e waitress, Delia, in drawing the oil into a small can to be carried
into the house, had yielded to Zaidee's entreaty, and had let her turn
that fascinating little spigot. After that the twins made several
private expeditions to the barrel, but as the spigot was kept locked, of
course they could not turn it. It chanced that this morning Delia had
drawn the oil in a hurry, and had forgotten to turn the catch in the
spigot that locked it.

Zaidee and Helen, prowling around for something to do, chanced to come
past the barrel, and Zaidee tried the faucet. To their rapture a
spurting stream of oil instantly poured out. An old dipper, lying near
by, was immediately seized upon, as something to fill, and all the
flower beds that were near by were well watered with kerosene. Next,
they spied a small churn, which Bridget, the cook, had just put out in
the sun to dry. This was an opportunity not to be neglected, and the
next dipperful of kerosene went splash into Bridget's clean, white
churn. Up and down went the dasher, worked by these eager hands, while,
behind them, the kerosene still poured from the barrel.

"Yes, they're all right," repeated Eunice. "They're only working the
churn-dasher up and down. Probably Bridget left some water in it to
soak."

"Come over here," called Zaidee, hospitably.

"We're making butter, Eunice."

Eunice drew a little nearer, then, suddenly, she stopped, sniffed, and
darted forward.

"Children, what _have_ you there?"

"Caroseme," responded Zaidee, promptly. "We drawed it from the pretty
little fountain in the barrel."

Eunice turned hastily towards the "caroseme" barrel, then flew towards
it. As the barrel had been lately filled there was plenty in it, still,
and it was flowing merrily, while a pool of kerosene lay over the board
floor.

"Goodness gracious me! How shall I ever get in there to turn it off?"
cried Eunice. "I _can't_ step in it?"

"Let Zaidee do it. She's soaking already with it. Zaidee, come here,
directly, and turn this kerosene off."

Zaidee came up cheerfully, and waded in, regardless of her shoes.

"It's too bad to turn it off, when it looks so pretty," she said,
regretfully.

"You are naughty children," said Eunice, severely, arraying the guilty
twins before her, when this was done. "Whatever shall I do with you? I
can't take you, all dripping like that, into the house to Eliza, because
she's with Kenneth, and auntie's lying down, and I don't suppose Delia