dances and singing school, and also
skated with winters.

"If I had a friend who owned a good motorboat now," said Steve, between
his set teeth, "I give you my word I'd like to borrow the same."

"W-w-what for?" demanded Toby, appalled at the thought of any one
venturing out on that swirling river in a puny powerboat.

"I'd take chances, and run down below to see if I could be of any help
to the folks there," Steve went on to say, gloomily; "but I don't know
anybody that I might borrow even a skiff from."

"Yes, and if you did, the chances are he'd think twice before loaning
you his boat," Max told him. "In the first place he'd expect you to
snag the craft, and sink the same, because you do everything with such
a rush and whoop. And then again, the way things look around here
every boat that's owned within five miles of town will be needed to
rescue people from second-story windows before to-morrow night."

"D-d-do you think it's g-g-going to be as b-b-bad as all that, Max?"

"I'm afraid so, Toby, if half of all that rain gets here, with the
river more than out of its banks now. But, Steve, I wouldn't worry
about the girls if I were you. Long before this Bessie's relatives
have taken the horses, and made for the higher ground of the hills.
Even if you did manage to get down there you'd find the house empty,
and have all your work for nothing."

Steve did not answer, but his face remained unusually serious for a
long time, since he was doubtless picturing all sorts of terrible
things happening to the girls who were visiting down the river.

As the morning advanced more and more discouraging reports kept
circulating through the stricken town. The river was rising at a rate
that promised to cause its waves to lap the roadway of the bridge by
night-time; and everybody believed this structure was bound to go out
before another dawn.

It was about the middle of the morning when the four chums, in
wandering around bent on seeing everything that was going on during
such exciting times, came upon a scene that aroused their immediate
indignation.

Several rough half-grown young rowdies had pretended to offer to assist
a poor old crippled storekeeper remove his stock of candies and cakes
from the threatened invasion of the waters, already lapping his door
and creeping across the floor of his little shop. Their intentions
however were of a far different character, for they had commenced to
pounce upon the daintie