e of the road Code saw that he had been
mistaken in the location of the fire, for his mother's place was
intact. The flame was coming, however, from the house next but
one--Bijonah Tanner's place.

A crowd was gathering in the yard that was overgrown with dusty
wire-grass, and the squire was pushing his way through to take charge.
Code knew that only two days before Captain Bijonah and his wife had
sailed in the _Rosan_ to St. John's for lumber, leaving Nellie alone
in charge of the three small Tanners. He wondered where they all were
now.

He found his mother on the edge of the crowd that was helping to save
the furniture, and learned that Nellie and young Burns had already
arrived and were doing what they could.

From the first it was apparent that the place was doomed, for although
there were plenty of men eager to form a bucket brigade, the supply of
water was limited, and most of the buckets were at the larger fire.

But the squire was working wonders, and enlisted Code to help him.

In fifteen minutes the whole roof and attic were ablaze, and the men
turned their attention to wetting down the near walls of the houses on
each side. All the valuables and most of the simple furniture had been
saved.

At the earliest moment Schofield escaped from the squire and sought
out Nellie. He found her, hysterical, surrounded by a group of women,
and hovered over by Nat Burns. With each hand she held a child close
to her.

"Bige! Where is little Bige?" she was crying as Code came up. "Tom and
Mary are here, but I've lost Bige. Oh, Nat! Where is Bige?"

"Bless me if I know," stammered Burns weakly. "Last I saw of him he
was under that cherry-tree where you told him to stay until you got
the others. It wa'n't more'n five minutes ago I seen him there. He
must be around somewheres. I'll look."

Without another word he hurried off in a frantic search, looking to
left and right, behind every bush, and among the crowd, bellowing the
boy's name at the top of his voice.

Code walked up to the frantic girl and went straight to the point.

"Hello, Nellie!" he said. "Where do you cal'late little Bige might be?
I hear you've lost him."

"Yes, I have, Code. I stood him under that cherry-tree and told him
not to move. When I got back he was gone. He was seven, and just old
enough to run around by himself and investigate things. Oh, I'm so
afraid he's gone--"

"Listen!" Code's sharp, masterful tone put a sudden end to her
sob