On protecting her form as much as her indelicate disposition required—and that was not much—she flung the door open and savagely asked:
"What's wanted?"
"Ef you keep a man skivering and frozing to died mit der vind und schnow-vlakes, I guess mebby I charge more as ten dollars a don for 'em!"
He was all smiles at first, but he resented her brusque manner as swiftly and severely as he could with his broken brogue. He was an honest, broad-shouldered, big-headed German farmer, and though wrapped and wound from head to foot in woollens, the only thing that seemed warm about him was his glowing pipe and his disturbed temper. He shook his head at the woman, and again began a stammering recital of his wrongs, when she cut him short with:
"You're crazy!"
"Grazy? Of I make a foolishness of a fellar like as you do—well, dot's all right!" and he stood up very straight and puffed great clouds of smoke past her into her elegant room.
She had got a stolid customer on hand, and she saw it. So she asked him civilly what he wanted at her door.
"Yust told me vere ish der parn, und I don't trouble you no more."
"Whose barn?"
"Vere der hay goes."