imed in. "I remember, cause Miz
Thompson was so mad that the milk was bad and the eggs went wrong both
in the same day."

"That's what we know. Now listen to this, Johnny," the scientist
continued. "During the night of May 8th, we fired an entirely new kind
of test shot on the range. I can't tell you what it was, only to say
that it was a special atomic device that even we didn't know too much
about. That's why we fired it from a cave in the side of a hill down
there.

"Since then, our people have been working on the pretty good assumption
that something happened to that cow and those chickens not too long
before they started giving the Eggnog ingredients. Someone remembered
the experimental test shot, checked the date and then went out and had
a look at the cave. We already had some earlier suspicions that this
device produced a new type of beam ray. We took sightings from the
cave, found them to be in a direct, unbroken line with the Circle T. We
set up the device again and using a very small model, tried it out on
some chick embryos. Sure enough, we got a mutation. But not the right
kind.

"So we're going to recreate the entire situation right here, only this
time, we're going to expose not only Sally but a dozen other Guernseys
from as close to her blood line as we can get.

"And we already knew that you had a young rooster sired by Solomon."

"But, Doc," Johnny protested. "Sally had a calf early that morning.
Isn't that going to make a difference?"

"Of course it is," Peterson exclaimed. "And she's going to have another
one the same way. And so are all the other cows. You're the one that
told me she had her calf by artificial insemination, didn't you?"

Johnny nodded.

"Well, then she's going to have another calf from the same bull and so
will the other cows."

"Pore Sally," Barney said sorrowfully. "They're sure takin' the romance
outta motherhood for you."

* * * * *

The next day the guards were back on the gate. By midafternoon twelve
fine young Guernseys arrived, together with a corps of veterinarians,
biologists and security police. By nightfall, Sally and her companions
were all once again in a "delicate condition."

A mile from the ranch house, a dormitory was built for the
veterinarians and biologists and a barracks thrown up for the security
guards. A thirty-five thousand dollar, twelve-foot high chain link
fence, topped by barbed wire, was construc