Harry tried to obey, but his tears choked him. Bert was the first able
to speak.

"Oh, Uncle Daniel," he cried, "we really didn't mean to smoke. We only
rolled up some corn silk in a piece of paper and--"

His tears choked back his words now, and Harry said:

"It was I who rolled the cigarette, father, and it was awful, it almost
made us sick. Then when Bert put it in his mouth--"

"I threw it away and it must have fallen in the hay!" said Bert.

"Why didn't you come and tell me?" questioned Uncle Daniel severely.
"It was bad enough to do all that, but worse to take the risk of fire!"

"Well, the storm was coming," Harry answered, "and we went to help John
with the hay!"

"Now, boys," said Uncle Daniel, "this has been a very serious lesson to
you and one which you will remember all your lives. I need not punish
you any more; you have suffered enough from the fright of that awful
fire. And if it hadn't been that you were always pretty good boys the
Lord would not have sent that shower to save us as He did."

"I bet I'll never smoke again as long as I live," said Harry
determinedly through his tears.

"Neither will I," Bert said firmly, "and I'll try to make other fellows
stop if I can."

"All right," answered Uncle Daniel, "I'm sure you mean that, and don't
forget to thank the Lord to-night for helping us as He did. And you
must ask His pardon too for doing wrong, remember."

This ended the boys' confession, but they could not stop crying for a
long time, and Bert felt so sick and nervous he went to bed without
eating any supper. Uncle Daniel gave orders that no one should refer to
the fire or cause the boys any more worry, as they were both really
very nervous from the shock, so that beyond helping John clear things
up in the burned end of the barn, there was no further reference to the
boys' accident.

Next day it rained very hard--in fact, it was one of those storms that
come every summer and do not seem to know when to go away.

"The gate at the sawmill dam is closed," Harry told Bert, "and if the
pond gets any higher they won't be able to cross the plank to open up
the gate and let the water out."

"That would be dangerous, wouldn't it?" Bert asked.

"Very," replied Harry. "Peter Burns' house is right in line with the
dam at the other side of the plank, and if the dam should ever burst
that house would be swept away."

"And the barn and henhouse are nearer the pond than the house even!"
Bert re