ook up and say,
"Dear Lord, I thank Thee!"

Peter, of course, was out with the men. He could not move his barns and
chicken house, but he had taken his cow and horse to places of safety.

There were other families along the road in danger as well as the
Burnses, but they were not so near the dam, and would get some warning
to escape before the flood could reach them should the dam burst.

How the water roared! And how awfully dark it was! Would morning ever
come?

"Four o'clock--the water rises!" shouted the men from the bank.

"Here, Mary!" called Peter Burns at the door of their little home, "you
put your shawl on and run up the road as fast as you can! Don't wait to
take anything, but go!"

"Oh, my babies' pictures!" she cried. "My dear babies! I must have
them."

The poor frightened little woman rushed about the house looking for the
much-prized pictures of her babies that were in heaven.

"It's a good thing they all have a safe home to-night," she thought,
"for their mother could not give them safety if they were here."

"Come, Mary!" called Peter, outside. "That dam is swaying like a
tree-top, and it will go over any minute." With one last look at the
little home Mrs. Burns went out and closed the door.

Outside there were people from all along the road. Some driven out of
their homes in alarm, others having turned out to help their neighbors.

The watchmen had left the bank. A torrent from the dam would surely
wash that away, and brave as the men were they could not watch the
flood any longer.

"Get past the willows quick!" called the men. "Let everybody who is not
needed hurry up the road!"

Mr. Mason, Mr. Hopkins, Uncle Daniel, and John, besides Peter Burns,
were the men most active in the life-saving work. There were not many
boats to be had, but what there were had been brought inland early in
the day, for otherwise they would have been washed away long before
down the stream into the river.

"What's that?" called Uncle Daniel, as there was a heavy crash over
near the gates.

Then everybody listened breathless.

It was just coming daylight, and the first streak of dawn saw the end
of the awful rain.

Not one man in the crowd dared to run up that pond bank and look over
the gates!

"It's pretty strong!" said the watchman. "I expected to hear it crash
an hour ago!"

There was another crash!

"There she goes!" said Mr. Burns, and then nobody spoke.

CHAPTER XVII

A TOWN AFLOAT