“Won’t look so sad when you get her hot and begin to turn her over,” said John.
Thane said nothing. Having examined the machinery and the furnace thoughtfully he stood for a long time surveying the mill as a whole. There was no inventory to speak of. The raw material, which was bar iron bought outside, had been worked up clean. They looked into the small sheds and then it began to be dark. As they drove away Thane spoke. It was the first word he had uttered.
“When do we start up?”
“Right away,” said John. “I’ll contract some iron tomorrow.”
“Give me a couple of weeks,” said Thane. “There’s a lot to be done to that place.”
“What?”
“She’s all upside down,” he said. “The stuff ain’t moving right. No wonder they had to shut up.”
That night at supper Agnes questioned her puddler.
“What is your mill like?”
“A one horse thing.”