arrangement, and
begun at once to amuse themselves. Ollie's papa soon came back, bringing
with him a bag for Lucy, which contained everything that she could
possibly want during the night.

The wind, instead of abating, increased in fury. It roared and screamed
about the house like an angry wild beast. It caught up the clothes which
old Milly had spread upon the grass to bleach, and whirled them round
and round in circles over the house, and carried them off no one knew
where. It seized the old bucket which hung in the well, and swung it
back and forth with such force that no one dared go near enough to
fasten it.

At eight o'clock the children went to bed, and in spite of the wind they
were soon sleeping soundly. All was still within the house, and both
Lucy and Ollie were too much used to storms on the sea-shore to be
disturbed by them.

Suddenly, however, Lucy started from her bed. What was that sound?
surely it was the slamming of the front door. While she was listening
she saw something which made her heart beat fast. It was a rocket which
shot by her window. Another and another followed. Lucy sprang out of bed
and began to dress. There was hardly a child in Spehunket who did not
know the terrible meaning of the rocket soaring into the air in the
dead of night.

[Illustration: Lucy wakes up Ollie]

Lucy hastily slipped on her clothes, and then, going back to the bed,
she took Ollie's hand and called softly,

"Ollie, Ollie! wake up. There is a wreck, and I think some of the people
have gone down to the beach. Don't you want to go too?"

Ollie started up, looking frightened at being so suddenly roused. "What
is it? what is it?" she asked excitedly. "What is the matter?"

"There is a wreck, Ollie," said Lucy, "and the men at the life-saving
station are hard at work. Oh, Ollie! just think of the poor things
clinging to the ship, and expecting every moment to go down! I must go
down there and see if I can't do something to help."

By this time Ollie was wide awake, and as interested as Lucy. It did not
take her long to dress, and in a few minutes they went softly
down-stairs. Mrs. Rogers' bed-room door was open, and upon looking in
the children saw that Ollie's papa and mamma had gone to the beach. As
there was no one of whom they could ask permission, each little girl
wrapped herself warmly in a woollen shawl, and drawing the bolt of the
kitchen door they stepped out into the night.

It was two o'clock, a