Mara's father had been an eccentric artisan. (eccentric: unconventional, unusual, quirky) An armful of ribbon and a scrap of copper could enchant him for a week. (enchant: delight, captivate, charm) With an idiosyncratic flair he had made a weather vane that could indicate the wind and tip its hat at the same time. (idiosyncratic: individual, distinctive, peculiar) His obituary had missed the hat altogether. A scholarly account had called the device "an interesting manifestation of rural ingenuity." (scholarly: learned, academic, erudite; manifestation: expression, indication, sign)
The meteorologist wanted to keep it outdoors. The milliner wanted to ensconce it behind glass and preserve its whimsy. (ensconce: settle, install, lodge; whimsy: fancifulness, caprice, playful imagination) An art critic admired its eclecticism, the fusion of practical instrument and village joke. (eclecticism: eclectic method, selective borrowing, diversity; fusion: merger, union, combination) The roofers only wanted them to decide. Leaving it exposed to another gale would entail the loss of a wing. (entail: involve, require, necessitate)
Mara found the father's signature inside the copper hat. Beside it he had scratched, "Raise a hat to wind enough to lift it." The milliner supplied a loose-fitting new copper brim. The museum took the original into safekeeping. Back on the roof the old rooster gave his first bow in ten years. All three applicants bowed back.