ure put upon it and
collapsed. I'm afraid it has been a severe lesson to the officials of
the place for the chance they took has caused terrible damage."

"Were people killed?" asked Ted in an awed whisper.

"We have heard so--two or three who were trapped asleep in their
houses. As for the town, practically all the buildings that fronted the
river were destroyed. Of course, as yet we have not been able to get
very satisfactory details, for most of the wires were down and
communication was pretty well cut off. I suppose that is why they did
not notify us of our peril. People were probably too busy with their
own affairs, too intent on saving their own lives and possessions to
think of anything else. Then, too, the thing came suddenly. If there
hadn't been somebody awake here, I don't know where we should have
been. I don't see how you happened to be astir so early."

"Nor I," returned Ted modestly. "I think it must have been the sound of
the water coming in that woke me. I just happened to hear it."

"Well, it was an almighty fortunate happen--that is all I can say,"
asserted Mr. Hazen, as the boy sped down the stairs.

CHAPTER XVII

SURPRISES

During the next few days tidings of the Melton disaster proved the
truth of Mr. Hazen's charitable suppositions, for it was definitely
learned that the calamity which befell the village came entirely
without warning, and as the main part of the town was wiped out almost
completely and the river front destroyed, all communication between the
unfortunate settlement and the outside world had been cut off so that
to send warnings to the communities below had been impossible.
Considering the enormity of the catastrophe, it was miraculous that
there had not been greater loss of life and wider spread devastation.

A week of demoralization all along the river followed the tragedy; but
after the bulk of wreckage was cleared away and the stream had dropped
to normal, the Fernalds actually began to congratulate themselves on
the direful event.

"Well, the thing has not been all to the bad, by any means," commented
Grandfather Fernald. "We have at least got rid of those unsightly
tenements bordering the water which were such a blot on Freeman's
Falls; and once gone, I do not mean to allow them ever to be put back
again. I have bought up the land and shall use it as the site of the
new granite bridge I intend to build across the stream. And in case I
have more land than is