n there was a sudden scattering among them.

Frank quickly explained the cause of the alarm, and the men hurried off
to get their teams, ploughs, and axes; for Mr. Elmer had been so kind
to them that all were anxious to do what they could to help him in this
time of trouble.

Among the first boat-load that Frank ferried across the river was Black
Joe, with his "ok" attached to a very small plough, with which he felt
confident he could render most valuable assistance.

By the light of the approaching flames surrounding objects could
already be distinguished, and as they hurried up to the house the first
comers found Mr. Elmer, Mr. March, and Jan hard at work. They were
clearing brush and hauling logs away from the immediate vicinity of the
out-buildings, and had got quite a space ready in which the ploughs
could be set to work.

In the house Mrs. Elmer, Ruth, and Aunt Chloe had collected all the
carpets, blankets, and woollen goods they could lay their hands on, and
piled them near the cistern, where they could be quickly soaked with
water, and placed over exposed portions of the walls or roof. They were
now busy packing up clothing and lighter articles of furniture, ready
for instant removal.

As fast as the teams and ploughs arrived, Mr. Elmer set them to work
ploughing long furrows through the dry grass about a rod outside the
line of fence nearest the approaching flames. Inside this line he and
Mr. March set the grass on fire in many places. They could easily check
these small fires as they reached the fence by beating them out with
cedar boughs.

Meantime the flames came roaring and rushing on, leaping from tree to
tree, and fanned into fury by the fierce wind. Above them hundreds of
birds fluttered and circled with shrill cries of distress, until,
bewildered by the smoke and glare, they fell, helpless victims, into
the terrible furnace.

Wild animals of all kinds, among which were a small herd of deer,
dashed out of the woods ahead of the fire, and fled across the open
field unmolested by the men, who were too busy to give them a thought.

In his zeal to do his utmost, and to show what a splendid animal he
had, Black Joe was ploughing far ahead of the others, when suddenly he
saw rushing from the forest, and coming directly towards him, a bear.
Terror-stricken at this sight, and without stopping to reflect that the
bear was himself too frightened to harm anybody just then, Joe dropped
the plough-handles a