inner room, when a voice said:

"Please, are you the windmill man?"

Jed started, turned again, and stared about him.

"Please, sir, here I am," said the voice.

Jed, looking down, instead of up or on a level, saw his visitor
then. That is, he saw a tumbled shock of curls and a pair of big
round eyes looking up at him over a stock of weather vanes.

"Hello!" he exclaimed, in surprise.

The curls and eyes came out from behind the stack of vanes. They
were parts of a little girl, and the little girl made him a demure
little courtesy.

"How do you do?" she said.

Jed regarded her in silence for a moment. Then, "Why, I'm fair to
middlin' smart just at present," he drawled. "How do YOU find
yourself to-day?"

The young lady's answer was prompt and to the point. "I'm nicely,
thank you," she replied, and added: "I was sick at my stomach
yesterday, though."

This bit of personal information being quite unexpected, Mr.
Winslow scarcely knew what comment to make in reply to it.