rly across
the floor, and in a few moments, as they faced the sun, it ceased to
shine in from the right. Immediately afterward it shone in at the
left-hand windows and circled slowly around until again they were in
shadow with the sun behind them.

Droop took out his watch and timed their revolutions by the sun's
progress from window to window.

"'Bout one to the minute," he remarked. "Guess I'll speed her up a
mite."

Carefully he regulated the speed, timing their revolutions accurately.

"There!" he said at length. "I guess that's pretty nigh two to the
minute. D'ye feel any side weight?" he said, addressing his companions.

"No," said Rebecca.

Phoebe shook her head.

"You manage right well, Mr. Droop," she said. "You must have practised a
good deal."

"Oh, not much," he replied, greatly pleased. "The future man showed me
how to work it three--four times. It's simple 'nough when ye understand
the principles."

These remarks brought a new idea to Rebecca's mind.

"Why, Mr. Droop," she exclaimed, "whatever's the use o' you goin' back
to 1876! Why don't ye jest set up as the inventor o' this machine? I'm
sure thet ought to make yer everlastin' fortune!"

"Oh, I thought o' that," he said. "But it's one thing to know how to
work a thing an' it's a sight different to know how it's made an' all
that. The future man tried to explain all the new scientific principles
that was mixed into it--fer makin' power an' all--but I couldn't
understand that part at all."

"An' besides," exclaimed Phoebe, "it's a heap more fun to be the only
ones can use the thing, I think."

"Yes--seems like fun's all we're thinkin' of," said Rebecca, rising and
moving toward the kitchen. "We're jest settin' round doin' nothin'. I'll
finish with the breakfast things if you'll put to rights and dust,
Phoebe. We can't make beds till night with the windows tight shut."

These suggestions were followed by the two women, while Droop, picking
up the newspaper which Rebecca had brought, sat down to read.

After a long term of quiet reading, his attention was distracted by
Rebecca's voice.

"I declare to goodness, Phoebe!" she was saying. "Seems's if every
chance you get, you go to readin' those old letters."

"Well, the's one or two that's spelled so funny and written so badly
that I haven't been able yet to read them," Phoebe replied.

Droop looked over his paper. Phoebe and her sister were seated near
one of the windows on the opposit