeting of the two old veterans “some 
Winter in the future.” 
“What d’ye think of our school?” 
asked the colonel. 
“Well,” said Professor Gray, “it’s 
not fair to judge, Colonel, on what 
must have been rather an extraordi¬ 
nary moment in the school’s history. 
I take it that you don’t put on a rep¬ 
resentation of ‘The Knave Unmasked’ 
every morning.” 
“It was more like a caucus than 
I’ve ever seen it, daddy,” said Jennie, 
“and less like a school.” 
“Don’t you think,” said Doctor 
Brathwayt, “that it was less like a 
school because it was more like life? 
It was life. If I am not mistaken, his¬ 
tory for this community was making 
in that school-room as we entered.” 
“You're perfectly right. Doctor,” 
said the colonel. “Columbus Brown 
and about a dozen others living out¬ 
side the district are calling Wilbur 
Smythe in counsel to perfect plans for 
an election to consolidate a few of 
these little independent districts, for 
the express purpose of giving Jim 
Irwin a plant that he can do something 
with. Jim’s got too big for the dis¬ 
trict, and so we’re going to enlarge the 
district, and the schoolhouse, and the 
teaching force, and the means of edu¬ 
cational grace generally. That’s as 
sure as can be—after what took place 
this morning.” 
“TTE’S rather a wonderful person, to 
Xi.be found in such a position,” said 
Professor Gray, “or would be in any 
region I have visited.” 
“He’s a native product,” said the 
colonel, “but a wonder all the same. 
He’s a Brown Mouse, you know.” 
“A—a—?” Doctor Brathwayt was 
plainly astonished. And so the colonel 
was allowed to tell again the story of 
the Darbishire brown mice, and why 
he called Jim Irwin one. Doctor 
Brathwayt said it was an interesting 
Mendelian explanation of the appear¬ 
ance of such a character as Jim. “And 
if you are right, Colonel, you’ll lose 
him one of these days. You can’t ex¬ 
pect to retain a Csesar, a Napoleon, 
or a Lincoln in a rural school, can 
you?” 
“I don’t know about that,” said the 
colonel. “The great opportunity for 
such a Brown Mouse may be in this 
very school, right now. He’d have as 
big an army right here as Socrates 
ever had. The Brown Mouse is the 
only judge of his own proper place.” 
“I think,” said Mrs. Brathwayt, as 
they motored back to the school, “that 
your country schoolmaster is rather 
terrible. The way he crushed that Mr. 
Carmichael was positively merciless. 
Did he know how cruel he was?” 
“I think not,” said Jennie. “It was 
the truth that crushed Mr. Car¬ 
michael.” 
“But that vote of thanks,” said Mrs. 
Brathwayt. “Surely that was the bit¬ 
terest irony.” 
“I wonder if it was,” said Jennie. 
“No, I am sure it wasn’t. He wanted 
to leave the children thinking as well 
as possible of their victim, and espe¬ 
cially of Mr. Bonner; and there was 
really something in Mr. Carmichael’s 
talk which could be praised. I have 
known Jim Irwin since we were both 
children, and I feel sure that if he had 
had any idea that his treatment of this 
man had been unnecessarily cruel, it 
would have given him a lot of pain.” 
“My dear,” said Mrs. Brathwayt, “I 
think you are to be congratulated for 
{Continued on page 167) 
Proof Against 
Weather, 
Fire, Water,* 
Lightning 
We can furnish for immediate de¬ 
livery any style of the Penco roof¬ 
ing or siding, painted or galvanized. 
Furnished in CORRUGATED, V- 
Crimp Standing Seam, Loxon Tile, 
etc., for roofing. Brick, Clapboard, 
Stone Face, Beaded, etc., for siding. 
There is a special Penco metal ceil¬ 
ing for every purpose. 
Send for catalogue for Metal Lath, 
Corner Bead, Culverts, Bridge 
Arches, Gutters, Leaders, 
Ventilators, Skylights. 
PENN METAL COMPANY 
110 First St., JERSEY CITY, N. J. 
also 
25th & Wharton Sts., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
Write your nearest office 
MILK CANS 
20-30-40 qt. 
sizes 
We sell only 
makes of high 
quality — yet 
our prices are 
reasonable. 
Progressive 
dairymen have 
bought sup- 
pi i e s and 
equipment 
from us since 
1889. 
J. S. BIESECKER 
Creamery, Dairy and Dairy 
Barn Equipment 
59 Murray St. New York City 
DO YOU KNOW THAT ONE-THIRD POUND 
OF STRUVEN’S FISH MEAL TO THREE 
POUNDS OF CORN WILL MAKE 
1X POUNDS OF PORK— 
While it takes 9 pounds of corn alone to make I 
pound of pork ? 
STRUVEN’S FISH MEAL is the ideal feed 
supplement—-proved by test to surpass any other 
form. Only protein concentrate containing a 
large percentage of bone phosphate of lime. 
Cheaper and better than animal protein con¬ 
centrates. 
Send for free feeding instructions and samples. 
CHARLES M. STRUVEN & CO. 
114-C S. Fredericks!., BALTIMORE, MD. 
SAVE HALF 
Your Paint Bills 
USE INGERSOLL PAINT 
PROVED BEST by 80 years’ use. It will please 
you. The ONLY PAINT endorsed by the 
“GRANGE” for 47 years. 
Made in all colors—for all purposes. 
Get my FREE DELIVERY offer 
From Factory Direct to You at Wholesale Prices. 
INGERSOLL PAINT BOOK-FREE 
Tells all about Paint and Painting for Durability. Valu¬ 
able information FREE TO YOU with Sample Cards. 
Write me. DO IT NOW. I WILL SAVE YOU MONEY. 
Oldest Ready Mixed Paint House in America—Estab. 1842 
0. W. IngersoII, 252 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
