The girls scurried through the door and he closed it behind them. Barely had they reached shelter when the wind struck the house in full force, fairly shaking it to its foundation. Windows rattled, a tree bough came crashing down on the porch, the air was filled with flying debris.
As a hard object shattered a pane of glass, Penny and Louise heard a terrified scream from the kitchen. A moment later a girl ran into the room. She stopped short as she saw Penny and Louise. They also stared, for it was Tillie Fellows.
“Stop that silly screeching!” Fenestra ordered sharply. “The center of the storm is passing to the south. Now get back to your work!”
“Yes, sir,” Tillie mumbled.
Still gazing at Penny and Louise, she slowly retreated. However, as Peter Fenestra went to the window, turning his back, she made strange signs to the girls which they were unable to understand. Obviously she did not wish them to speak to her for she raised a finger to her lips, indicative of silence.
A gate was wrenched from its hinges and carried across the yard. From across the road came the crash of an uprooted tree. With a stifled scream Tillie fled to the kitchen.
“That stupid girl drives me crazy,” Fenestra muttered. “I don’t know why I ever hired her.”
“You can’t blame her for being frightened,” declared Louise quickly. “This is a dreadful storm.”
“The worst is over now,” said Fenestra. “You’ll be able to go in a few minutes.”
Penny and Louise glanced at each other. Peter Fenestra’s remark made it very clear that he did not wish them to linger after the storm had passed. Without inviting them to sit down, he nervously went from window to window, watching the clouds.