her, I saw where her daughter got her good looks. But the placidity
and cheerfulness of the younger face were entirely wanting in the
mother. Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks were red, her mouth was partly
opened, and it seemed to me that I could almost see that her breath was
hot.

"Is this your house?" she cried, the moment her eyes fell upon me.
"And what is it doing here?" I did not immediately answer, I looked at
the angry woman, and behind her I saw, through the open door, the
daughter crossing the hallway. It was plain that she had decided to
let me have it out with her mother without interference. As briefly
and as clearly as I could, I explained what had happened.

"What is all that to me?" she screamed. "It doesn't matter to me how
your house got here. There have been storms ever since the beginning
of the world, and I never heard of any of them taking a house into a
person's back yard. You ought not to have built your house where any
such thing could happen. But all this is nothing to me. I don't
understand now how your house did get here, and I don't want to
understand it. All I want is for you to take it away."

"I will do that, madam, just as soon as I can. You may be very sure I
will do that. But--"

"Can you do it now?" she asked. "Can you do it to-day? I don't want a
minute lost. I have not been outside to see what damage has been done,
but the first thing to do is to take your house away."

"I am going to the town now, madam, to summon assistance."

Mrs. Carson made no answer, but she turned and walked to the end of her
porch. There she suddenly gave a scream which quickly brought her
daughter from the house. "Kitty! Kitty!" cried her mother. "Do you
know what he has done? He has gone right over my round flower-garden.
His house is sitting on it this minute!"

"But he could not help it, mother," said Kitty.

"Help it!" exclaimed Mrs. Carson. "I didn't expect him to help it.
What I want--" Suddenly she stopped. Her eyes flashed brighter, her
mouth opened wider, and she became more and more excited as she noticed
the absence of the sheds, fences, or vegetable-beds which had found
themselves in the course of my all-destroying dwelling.

It was now well on in the morning, and some of the neighbors had become
aware of the strange disaster which had happened to me, although if
they had heard the news from Mrs. Carson they might have supposed that
it was a disaster which had ha