Carson one windy night,
when the big round-top of a visiting circus blew down in a sudden gale,
and many of the menagerie animals were set free.

At the time of their home-coming the boys had certainly never
anticipated that there would be a renewal of activity in such a short
time. Why, it seemed that they had hardly become settled again at
their studies when the rapid rising of the Evergreen River on Friday
night brought the town of Carson face to face with a threatened
disaster that might yet be appalling.

"Does anybody know where Steve is?" asked Max, when they had been
observing the remarkable sights that were taking place all around them
for some little time, now laughing at some comical spectacle, and again
springing to help a little girl who was staggering under a heavy load,
or a woman who needed assistance, for all of them had generous hearts.

"He told me early this morning that his father had a dozen hands
employed carrying the stuff up out of the basement of the grocery store
and taking it to the second story," Bandy-legs replied.

"I wish I'd known that," remarked Max; "for I'd have offered to help,
because my house happens to be well up on the highest ground in town,
and nothing could hurt us, even if the reservoir did burst, which I
surely hope it won't."

They exchanged uneasy glances when Max mentioned the possibility of
that disaster coming upon the unhappy valley, which would suffer
seriously enough from the flood without that appalling happening coming
to pass.

"D-d-don't mention it, Max, p-p-please," said Toby, with a gloomy shake
of his head; "because while my f-f-folks might be out of d-d-danger
from a regular f-f-flood, if a monster wave of water came a
s-s-sweepin' along down here, it'd sure ketch us, and make our
p-p-place look like a howling wilderness."

"Same with me," added the third boy; "but I don't believe that
reservoir's goin' to play hob with things, like some people say.
They're shaking in their shoes right now about it; but if the new rain
that's aheadin' this way'd only get switched off the track I reckon
we'd manage to pull through here in Carson without a terrible loss.
I'd say go down and help Mr. Dowdy, Max, but I just heard a man tell
that everything in the cellar had been moved, and they were cleaning
out the lower floor so's not to take chances."

"But we might get around and see if we couldn't help somebody move,"
suggested Max; "it would be only play for us,