al at the Circle T.

But not for long.

Five days after Sally's ignominious dismissal from the armed forces, a
staff car came racing up to the ranch. It skidded to a halt at the
back-porch steps. Dr. Peterson jumped out and dashed up to the kitchen
door.

"Well, for heaven's sake," Hetty cried. "Come on in, sonny. I ain't
seen you for the longest spell."

Peterson entered and looked around.

"Where's Johnny, Mrs. Thompson?" he asked excitedly. "I've got some
wonderful news."

"Now ain't that nice," Hetty exclaimed. "Your wife have a new baby or
something? Johnny's down at the barn. I'll call him for you." She moved
towards the door.

"Never mind," Peterson said, darting out the door, "I'll go down to the
barn." He jumped from the porch and ran across the yard.

He found Johnny in the barn, rigging a new block and tackle for the
hayloft. Barney was helping thread the new, manila line from a coil on
the straw-littered floor.

"Johnny, we've found it," Peterson shouted jubilantly as he burst into
the barn.

"Why, Doc, good to see you again," Johnny said. "Found what?"

"The secret of Sally's milk," Peterson cried. He looked wildly around
the barn. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Sally, of course," the scientist yelped.

"Oh, she's down in the lower pasture with Queenie," Johnny replied.

"She's all right, isn't she?" Peterson asked anxiously.

"Oh, sure, she's fine, Doc. Why?"

"Listen," Peterson said hurriedly, "our people think they've stumbled
on something. Now we still don't know what's in those eggs or in
Sally's milk that make them react as they do. All we've been able to
find is some strange isotope but we don't know how to reproduce it or
synthesize it.

"But we do think we know what made Sally give that milk and made those
hens start laying the gold eggs."

Johnny and Barney laid down their work and motioned the excited
scientist to join them on a bench against the horse stalls.

"Do you remember the day Sally came fresh?" Peterson continued.

"Not exactly," Johnny replied, "but I could look it up in my journal. I
keep a good record of things like new registered stock births."

"Never mind," Peterson said. "I've already checked. It was May 9th."

He paused and smiled triumphantly.

"I guess that's right if you say so," Johnny said. "But what about it?"

"And that was the same day that the hens laid the first golden egg too,
wasn't it?" Peterson asked.

"Why it sure was, Doc," Barney ch