Thus recalled to his duties, he removed half of the wet meal to another pan, filled it with water, and set both pans on the stove.

Then he poured a stream of cold water into the coffee-pot, which by this time was almost red-hot.

The effect was as distressing as it was unexpected.

A cloud of scalding steam rushed up into his face and filled the room, the coffee-pot rolled to the floor with a clatter, and there was such a furious hissing and sputtering that poor Winn dropped his bucket of water and staggered towards the door, fully convinced that he was the victim of a boiler explosion.
When the cloud of steam cleared away, the boy ruefully surveyed the scene of disaster, and wondered what had gone wrong.

"I'm sure nothing of the kind ever happened in mother's kitchen," he said to himself.