Terry grabbed her sister by the arm. “What a house! It looks like a prison.”
Prim was trembling. “I don’t want to go in there. It’s spookey! I’d rather be cold outside in the fog.”
But at that moment a girl opened the door. From her face and figure one could not have told whether she was a boy or girl. Her straight hair was cut short and plastered down close to her head. Her face was angular with large features. Only her torn gingham dress proclaimed her a girl. Over her thin shoulders she wore a man’s coat, which added to the boyish appearance.
The girl’s face was pitifully sad. And when she saw Bud Hyslop, a look of distrust made her frown but this changed to a smile when she caught a glimpse of the two girls. She started forward as if to greet them, then hesitated as she looked once more at Bud.
But through the wide open door Terry and Prim caught sight of a glowing, old-fashioned fireplace.
“I’ve brought some friends of mine,” explained Bud. “They came on the same errand I did. Got caught in the fog and were forced down. This is Sally Wyn, girls. Now I’ll leave you to get acquainted and go and see Jim Heron.”
“I’m Terry Mapes, and this is my twin sister, Prim,” announced Terry. “I’m so glad to find a girl of our own age around here.”
Sally led the girls inside and offered them a chair, while she hurried to steep some tea over the glowing coals. In the gloomy interior the fire lit up Sally’s face. Her features were good. She looked kind and sweet. But the lines about her mouth were sad and bitter. The girls pitied her.
When Terry explained that they had just had their breakfast on the plateau, Sally looked so disappointed that they were forced to eat more. The tea and doughnuts tasted good.
While they were eating, a complaining voice called from the next room, “Get to work, Sally. What you doing now? Bring me a cup of tea.”