o life.

Bert caught a big salmon and a black-spotted lizard that had been
flooded out from some dark place in the mountains, Harry found a pretty
toy canoe that some small boy had probably been playing with in the
stream before the water rose, and Jack was kept busy towing in all
kinds of stuff that had broken loose from barns along the pond.

Freddie had boots on, and was happy sailing his "ark" up and down the
road. He insisted on Snoop taking a ride, but cats do not fancy water
and the black kitten quickly hid himself up in the hay loft, out of
Freddie's reach.

Little by little the water fell, until by the next afternoon there was
no longer a river running through the roads. But there were plenty of
wet places and enough of streams washing down the rain the gutters to
give Freddie a fine canal to sail boats in.

Nan and Flossie had boats too which Bert and Harry made for them. In
fact, all the girls along Meadow Brook road found something that would
sail while the flood days lasted.

As it was still July the hot sun came down and dried things up pretty
quickly, but many haymows were completely spoiled, as were summer
vegetables that were too near the pond and came in for their share of
the washout.

This loss, however, was nothing compared with what had been expected by
the farmers, and all were satisfied that a kind Providence had saved
the valley houses from complete destruction.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE FRESH-AIR CAMP

Quiet had settled down once more upon the little village of Meadow
Brook. The excitement of the flood had died away, and now when the
month of July was almost gone, and a good part of vacation had gone
with it, the children turned their attention to a matter of new
interest--the fresh-air camp.

"Mildred Manners was over to the camp yesterday," Nan told her mother,
"and she says a whole lot of little girls have come out from the city,
and they have such poor clothes. There is no sickness there that anyone
could catch, she says (for her uncle is the doctor, you know), but
Mildred says her mother is going to show her how to make some aprons
for the little girls."

"Why, that would be nice for all you little girls to do," said Mrs.
Bobbsey. "Suppose you start a sewing school, and all see what you can
make!"

"Oh, that would be lovely!" exclaimed Nan. "When can we start?"

"As soon as we get the materials," the mother replied. "We will ask
Aunt Sarah to drive over to the camp this aft