leave him, and together they stumbled about in their search.
Darkness was falling rapidly, and they called first the name of Nathan,
and then of his wife, beside themselves because they could not find even a
trace of either to indicate their fate. Had the storm picked them up as it
had done Elizabeth and carried them out of the wreckage?

Luther stopped and shouted the thought into Elizabeth's ear. The wind
dropped for an instant, and they stood looking about the place as well as
the gloom would permit. The rain fell less noisily also. All at once they
heard their names called from somewhere toward the north. Turning, they
saw, what they had not noticed before, that the straw sheds and the
granary were untouched by the tornado.

"Here, Luther! Here, Lizzie!" came another call from the granary door.

Nathan Hornby, faintly seen, was shouting to them at the top of his voice.
A new dash of rain came, and the wind redoubled its fury as if vexed with
itself for having carelessly let the wayfarers get a glimpse of the
harbour where it would be unable to do them further harm. With a glad cry,
they ran toward the beckoning figure, and a second later Elizabeth was
lifted by Nathan and Luther into the open door of the bin-room, and
literally fell across the shifting grain into Aunt Susan's open arms,
sobbing and clinging to her as if fearing that the fierce winds would
snatch her away. The relief was almost too much for the girl.

"Aunt Susan! Aunt Susan! How could I live without you?" she sobbed.

Susan Hornby drew the horse blanket with which she was covered over the
shuddering child in her arms, and patted and soothed her, crying softly
for joy as she did so, for the fears of the last hour had been mutual. The
thought of her darling out in the storm, suffering she knew not what, had
unnerved Susan Hornby, and brought home to her as nothing else had ever
done a realization of the precious relation between them.

"My daughter! My daughter! My Katy's own self!" she repeated over and
over.

The reaction of fright and cold and wet brought on a chill which set
Elizabeth's teeth to chattering audibly. Aunt Susan was beside herself
with worry. Do what she would, the girl could not control herself. They
rubbed and worked with her for some minutes. Luther was alarmed and blamed
himself for having taken her out in threatening weather. Elizabeth
insisted that no harm had come to her except a wetting, but could not
convince the other