Zenas Hutchings, were running about with buckets
of water, which were about as effective as trying to sweep the sea back
with a broom, so far as gaining any headway against the flames was
concerned.

Had the rain continued it might have been possible for the farm hands to
quell the blaze with the assistance of the elements; but the storm had
ceased almost as suddenly as it began, and only a few scattering drops
were now falling. Off to the southwest the sky was blue once more.

The farmer turned despairingly to the boys as they came running up.

"'Clare ter goodness if it ain't them kids ag'in," he exclaimed; "wa'al,
you ain't brought me nuthin' but bad luck so far as I kin see. Hyars a
hundred dollars' worth of hay goin' up in smoke an'--"

A farm hand came bustling up. His face was pale under the grime of soot
that overlaid it.

"Ef we don't git ther fire under control purty soon," he cried, "ther
whole place 'ull go."

"What's thet, Jed?" snapped old Hutchings anxiously.

"I said that ther sparks is beginning ter fly. If ther fire gits much
hotter it'll set suthin' else ablaze."

"By heck! That's so!" cried old Hutchings, in an alarmed voice.

He gazed about him perplexedly.

"Isn't there any fire apparatus near here?" asked Roy.

"Yep; at Topman's Corners. But that's five miles off."

"Have you telephoned them?" asked Jimsy, who had noticed that the
Hutchings farm, like most up-to-date ones, was equipped with a
telephone; at least there were wires running into the place which
appeared to be of that nature.

"Ain't no use telephoning" was the disconsolate rejoinder.

"Why?"

"Wire's busted. Reckon ther storm put it out of business. I guess it's
all up with me now. I hoped ter pay off ther part of ther mortgage with
ther hay and grain in thet barn yonder, an' now----" He broke off in
a half sob. Cantankerous as the old man had shown himself to be, and
grasping withal, the boys could not help but feel sorry for the stricken
old fellow. He looked pitifully bowed and old and wretched in the midst
of his distracted farm hands, who were running about and shouting and
not doing much of anything else.

"Wa'al," he said, at length, pulling himself together with a visible
effort, "thar's no chance of gitting ther fire ingines, so it'll hev
ter go, I guess."

"Yes there is a chance of getting the engines, and a good one, too."

They all turned at the sound of a girlish voice, and there stood Peggy
with Je