s till Nathan had a bright idea.

"Here! we'll scoop these warm oats over you. They're as warm as
toast--havin' th' blazin' sun on th' roof of this place all day."

The two men were alert for any signs of the old building toppling over
under the terrific pressure of the wind, and had kept pretty close to the
door; but they moved over in the direction of the two women, and using
their hands as shovels soon had them well covered with oats.

"There you are," Nathan shouted, when Susan had begged them to desist
because of the dust they were raising. "We'll set you folks a sproutin' if
heat an' moisture's got anything t' do with it," he continued.

He pulled some grain sacks out of the empty wheat bin and advised Luther
to wrap them around himself. "I'm some wet, myself," he announced, "but
I've got warm ragin' round here like a gopher. Now tell us how you folks
come t' get here in all this storm. What'd you do with th' horses?"

All this had been shouted at the top of his voice, for the wind rattled
and tore at the old building with the noise of a cannonade, as if
determined to wreck even this shelter. It was not possible to see one's
hand in the darkness, for when the door had been pulled shut after the
young couple, the last ray of light was shut out. Besides, night had
fallen now, and the darkness outside was no less dense.

Luther told in as few words as possible of the catastrophe which had
befallen them on the road.

"Why, Susan," Nathan exclaimed, "th' same twister struck them as struck
us! Now don't that beat you? Funny th' stables didn't go, too. That's th'
way with them things--they go along an' mow a patch a rod 'r two wide as
clean as a whistle, an' not touch a thing ten feet away. Lord man!" he
cried, turning toward Luther in the dark with a reminiscent giggle, "you
should 'a' seen us. Sue saw th' storm a-comin', an' she run out t' git th'
chickens in, an' nothin' 'd do 'er when she see th' way them clouds was a
actin' but I must come in, too. We didn't even milk! I never see anything
come on like it; we didn't hardly have time t' git th' winders shut till
we could hear it roarin'! Lord, you should 'a' heard it come! All at onct
it got dark, an' th' house begun t' rock; an' then it slid along on th'
ground, an' then it lifted clear up at th' northeast corner, an' we slid
down in a heap on th' other side along o' th' cupboards an' th' kitchen
table an' crocks we'd set out for th' milk we didn't get into 'em