The White Crystals: Being an Account of the Adventures of Two BoysGaris, Howard Roger
General
The White Crystals: Being an Account of the Adventures of Two Boys
Garis, Howard Roger
Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Cousins -- Juvenile fiction; Farm life -- Juvenile fiction
"No, thank you," she replied. "I've eaten so much this last month I'm
afraid I'll turn into a bee," and she hurried back to the house with a
ringing laugh.
It was only four o'clock when the honey had all been packed ready for
shipment, and Mr. Kimball left to make arrangements for the trip
to-morrow. Adrian, for whom there was no more work that afternoon,
proposed to Roger that they take a walk to Truem Wright's grist mill. So
they tramped up the street to where the mill stood on the edge of a
pond.
They met quite a number of boys and girls carrying tin pails and books,
and most of the youngsters spoke to Adrian as he passed them.
"Where are they from?" asked Roger.
"School's out."
"Oh, sure enough. I'd almost forgotten there was such a thing. But don't
you go?"
"Not until winter sets in," said Adrian. "You see there's too much to do
about the farm, and then I'm pretty well along in what they teach here.
They're going to have a higher class for the older pupils in January,
and I'll start in then."
The boys soon came to the mill.
"Hello, Ade!" cried a man, who seemed to be covered from head to foot
with white dust. "Heard ye went fishin' yist'day," he went on. "Ketched
a whale, didn't ye?" and he laughed so heartily that he almost shook the
side of the building.
"Well, we did have some such luck," admitted Adrian. "But, say, Truem,
can we come in? Are you running now? This is my cousin Roger, from New
York."
"He were th' whale I were referrin' t'," said Mr. Wright, laughing
again.
Roger smiled and bowed to the dusty miller, who held out a huge white
hand for him to shake.
"Yep, come right in," said Mr. Wright, genially. "I'm grindin' a bit a'
flour fer George Bennett."
The boys advanced into the dusty place, which shook and trembled with
the whirring vibrations of the two big millstones. They watched these
spinning around, grinding the wheat into a fine, light dust.
"What power does he use?" asked Roger, who was somewhat surprised to see
no sign of an engine.
"Turbine water wheel," said Adrian. "Come along and I'll show you." He
led the way to where, at the bottom of a deep pit, the turbine roared
around and around with the weight and force of the water that fell on it
from above, a dam giving the necessary head. This furnished the power
for the entire mill. It was all very interesting to Roger, who had never
seen anything of the kind. Before he realized how quickly time passed,
it was almost the hour for supper, so he and Adrian raced home, both
bearing good appetites.
CHAPTER VI
A LOAD OF GRAPES
When the boys reached the house they found Mrs. Kimball just putting
supper on the table. There was a delicious smell, which Roger at first
did not recognize.
"Hurrah!" cried Adrian. "That's what I like!"
"What?"
"Fried chicken and corn bread. Can't anybody beat mother at that."
"Nor at anything else in the cooking line, I guess," agreed Roger.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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