Answer:
The house`s footing makes the sound as it grits in the wind
Step-by-step explanation:
In the introduction to the story, the narrator wonders what causes the sound that she hears. The first assumption was that it might have been something in her dream and that it was not a real sound. Then a sneaky thought crawls into her mind making her wonder if there is maybe a robber in the house. Finally, she listens to it a little bit more carefully and comes to a realization that the sound is just footing`s gritting caused by the wind.