expectant attitude, straining their hearing to
the utmost.

Presently the listeners plainly caught the sound of a groan.

CHAPTER III

THE RESCUE

"Jack, he's here under all this stuff!" called out Bobolink,
excitedly.

"Poor old chap," said Wallace. "I wouldn't like to give much for his
chance of getting out of the scrape with his life."

"And to think," added Bluff, soberly, "that after all the
protestations made by the company that the old house couldn't fall, it
trapped one of the big owners when it smashed down. It's mighty queer,
it strikes me."

"Keep still again," warned Jack. "I want to call out and see if Mr.
Garrity can hear me."

"A bully good scheme, Jack!" asserted Bobolink. "If we can locate him
in that way it may save us a heap of hard work dragging these timbers
around."

Jack dropped flat on his face, and, placing his mouth close to the
wreckage where it seemed worst, called aloud:

"Hello! Mr. Garrity, can you hear me?"

"Yes! Oh, yes!" came the faint response from somewhere below.

"Are you badly hurt, sir?" continued the scout.

"I don't know--I believe not, but a beam is keeping tons and tons from
falling on me. I am pinned down here, and can hardly move. Hurry and
get some of these timbers off before they fall and crush me!"

Every word came plainly to their ears now. Evidently, Mr. Garrity,
understanding that relief was at hand, began to feel new courage. Jack
waited for no more.

"I reckon I've located him, boys," he told the others, "and now we've
got to get busy."

"Only tell us what to do, Jack," urged Wallace, "and there are plenty
of willing hands here for the work, what with these strong men and the
rest of the boys."

Indeed, already newcomers were arriving, some of them being people who
had been passing along the turnpike near by in wagons or sleighs at
the time the accident happened, and who hastened to the spot in order
to render what assistance they could.

Jack seemed to know just how to go about the work. If he had been in
the house-wrecking business for years he could hardly have improved
upon his system.

"We've got to be careful, you understand, fellows," he told the others
as they labored strenuously to remove the upper timbers from the pile,
"because that one timber he mentioned is the key log of the jam. As
long as it holds he's safe from being crushed. Here, don't try that
beam yet, men. Take hold of the other one. And Bobolink and Wallace,