"Oh, Uncle Daniel!" exclaimed Freddie, just then running up from the cellar. "Come and see my ark! It's most done, and I'm going to put all the animals and things in it to save them from the flood.""An ark!" exclaimed his uncle, laughing. "Well, you're a sensible little fellow to build an ark to-day, Freddie, for we will surely need one if this keeps up," and away they went to examine the raft Freddie had actually nailed together in the cellar.
That was an awful night in Meadow Brook, and few people went to bed, staying up instead to watch the danger of the flood. The men took turns walking along the pond bank all night long, and their low call each hour seemed to strike terror in the hearts of those who were in danger.
The men carried lanterns, and the little specks of light were all that could be seen through the darkness.
Mrs. Burns had refused to leave her home.
"I will stay as long as I can," she told Uncle Daniel. "I have lived here many a year, and that dam has not broken yet, so I'm not going to give up hope now!""But you could hardly get out in time should it break," insisted Uncle Daniel, "and you know we have plenty of room and you are welcome with us."Still she insisted on staying, and each hour when the watchman would call from the pond bank, just like they used to do in old war-times: "Two o'clock - and - all is - well!" Mrs. Burns would look up and say, "Dear Lord, I thank Thee!"Peter, of course, was out with the men. He could not move his barns and chicken house, but he had taken his cow and horse to places of safety.
There were other families along the road in danger as well as the Burnses, but they were not so near the dam, and would get some warning to escape before the flood could reach them should the dam burst.
How the water roared! And how awfully dark it was! Would morning evercome?
"Four o'clock - the water rises!" shouted the men from the bank. "Here, Mary!" called Peter Burns at the door of their little home, "youputyour shawl on and run up the road as fast as you can!Don't wait to takeanything, but go!""Oh, my babies' pictures!" she cried. "My dear babies! I must have them."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 [sic] 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 theawful rain.
Not one man in the crowd dared to run up that pond bank and look over thegates!
"It's pretty strong!" said the watchman. "I expected to hear it crash an hour ago!"There was another crash!
"There she goes!" said Mr. Burns, and then nobody spoke.
