"

"Oh, I reckon the creek isn't much up yet," answered Harvey. "Miles is
easily frightened."

So, on they rode, hoping for the best; but when they reached the creek
they saw, to their dismay, that the water was much higher already than
it usually rose in the summer-time. The low grounds on each side were
overflowed, and nothing could be seen of the bridge but the tops of two
upright timbers near its middle.

It was certainly very unfortunate that both the operators were on the
same side of the stream!

"This is a pretty piece of business," cried Harry. "I didn't expect the
creek to get up so quickly as this. I was down here yesterday, and it
hadn't risen at all. I tell you, Harvey, you ought to live on the other
side."

"Or else you ought," said Harvey.

"No," said Harry; "this is my station."

Harvey had no answer ready for this, but as they were hurriedly
fastening Selim and the mule to trees near Lewston's cabin, he said:

"Perhaps Mr. Lyons may come down and work the other end of the line."

"He can't get off," said Harry. "He has his own office to attend to.
And, besides, that wouldn't do. We must work our own line, especially at
the very beginning. It would look nice--now, wouldn't it?--to wait
until Mr. Lyons could come over from Hetertown before we could commence
operations!"

"Well, what can we do?" asked Harvey.

"Why, one of us must get across, somehow."

"I don't see how it's going to be done," said Harvey, as they ran down
to the edge of the water. "I reckon we'll have to holler our messages
across, as Tony said; only there isn't anybody to holler to."

"I don't know how it's to be done either," said Harry; "but one of us
must get over, some way or other."

"Couldn't we wade to the bridge," asked Harvey, "and then walk over on
it? I don't believe it's more than up to our waists on the bridge."

"You don't know how deep it is," said Harry; "and when you get to the
bridge, ten to one more than half the planks have been floated off, and
you'd go slump to the bottom of the creek before you knew it. There's no
way but to get a boat."

"I don't know where you're going to find one," said Harvey. "There's a
boat up at the mill-pond, but you couldn't get it out and down here in
much less than a day."

"John Walker has his boat afloat again," said Harry, "but that's over on
the other side. What a nuisance it is that there isn't anybody over
there! If we didn't want 'em, there'd be about sixty o