Part 24 (1/2)

The poor frightened little woman rushed about the house looking for the much-prized pictures of her babies that were in heaven.

”It's a good thing they all have a safe home to-night,” she thought, ”for their mother could not give them safety if they were here.”

”Come, Mary!” called Peter, outside. ”That dam is swaying like a tree-top, and it will go over any minute.” With one last look at the little home Mrs. Burns went out and closed the door.

Outside there were people from all along the road. Some driven out of their homes in alarm, others having turned out to help their neighbors.

The watchmen had left the bank. A torrent from the dam would surely wash that away, and brave as the men were they could not watch the flood any longer.

”Get past the willows quick!” called the men. ”Let everybody who is not needed hurry up the road!”

Mr. Mason, Mr. Hopkins, Uncle Daniel, and John, besides Peter Burns, were the men most active in the life-saving work. There were not many boats to be had, but what there were had been brought inland early in the day, for otherwise they would have been washed away long before down the stream into the river.

”What's that?” called Uncle Daniel, as there was a heavy crash over near the gates.

Then everybody listened breathless.

It was just coming daylight, and the first streak of dawn saw the end of the awful rain.

Not one man in the crowd dared to run up that pond bank and look over the gates!

”It's pretty strong!” said the watchman. ”I expected to hear it crash an hour ago!”

There was another cras.h.!.+

”There she goes!” said Mr. Burns, and then n.o.body spoke.

CHAPTER XVII

A TOWN AFLOAT

”Is she going?” asked Uncle Daniel at last, after a wait of several minutes.

Daylight was there now; and was ever dawn more welcome in Meadow Brook!

”I'll go up to the pipes,” volunteered John. ”And I can see from there.”

Now, the pipes were great water conduits, the immense black iron kind that are used for carrying water into cities from reservoirs. They were situated quite a way from the dam, but as it was daylight John could see the gates as he stood on the pipes that crossed above the pond.

Usually boys could walk across these pipes in safety, as they were far above the water, but the flood had raised the stream so that the water just reached the pipes, and John had to be careful.

”What's that?” he said, as he looked down the raging stream.

”Something lies across the dam!” he shouted to the anxious listeners.

This was enough. In another minute every man was on the pond bank.

”The big elm!” they shouted. ”It has saved the dam!”

What a wonderful thing had happened! The giant elm tree that for so many, many years had stood on the edge of the stream, was in this great flood washed away, and as it crossed the dam it broke the force of the torrent, really making another waterfall.