ly the long bridge caved in and went down well past
the middle with a tremendous crashing and snapping and roaring, sparks
and flames shooting still higher than before, the burning timbers
hissing and sending up a great cloud of steam as they fell into the
river.

Miss Elting, grown dizzy at thought of Harriet, had stumbled and
fallen. Jane McCarthy quickly raised and dragged the guardian away.

"Harriet!" shouted Miss Elting.

The frightened girls took up the cry, but there was no answer. Harriet
had gone down with the burning bridge.

CHAPTER VI

THEIR TROUBLES MULTIPLY

Miss Elting and Jane McCarthy had climbed down the embankment, and,
standing at the river's edge, scanned the water with pale faces and
anxious eyes. Dark shapes drifted past them, shapes that caused them
to start apprehensively as they caught sight of them.

Nearly all of the bridge that had been on fire was now in the water.
The structure had broken off short, taking most of the fire with it
into the river. The broken end, still in the air, glowed here and
there, the glowing spots fading and dying out one by one. Of this the
two women saw nothing. They were heavy with anxiety. It did not seem
to them possible that Harriet Burrell could have escaped alive. Janus
and Jim, who had run to the river bank, were now plunging here and
there, stumbling, groping, wading or swimming about in the river to
have a look at some bit of wreckage that resembled a human form. They
believed that Harriet had been swept down to her death with the burning
bridge.

All at once Jane raised her voice in the cry of the Meadow-Brook Girls.
"Hoo-e-e-e!" she called shrilly. But no answering cry from the missing
girl relieved their suspense.

"I'm afraid we can do no more," said Miss Elting with a catch in her
voice. "Oh, why did I leave her? Why did I not insist on Harriet's
leaving that awful place with me?"

"You couldn't help it," soothed Jane. "But you mark me, Miss Elting,
Harriet is alive and sound, just like the rest of us. You leave it to
Harriet Burrell to take care of herself. I tell you it's all right.
Hoo-e-e-e-e!"

"Don't! Oh, don't!" begged the guardian.

"Why not? She'll hear me and she'll know which way to go when she
comes up from the water," answered Crazy Jane breezily. She was
putting on a brave show of cheerfulness, and somehow this cheerfulness
began to take hold of Miss Elting. Her shattered hopes began to rise;
sh