sharply that the girl cried out.

"Oh, Nelson, it's like hail!" she gasped.

A vivid flash of lightning cleaved the cloud; the thunder-peal drowned
the schoolmaster's reply. But Janice felt herself fairly caught up in
his arms and he mounted some steps quickly. A voice shouted:

"Bring her right this way, school teacher! Right in here!"

It was Lem Parraday's voice. They had mounted the side porch of the
Inn and when Janice opened her eyes she was in the barroom. The
proprietor of the Inn slammed to the door against the thunderous rush
of the breaking storm. The rain dashed in torrents against the house.
The blue flashes of electricity streaked the windows constantly, while
the roll and roar of the thunder almost deafened those in the darkened
barroom.

Joe Bodley was behind the bar briskly serving customers. He nodded
familiarly to Janice, and said:

"Bad storm, Miss. Glad to see you. You ain't entirely a stranger
here, eh?"

"Shut up, Joe!" commanded Mr. Parraday, as Janice flushed and the
schoolmaster took a threatening step toward the bar.

"Oh, all right, Boss," giggled the barkeeper. "What's yours, Mister?"
he asked Nelson Haley.

A remarkable clap of thunder drowned Nelson's reply. Perhaps it was as
well. And as the heavy roll of the report died away, they heard a
series of shrieks somewhere in the upper part of the house.

"What in good gracious is the matter now?" gasped Lem Parraday,
hastening out of the barroom.

Again a blinding flash of light lit up the room for an instant. It
played upon the fat features of Joe Bodley--pallidly upon the faces of
his customers. Some of them had shrunk away from the bar; some were
ashamed to be seen there by Janice and the schoolmaster.

The thunder discharged another rolling report, shaking the house in its
wrath. The rain beat down in torrents. Janice and Nelson could not
leave the place while the storm was at its height, and for the moment,
neither thought of going into the dining room.

Again and again the lightning flashed and the thunder broke above the
tavern. It was almost as though the fury of the tempest was centered
at the Lake View Inn. Janice, frankly clinging to Nelson's hand,
cowered when the tempest rose to these extreme heights.

Echoing another peal of thunder once again a scream from within the
house startled the girl. "Oh, Nelson! what's that?"

"Gee! I believe Marm Parraday's on the rampage," exclaimed Joe Bodley,
w