.
With another string of mutterings, he limped across the yard to the
tractor shed for a gas can. Back in the pumphouse, he poured the engine
tank full, set the gas can aside and then, after priming the
carburetor, yanked on the starter pull rope. The engine caught with a
spluttering roar and began racing madly. Barney lunged for the throttle
and cut it back to idle, but even then, the engine was running at near
full speed. Then Barney noticed the white fluid running down the side
of the engine tank and dripping from the spout of the gasoline can. He
grinned broadly, cut in the pump clutch and hurriedly limped across the
yard to the kitchen.

"Hey, Johnny," he called, "did you put that milk o' Sally's into a gas
can?"

Johnny leaned through the open kitchen window. "Yeh, why?"

"Well, I just filled the kicker with it by accident, and man, you orter
hear that engine run," Barney exclaimed. "Come see."

Johnny swung his legs through the window and dropped lightly to the
yard. The two men were halfway across the yard from the pumphouse when
a loud explosion ripped the building. Parts of the pump engine flew
through the thin walls like shrapnel. A billowing cloud of purple smoke
welled out of the ruptured building as Johnny and Barney flattened
themselves against the hot, packed earth. Flames licked up from the
pump shed. The men ran for the horse trough and grabbing pails of
water, raced for the pumphouse. The fire had just started into the
wooden walls of the building and a few splashes of water doused the
flames.

They eyed the ruins of the gasoline engine. "Holy cow," Johnny
exclaimed, "that stuff blew the engine right apart." He gazed up at the
holes in the pumphouse roof. "Blew the cylinders and head right out the
roof. Holy cow!"

Barney was pawing at the pump and electric motor. "Didn't seem to hurt
the pump none. Guess we better get that 'lectric line fixed though, now
that we ain't got no more gas engine."

The two men went to work on the pump motor. The broken line outside the
building was spliced and twenty minutes later, Johnny threw the AC
switch. The big, electric motor spun into action and settled into a
workmanlike hum. The overhead light dimmed briefly when the pump load
was thrown on and then the slip-slap sound of the pump filled the shed.
They watched and listened for a couple of minutes. Assured that the
pump was working satisfactorily, they left the wrecked pumphouse.

Johnny was carrying t